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.

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.

Thoughts over coffee

I’m soo tired, I smell coffee brewing in the kitchen and warm smells of spice. Soft sounding horn instruments play in the background. I stare off, lost in thought when my concentration is broken by a voice “excuse me sir, would you like a refill?” asks a waiter. I stare down at my cup of coffee and nod slightly. The waiter smiles and walks off to the kitchen.

            I’m sitting outside of a café watching the rain. The rain pelts the world around me as I sit dry and warm under an awning. The café is almost empty, it’s a rainy Monday afternoon. I sit with my coffee while everyone in the city is indoors, working or hiding from the rain.  Its been two years since I move to this town, I had to escape the world I used to know, I had to get away from the lying and backstabbing. Back home there were time when the backstabbing was literal.

            I flip through my wallet for singles to pay the waiter, certain actions run on autopilot and before I realize what I am doing, the waiter is already walking off with my money, then returns with change. I try to be more present and in the moment, getting lost in thought while handing a stranger some amount of money is not a good start for being ‘in the moment’. The waiter places my change down on the polished wooden table, a soft clinking noise is made as the metal hits the wood. I gently rub my thumb against the leather of my wallet that is still clutched in my hand before placing it back into my pocket.

            My mind has a habit of running off by itself. Racing thoughts and worries of the future distract me from the here and now. My therapist and my Mother-in-law have both told me to stay present. I wish staying present was just a light switch I could flick, but when your mind runs off, its hard to stop it.

            I often wonder if I could have changed the way things turned out, if I missed a chance here or there, if maybe I was more observant, maybe things could have turned out better. Thinking about the past too much is just as troublesome as worrying about the future, but the pain and sadness can get addicting. Sometimes its easier to dwell on the past than to deal with the problems in front of me. I have often thought about this. My grim joke to myself is “I’ll deal with it once its over and is a memory” I worry about problems already passed and often feel nostalgic for good times long gone.

            ‘be more present’ I tell myself, the thing about being more mindful and present is, if you have to try, you’ve already failed. Thinking and worrying about being or not being mindful is just as bad as worrying about anything else and defeats the purpose of being mindful. This doesn’t stop me from worrying about not being mindful enough.

            The rain slows down and the smooth jazz from the café dies with it. I wait several moments listening to the dying rain as a new song starts up from inside the café. I am presently being present. I should write a letter to my mother-in-law and tell her I managed it, maybe I’ll write a letter to my therapist too.

Corridor of Time

Thomas walked through a corridor, the walls were covered in wallpaper in the style of nineteen-twenties American décor. Doors lined the corridor, each door was a rich oak color with black metal handles. None of the doors could be opened except one. At the end of the hall was a door made of white marble, it looked heavy and unmovable but glimmered with an otherworldly luminescence.

Thomas walked briskly towards the marble door, his black dress shoes scuffed against the long strip of floral carpeting that ran down the center of the corridors hardwood floor. Thomas’ brisk walk turned into a run, his dress pants making a swishing sound as he went. The corridor was silent except for the noise Thomas made as he tried to reach the white door.

The more Thomas ran the longer the corridor seemed to be but he was determined to reach the door. He didn’t know why he was so driven to this door or how long he had been running, he didn’t bother looking back or try to open any other door, his goal was straight ahead and he was in a full sprint as he tried to reach it.

Details of the door were revealed as he drew closer. The door had a gold lining, along the edges and made a square pattern in the center of the door. A small golden crest of a lion head was next to the silver handle of the door. The door was opened slightly, a shaft of light beamed out through it, dust particles floated and danced in the air, reflecting the light shining on it.

Thomas finally reached the door, he stopped for a moment as he tried to catch his breath. He took off his hat and his suit jacket then wiped sweat from his head. He felt like he had been running for miles in his dark gray suit but didn’t bother looking back to check how far he had traveled.

As regained his composure he heard the light pattering of rain on the other side of the door. A cool breeze blew through the small opening and the rain sound grew louder. Thomas reached for the handle and as soon as he touched the doorknob the door slammed shut. Thomas stood there stunned his hand still outstretched now only grasping air instead of the silver handle.

At this point Thomas thought about trying a different door, maybe another door entirely. There were so many brown wooden doors in the corridor that one of them would open. Thomas thought about this for several seconds and though it was only seconds the seriousness of the decision made if feel like an eternity. Thomas felt that going through a door was one of the most important decisions of his life and while he wanted to open the white marble door he worried he would be wasting his time on the flashy door and never get to leave the corridor at all.

Thomas reached his hand out again for the silver doorknob of the marble door. The golden lion emblem protruded out form the door and cut Thomas’ hand as he grasped the handle. Blood trickled from his hand and coated the golden lion’s mouth but Thomas continued to turn the silver doorknob.

Thomas twisted the handle of the door, his hand gathering cuts and scraps as he went. The golden lion was not a mighty guardian standing in his way, but the continued cuts and bleeding made Thomas reconsider his actions. Even though doubt was growing in him, he continued. He turned the handle all the way and pulled the door open. Though it appeared to be made of heavy marble, the door opened with ease. Thomas pulled his hand from the door, acquiring one last scrape from the golden lion.

The sound of rain could be heard in full, a gentle breeze rolled into the corridor from the other side of the door. Light was cast down over Thomas. It was warm and inviting. Thomas put his suit jack and hat back on and stepped through the door. This wasn’t the end for him but it was certainly the beginning of something wonderful.

When the Lights go out

When the lights go out, when the people leave and the last note of a song fades, that’s when you find out what kind of person you are. When there are no other voices to hear but your own, that is when you will start to hear your own true voice.

            I have screamed into the darkness and only heard daunting silence as a reply, I have drifted along in the tides of uncertainty for so long that I can stand firm and unwavering on my ship as my life drifts out to sea. I have grown so used to the sound and feel of misfortune that I feel dread when it is not around. I have embraced so many negatives in this world and act as if the world was this way for everyone. Some think I am strange or unnecessarily aggressive but they have not seen the things I have.

            I am so accustomed to being alone that I find it tiring to be around others for long periods of time. Just as some might not understand why I can’t stand large gatherings of people, I also have a hard time understanding how someone could not handle being alone.

Elegy of Gali

I wrote this over a year ago before my cat Gali died. I had this cat for 19 years. so almost my whole life. Before she died I knew the end was coming and stayed up worrying about it. this is the result. I am posting it now because I feel like it might be able to help others with grief over death. 

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I’m sorry. I am sorry that there is nothing I can do to help you. You sit blissfully unaware as I lose sleep. What a joke, some might find it funny that I am getting so worked up over this.

My life span is almost five times as long as yours. I saw you being born, I watched with the eyes of an adult, and with those same eyes I will watch you die. Life is so fleeting. Days seem to drag on like years, yet years fly by in seconds. I blink and you are fully-grown, I blink again and you have been dead for months.

I feel like god watching mortals. This is the only time I have heard of being god as a bad thing. I watch you grow up and grow strong and have the burden to watch you slowly weaken. The frailty of your life reminds me of the inevitable nature of my own.

I cry because I don’t want to lose you, then I continue to cry because I don’t want to die. The irony is that despite my long life span and vast knowledge, it is you that comforts me. You don’t know why I am upset but you want me to feel better. Actually I can’t imagine how you must see the world. Living a comparatively short life, completely ignorant of death and disease.

Maybe it is you who should feel bad for me. After all, you are the one asleep and I am the one writing this down at 2am.

Brian down the Hall

            Brian woke up with a stinging pain in his head, he opened his eyes and saw white lights in his vision.

            It was a cloudy day in August, the weather switched from hot to cold on a whim. On Monday it was blazing hot outside and on Tuesday it was raining, humid and warm. Brian woke up on a Wednesday. The sky was cloudy, a cool breeze blew in through the small space opened in Brian’s bedroom window. The thin sheet used as a curtain danced on the breeze as the sun shone through the white sheet. Brian dragged his hand over his face in an attempt to wake up. Brian would rub his face in the morning to feel more awake, he always thought this was because it made blood rush to his face and hopefully his brain.

            Brian stood up from his mattress on the floor, then stumbled as another shooting pain went through his head. His bed was covered in a cheap white sheet, similar to his window. He had one pillow and a small blanket to cover with. His studio apartment was a large empty space with sparse furniture and white sheets covering the three windows he had.

            Brian walked over to a small end table near his bed. The table was pressed up against the wall and directly under a window. On the blue end table was a glass pipe, a lighter, a metal railroad spike and a white coffee cup stained with coffee with the words “Rocker Cat” on it, below the words was a cat with a blue Mohawk.

            Brian opened his window a little wider, picked up his glass pipe and lit it. He inhaled deeply, held his breath then slowly exhaled. Thick smoke was expelled out through his mouth and nose. He felt his nerves ease and the pains he woke up with began calm. The sharp pain in his head continued though. He picked up the long sharp spike a delicately placed it against the right side of his head at the base of his skull and jammed the spike upward into his head. With a loud squish and crunch the pain finally was gone.

            Brian woke up on the floor with a smile on his face and a railroad spike sticking from the base of his skull. He stood up, rubbed his face again and picked up his “Rocker cat” coffee mug from the end table. He went to the kitchen with his cup, washed it out and made a fresh pot of coffee.

            While he went through his morning routine of washing up, making coffee and drinking coffee, the spike in his skull did not fall out, his head didn’t bleed and from the expression Brian’s face, the spike in his head wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. Brian had a series of scars around the insertion point of the spike, showing that he did this on a regular basis.

            Once he was dressed and had his coffee and other drugs, he stepped out of his front door into his apartment building’s main hallway. The hallway was old fashioned and looked like it was from the nineteen twenties. He was on the third floor and casually walked down each flight of stairs, passing rows of other apartments on his way.

            Finally Brian reached the exit to his building, opened the door and stepped out into the wonderful city of Hallows End. It was the modern age for monsters and the Halloween city of Hallows End had grown from a small settlement of creatures to a city of every kind of creature and misfit that the outside world was afraid of or disgusted with. Needless to say, Hallows End had some humans as well, politicians, lawyers and bureaucrats were all welcome. These humans had to follow the same rules as the monsters of the city and would be banished if they hurt fellow citizens.

            Brian wasn’t human though he had human friends. Brian was a wendigo, an evil creature born from human greed, cannibalism and taboo actions. So he had a lot going for him. He was humanoid, with two arms, two legs, he wore pants and a t-shirt, had paper white skin, deep sunken in eyes, sharp teeth hidden under thin pale lips, a shaggy head of white hair with a stripe of blue dyed in it and a railroad spike sticking out of his head.

 Brian the Wedigo tried his best to fit in with humans and other monsters but it was difficult to not kill and violate every living creature in the area, so he had to take medicine given to calm monsters and on top of that Brian was fond of smoking herbs that he found in the Dark Forest.

            Since Brian had rapid healing and damage to the brain didn’t kill him like it would to other creatures, he found that jamming a spike through his head was the only thing that would cure his migraines, it also helped calm his aggressive behavior.

            Humans only thought about monsters being acceptable on Halloween or when they visited Hallows End in October. The truth that no one really thought about was, monsters that exist on Halloween don’t just vanish after October ends, some do, but most don’t, monsters still have to go on with their lives or afterlives the rest of the year, trying their best to get by and resist the urge to eat children.

Forest Island - The Other side - Final

            It was the Sixth day when the Forest Kings’ reinforcements arrived in the village of Cliff Peak.

The Dog lord Stefan rode a giant black wolf named Galious and was surrounded by hunting dogs, foxes and wolves. Stefan wore a black vest over a white shirt, black pants, black boots and an emerald green cloak that matched Galious’ green eyes. Stefan wielded a long handled axe with a curved blade, meant for fighting on horseback or in this case Wolfback. 

Greggory rode a tall and majestic elk with long branching horns. The elk’s name was Pan, named after the god of mountains and wilderness. Greggory wore a tan shirt, brown cloak, auburn pants and thick leather boots. Greggory carried a belt covered in knives everywhere he went and was proficient in thrown and close range fighting with knives and daggers.

The two Kings arrived to find the village ransacked but being rebuilt, villagers unharmed and only five Bear soldiers remaining to protect the village.

Stefan rode up to the soldiers and asked them to explain what had happened. The redheaded soldier with a mace began to speak, she told the story of Nathaniel’s bravery and the enemy they faced.

On the other side of the portal, Nathaniel and his soldiers we finally shown what kind of enemy they had been fighting for the last week.

The portal didn’t take them to another world or another dimension, they were transported underground deeper below the earths crust than man had ever dug. These shadow monsters had been amassing underground for hundreds of years, going unnoticed by any humanoid race on the planet.

Nathaniel stared up at the ceiling of the tunnel they were in. the underground tunnels were twenty feet high from the ground to the ceiling and twenty feet wide. The tunnels stretched on endlessly into the darkness. The only source of light in these dark tunnels were glowing purple crystals that gave off a mysterious energy. Nathaniel was not a scholar or wizard but he was willing to bet money that these magic crystals helped fuel the energy needed for the portal.

The caves were empty and Nathaniel knew this was the perfect time to strike at the power source. Nathaniel touched one of the crystals with his bare hands and felt a numb tingling in his fingers as he held it. When he moved away the feeling stopped. These crystals had power and he was determined to use them to get home again.

“Alright men, we need to pull every crystal we see off these walls. If you can’t reach it, then shoot them down” Nathaniel pulled out his bow and fired an arrow at a crystal high up on the cave wall. The arrow hit the center of the crystal shattering it into a dozen fragments. The fragments hit the ground and were collected by his soldiers.

            When the crystal shattered it let out a loud hum and a ripple of energy shot through the air and down the tunnels into the darkness. Nathaniel ordered his men to move as fast as they could, as he was concerned what that ripple of energy could lead to.

Nathaniel and his men broke crystals off the walls and gathered them into a pile. Some of the purple crystals were stuck in the wall and had to be broken off with a sword or mace, some had to be shot down with an arrow but others came off the wall easily as if they had been placed on the wall purposely. Nathaniel had noticed that the crystals formed rows that went from the floor and to ten feet up the walls. The rows were horizontal and stretched five feet across. There was a blank space in the center of the rows leading Nathaniel to believe that was where the portal would open every night.

Vibrations rippled in small bursts with every crystal that was pulled from their pattern. These vibrations were a signal to the cave dwellers and each pulse of energy released was like throwing stones at a hornets nest.

            Glowing red eyes emerged from the darkness, hundreds of eyes on both sides of the tunnel. The true shadow people, the reason for the attacks, surrounded the Bear Forces. They were no longer facing the foot soldiers and grunts and Nathaniel now saw what was truly lurking in the darkness.

            The Shadow Lords closed in on the group. Each one had glowing red eyes, rows of teeth and long tendrils flowing from their backs. Some of the tendrils had claw like hands on them and others looked like sharpened spears.

            “close ranks and prepare for battle!” The men had finished gathering crystals into a pile and now formed ranks back to back to face the approaching threat.

            The Shadowlords floated several inches off the ground giving them greater agility and speed. This made the shadows look more ghostly and shook the moral of the troops.

            Nathaniel fired an arrow at the closest Shadowlord, the arrow struck the creature in the head with a sickening thunk. Black ooze bled from the shadow but the monster continued forward. “Fight with everything you have, we don’t need to defeat them all, we just need to last until the crystals power up again and make another portal” Nathaniel shouted as the Shadowlords clashed with his troops. Nathaniel was using pure speculation and hoped that he was right but knew that any doubt would not serve his soldier’s moral.

            Long shadow tendrils shot out from the Shadowlords and struck against shields and armor. The soldiers pushed back with spears, arrows and swords. A mace wielder struck a Shadowlord so hard that its head exploded into black ooze. The creature stumbled and its tendrils began flying off in every direction. Losing a head didn’t kill the Shadowlord but now that it was headless it seemed weaker and completely disoriented. The wild flailing tendrils struck through the bodies of the other Shadowlords causing black oozing wounds. The wild flailing also took the Bear Forces by surprised and several spearmen were wounded by the unpredictable strikes.

            Nathaniel fired arrows as rapidly as he could until the shadows were all bearing down on him and his soldiers. Nathaniel put his bow away and reached into his cloak to pull out clawed gauntlets. This weapon switch filled his soldiers with determination. Nathaniel was known as an archer and only switched to his “Bear Claw” gauntlets when he was fighting for his life and facing death. Everyone knew it was time to fight with every ounce of strength they had.

            Nathaniel leaped forward with the ferocity of a bear and began to claw and slash like a bear but he moved and dodged like a boxer. Pubbles the bear charged forward using his weight and claws to plow into the group of shadows.

            Knights guarded the group with their shields and slashed out with their swords, spearmen struck with the force of a lighting bolt and the mace wielders brought their mighty weapons down with thundering force. Black ooze and splattered the group, darkness surrounded them and Shadowlords moved in uncountable numbers. The oppressive darkness hid the true numbers of the enemy.

            “I told you I would follow you to hell. I was hoping you wouldn’t take me up on that offer” Shouted Sir Richard as he forced a smile to cover his pain ridden face. Blood trickled from Sir Richard’s armor but he kept pushing on with everything he had.

            Nathaniel heard his friend’s words but couldn’t risk replying at that moment. He couldn’t let doubt and fear invade his mind, he couldn’t waiver and become overwhelmed with worry for his wounded and possibly dying soldiers. Nathaniel had to fight for not just his life but the life of everyone.

            Nathaniel’s arms ached as he struck out with each punch, each strike had his full force behind it. The Bear Forces were the sturdiest and most resilient soldiers in the land and this was their truest test.

            Shields reflecting tendril attacks let out a metallic echo, the sickening sound of tendrils piercing flesh dug into the ears and minds of all who heard it. The splatter of Shadowlords was the only reply the Bear Forces would give. They refused to give an inch and with every injury they took they gave back the damage ten fold.

            As the battle raged on the purple crystals began to glow brighter and brighter. “Once that portal opens, we grab every crystal there and retreat through the portal” Nathaniel shouted to his men as he dodged a spiked tendril.

            Pubbles the bear ran to the pile of crystals, two of the soldiers in the back ducked down and piled crystals onto Pubbles’ back. The knights were trained to guard the rear guard but soldiers gathering crystals risked their lives by letting their guard down.

            The Crystals grew brighter and brighter until they looked like blazing stars in the night sky. A clawed tendril shot forward and grabbed the crystal gathering soldier and began to dig its sharp claws into the soldiers torso. Sir Richard cut the tendril from the Shadowlords body and then charged forward with his shield. The force of Sir Richard’s shield bash pushed the Shadowlord backward and knocking into the shadows in the back.

            The portal opened and the crystals were all collected onto Pubbles’ back. “Retreat soldiers! Pubbles stay with me” Nathaniel shouted. Nathaniel clawed and fought as he tried to cover his retreating troops. Sir Richard stood by his kings side, dripping with blood but fighting as if he was uninjured. Nathaniel turned to Sir Richard “You are a true friend, please live through this” before Richard could reply he was grabbed by the armor and thrown through the portal by Nathaniel. A tendril struck through Nathaniel’s torso, Nathaniel whipped back around and clawed the tendril from the Shadowlords body, then delivered a crushing blow to the shadows head and face.

            With the soldiers all safely through the portal the Shadowlords all surrounded Nathaniel and Pubbles. The loyal bear bit down onto Nathaniel’s collar and charged out of the portal.

            The crystals, Nathaniel, Pubbles and the Bear Forces all escaped through the portal and collapsed on the ground on the other side. They were finally home but the portal was still open. Hundreds of Forest King soldiers surrounded the portal and dragged the Bear forces, Pubbles and Nathaniel to safety.

            Shadowlords rushed out of the portal to peruse their prey only to be greeted by hundreds of healthy, fully armed soldiers. The second the Shadowlords stepped from the portal they were attacked. Relentless strikes, slashes and arrows rained punishment down on the Shadowlords.  The remaining shadows were smart enough to know they were outnumbered and retreated back into the portal. Seconds later the portal flickered and closed.

            The crystals lost their shine and turned into dull purple stones. The portal was closed for now and the crystals would have to be heavily guarded in case they activated themselves and opened another portal.

            The sixth day was a victory, the portal closed, the crystals were now under the care of the Forest Kings and the Shadowlords who lurked underground knew to fear the humans who ruled the surface lands.

            Sir Richards smiled at Nathaniel as the two lay next to each other on the ground. “We did it sir, made it to Hell and back” He said with a smile then closed his eyes. Nathaniel smiled and closed his eyes. Nathaniel fell into a deep sleep, exhausted and wounded from battle. Sir Richards slipped away as he closed his eyes, too wounded from battle to ever wake up again.

            The Sun rose up on horizon, it was a new day and the inhabitants of Forest Island could rest knowing that when night arrived again, only the moon and stars would be there to greet them.