“Be careful,” I say as she peaks her head out of the non-
existent glass
“And don't-”
“I know, I know.” She chatters back
“Don't make eye contact.
You guys better buckle up.”
“Why?” asks Tom
I simply smirk “The impact.”
Leigh begins to weave her spell
Conjuring one of the sigils of Hell
“Is that-?” Tom gasps
“Yup,” I say “The third inferno. The one that keeps the
angel Michael at bay.”
“Oh, hell no.”
“Actually, it is Hell, yes.”
“She's gonna nuke the whole state.”
“Not if we conjure a gate.”
“Right...” He responds panicking inside
So we begin summoning runes from the other side
Careful not to look at the eyes
If we do, we die
“Nothing fancy.” I say
“We just need to put what's leftover into the ocean.”
“You realize we can't neutralize everything?”
“Let's have some fun. I'll start on the ring.”
“Guess I'll take the warp.”
Time for gate magic 101
It's just as it sounds and just as fun
The ring acts as a vacuum, pulling in what we designate
The warp is the destination
And man, the concentration it takes...
Not to mention the strength
Dealing with Hell's flames is hard enough
On top of that, the taxi's taking its toll
Sucking us dry
We'll be severely lucky if we don't die
Leigh chanting in Latin, the sigil burning hot
Dying is something I'd rather not
But this reptilian butt face needs to be skinned
And this is our best shot to win
“Gate's good!” Tom calls
It's now or never
This might just be the best magic trick ever
Suddenly, Leigh's sigil manifests flames of blue
A little concerning to tell the truth
Blue flames are something I've never seen her do
Putting it aside I yell “It's all you.”
At my words she lets out a yell
“Ignite!” Thus emerge the flames of hell
The basilisk let's out an enormous hiss
From here to Texas, candles burn to the wick
The beast wriggles and writhes as the flames engulf
Before they can spread, they're sucked through the gate
whole
All that remains are the ones burning the snake
In Georgia it's a delicacy called reptilian bake
Maybe we can sell some and get rich
I see Leigh struggle as her body starts to twitch
“Hang in there.” I call “It's almost done!”
As quick as the flames burn, they concentrate and build
As an explosion erupts knocking the taxi and throwing
us to the hills
Rumbled and tumbled, we're knocked around
As the driver's displeasure loudly sounds
“What the hell?!
Do you know how much repairs are gonna cost?
We'll be in the shop until the next Packer's loss!
Stupid kids... I swear, I'm moving to Bermuda.”
He revs up the engine
As off we go
The taxi struggling as it moves comparatively kinda
slow
Looking back all that's left of the basilisk is a vacant shell
“Nice job!” I say as Leigh's slumber quells
Her eyes getting heavy
“I can't believe that actually worked.” Tom says
“Me neither.” Leigh gives a yawn
As they both nod off, not to wake until dawn
“Yeah, that's if it did.” I say to myself
For now we managed it without help
Arriving to town, we arrive at the inn
Approaching the counter, there's a rough satyr chewing a
can
He lets out a burp “Can I help you?”
He looks to Leigh and Tom, unconscious and hovering
My magic holds them
Being an O.D. here is dangerous
Especially if the locals make the discovery
“Yeah,” I reply “just need a room.”
“You seem familiar.” The satyr chews “I know you?”
“No. Just passing through.”
“Wait, you were that kid with Jack Frost.
As I remember it, you came to town and you killed the
boss.”
“That was Jack. And nothing he didn't deserve.”
“That'll be ten shillings.”
The price almost hurts
“That's outrageous!” I bite
“Consider it insurance, in case you cause trouble.”
Slimey conman, compared to last time that's over double
“Fine.” I say, my wallet now empty
Causing trouble now a little more tempting
Just out of spite
But gotta focus on the case
We've only got one night
I wonder about the look on my face
I take my partners up to the room
Drop them into bed, under the shinning moon
They're exhausted – All the mana they used
Small price for the win
I'm honestly low too
But I've got one stop to make
Before I can sleep
So I head into town
To myself I keep
My reputation could cause issue
Makes me think of Jack
This keeps up, I might need a tissue
Arriving at the door of the Headless Hand
I give a knock
“Password!” a voice yells from inside
“O.D.s suck.”
Unlocking the door, the voice responds “Damn.
Who are you and what do you want?”
He looks at me through giant glasses with squinty eyes
A maimed old man no more than 4'5
“Nate?” He asks
“Yup.” I smile
“Boy, oh boy! It's been a while!
Look I heard about Jack, I'm sorry.” Dave's tone low
“Actually, I'm here to grab her T.O.A.D.”
For those not in the know
T.O.A.D. stands for total offensive action dispenser
It's a collection of dangerous artifacts
The kind you need if you have a certain task
For example... killing Death
He looks away nervous and takes a breath
“I kinda sold it...”
“To who?” I say through gritted teeth
He's lucky I'm not making him bleed
As my mana begins to flood the air
He's actually expecting it
I mean fair's fair
“To a peddler named Traf.” He says, eyes full of fear
“His stall opens tomorrow at 9.
He also has a mystic Sin I hear.”
“You're lucky I don't beat you for being stupid.” I say
As by the pressure of my mana, the building quakes
“I'll let it slide since it's apparently my lucky day.
I'm currently tracking the Sins.
You're gonna meet me tomorrow
And make introductions with Traf.
And if he doesn't have either of the items
“Deal...” He whimpers
As I walk out the door
My blood boiling to my core
That idiot sold it?
In the end it works out
Finding a Sin is good
But I still hate this town
I'll get some rest
Then go meet this Traf
If he's lucky I might even nicely ask
Falling to sleep I close my eyes
But what I dream makes me wanna hide
Trial 10: Churn and burn
My dream – Choppy
Like an unfinished movie
But the cuts of scenes
Terrify me, truly
Kids in cages
Tortured and scarred
I catch glimpses
Of the whip striking hard
Suddenly, my perspective is one of the chained
I feel the whip, the searing pain
I cry out for help
To no avail
I beg it to stop
This living hell
At last it does, and I turn to see
My brother approach
And he looks at me
He reaches his hand
I swell with fear
Only to see his malicious smile
As the scene fades and disappears
The scene goes dark
Another choppy cut
To a conversation
But it's unclear what
Words are missing where they should be
Sentences half finished
One thing is clear
I wish I didn't see
The question remains
What do they want with children?
Each thought scares me
More than the last
It's not looking good
For this movie's cast
The scene fades to black
To the sound of TV static
I had a vision
Choppy, but dramatic
Does that mean my Sight is returning
Suddenly, I hear screams
Something's burning
I open my eyes
As smoke floods the room
Outside the window
I see a giant boom
Tom rushing around in a panic
“Bout time you wake up!” He calls manic
“Leigh went out to investigate and help.
Just to be clear, I blame you for this hell.”
“The town's on fire...” I say in a daze
“No kidding!” Tom bites giving a nasty gaze
“What happened?” I ask
“We were hoping you could tell us.
Last thing we knew we were riding in the taxi.
Then we wake up here
To the sounds of wood burning and houses blasting.
We gotta hurry and figure out what's causing it!”
I look to the town
It burns of blue
My stomach drops
Surely, she wouldn't be such a fool?
Last thing I hear is Tom asking “What about...?”
Blue flames are something to do with her and her blood
Stepping into the street, chaos burns and floods
My vision foggy but not as much as before
I can see a slight trail, but it strains my eyes, sore
I follow it, pushing through the pain
I've got to find her quick
Before the next move of this game
Somehow they're involved, my brother and the other
Don't ask me how
I just have a feeling
Like indigestion
And it has me reeling
What the hell are they up to?
What does Death have planned?
It has to have something to do with the man
The thief going around
The one stealing the sins
Somehow he's the key
He's how they intend to win
Sifting my way through wreckage and flame
I hear someone call my name “Nate!”
Dave, hobbling through the street
Hacking and wheezing – Like a goat he bleats
“Dave? What the hell?” I call to him
“We had an appointment!” He snaps at me
“The town's kinda burning in case you couldn't see.”
“I know that!” His tone heavy and dark
“I believe Traf is guilty in some part.”
“Traf? Why?”
“That Sin has brought more trouble than needed,
Probably because it's magic is seeded...”
“Seeded in what?” I ask
“It's mixed in the scuffs between the Trolls and Goblins.
They're gluttony and greed.
I ask that you remove it from here
Before the town bleeds.”
“Well, let's go.”
As he leads the way
All roads lead to the Sin
That's easy enough to claim
Something still bugs me
The blue flame and Leigh
What's the connection?
What's the game?
Finally, we arrive at a makeshift stall
There stands a troll, easily ten foot tall
“You might've warned me he was a troll.” I whisper to
Dave
“Didn't I?” He asks confused
“Oh well, at least act brave.
Those items we discussed,” He addresses the troll
“We'd like to take them off your hands.
You know, to lessen the toll?”
“You think,” Traf booms “I'll give them up to you?
Do you realize how much they're worth?”
“Yes,” I chime in “More than you do.”
“What's this, Dave?
You brought an errand boy?
Get out of my face. This place is burning
And they aren't toys.
I'm hitting the road.
They'll fetch me an easy price.”
“Well,” I say “I tried asking nice.”
I pull out my watch
Hold it up like a badge
“By authority of the Organization
You are here by ordered to relinquish your claim!
Do it now!
I'm not playing games!”
“You brought an O.D.?!” Traf booms in rage
“You little snitch!
Damn you Dave!
I'll make sure the whole black market knows your name!