2450: Someplace.
"Strange, isn't it, how Death has not shown himself at our
functions." Slaughter remarked.
"Yes, I'd say it is." Conquest replied.
"Indeed." War said, "Mayhap we shall have to cease our functions and
find out why he isn't showing.
"Yes, let's away." Pestilence agreed.
In moments, with just a thought, they appeared in Deaths' abode.
"Death!" Famine called, "Are you at home?"
"Look, his cloak." Conquest said, pointing it out, "Maybe he's ill."
"Incarnations do not sicken anymore than we age, Conquest. He must
have taken a vacation." War replied.
"He has, in a way." came a youthful voice. "I'm Storm. He who chose
me did not instruct me on my duties, mayhap you could teach me?"
"Deathstalker is gone?" War asked.
"You forget, he has a mortal wife and son. But of course he'd choose
his own successor." Famine said.
"Quite." Pestilence said, "Come then, Storm, we can tell you your
duties. It will be your task, however, to figure out how to do them, just
as your predecessors did and as your successors will do."
"As to a name, we will call you Deathstorm." War stated.
The youth nodded his acceptance. He learned of his duties and they left
him to his own devices. Deathstorm began concentrating on his duties,
trying to fathom the secret of the cloak and of the internal clock he now
possessed. Then he was there, he just knew he was, so he waited. Before
him he watched a young female be beaten, raped, and killed. His senses
told him to take her. He kneeled next to her, not sure what to do.
"Why do you falter Death?" she asked.
"I am sorry, I am new at this and am trying to come to know how to
relieve you of your pain." Deathstorm replied.
"Yes, I can see that. But do so quickly." she sighed.
He tried to take her hand, but his hand passed through it. Automatic
reflexes closed his hand, he pulled his hand back, a filmy substance came
out within his grip. The female shuddered as the last left her.
"I did it." he said, "That's all there is to it?"
"It is part of it Death." came an elderly feminine voice.
He turned and faced the eldest aspect of the Incarnation called Fate.
"After you collect the soul, you return to your abode. Find the
weighing machine and place the soul into it. The machine can tell you
where the soul is destined. The good soul goes into the white orb and the
evil soul in the black, both are provided by the machine. If a soul is in
balance, the soul stays in Purgatory to work out its evil or its good as
the soul sees fit. Such souls serve the Incarnations as servants usually."
she instructed.
"Why is it you are telling me things?" Deathstorm asked.
"Mayhap you will pay back my favor just as Deathstalker did when he
came on. Now off with you, young man, times' a wasting." she smiled.
Deathstorm returned to the abode of Death to weigh the soul and to his
surprise the young females' soul was so in balance it sent the machine
into a frenzy.
"But now what?" he whispered, holding the soul in his hand, "She is
in balance. Fate said souls like this stay here in Purgatory, but how can
she be a servant without solidity?"
The soul floated out of his hand and filled out, then solidified.
"Do you understand what you are do while in Purgatory?" he queried.
"Yes, I'd like to ask to serve you." she nodded.
Deathstorm wasn't sure if he should be flattered, the female was a
beauty for her kind. "Could I ask why?"
"Well you are the one who took me from life. I think I'll stick with
a slightly familiar face, which I haven't seen besides that awful getup of
yours." she smiled.
"What do I look like?" Deathstorm inquired.
"Like you took on some angry Scraplets, then was left to starve in
the three suns of Neoxx." she stated.
"Then I will remove my cloak for surely you couldn't stand a site
like that, but I'm no looker." he warned and removed his cloak.
"An improvement, Death." she nodded.
"The others call me Deathstorm. My name before that was Storm, I
prefer the latter." he reported.
"Storm it'll be." she replied.
"What is your name?" Deathstorm asked.
"My race gives names when we are adults based on our actions and
words, therefore I have yet no name." she relayed.
He nodded acknowledgment. "I will be gone for long periods of time.
Do what you will with my home. Feel free to roam the estate, but do not
wander beyond the boundaries. Once out of my domain, I fear you will only
anger the Incarnation whose path you cross."
"I will stay as directed, Storm. May I ask you pardon and begin
exploring the house?" she queried.
"Go ahead, my duties beckon me." Deathstorm said. In moments he was
gone. He really didn't need to collect a soul, he needed to gather
himself. "Gods above, I think I'm in love."
Suddenly, a female appeared before him. "Deathstorm, I am the
Incarnation of Nature.
"I seem to be meeting all the Incarnations today." He remarked, just
then Time appeared
"Its best to start early." Time grinned.
"Leave me be." he snarled, he two looked at each other and disappeared.
Again Fate appeared, as the eldest aspect, "I believe I will explain
about..."
"Leave me be." he stated gruffly.
"This is about your new servant, I think you'll want to hear this."
he just looked at her, "You see, we set it up. We know how lonely it gets
without suitable companionship. Especially so for Death."
"And you picked her because you knew I'd love her the moment I laid
optics on her." Deathstorm sighed.
"Yes." she nodded.
"Thanks for the info, now will you leave me alone?" he asked.
She disappeared as requested. He thought for a long time, then spent a
week collecting clients. With that done he got a chance to return to his
abode.
"I'm back." Deathstorm called.
With no response, he shrugged off the cloak and cowl and decided to take a
long soak in the oil bath. He fell asleep in its warmth, and was awakened
by a kiss on the cheek. He noticed the close proximity of his servants'
body to his own as she spoke.
"Have a rough week?" she inquired.
"Yes, being new to this is real tough on me." he replied, "You've
talked with Fate I'd wager."
"Yes." she nodded.
"You don't mind?" he questioned.
"No, in fact, I'm very happy about it, and may I say that I loved you
when I first saw you." she smiled.
"You did?" Deathstorm blinked.
"Yes." she encircled her arms around his shoulders, "And right now I
want to kiss you."
Deathstorm turned to her and they kissed.
When they broke off he said, "I hope that we won't get tired of this, because I
plan to be Death a long time."
"I don't think we will, Storm." she grinned.
"Strange, isn't it, how Death has not shown himself at our
functions." Slaughter remarked.
"Yes, I'd say it is." Conquest replied.
"Indeed." War said, "Mayhap we shall have to cease our functions and
find out why he isn't showing.
"Yes, let's away." Pestilence agreed.
In moments, with just a thought, they appeared in Deaths' abode.
"Death!" Famine called, "Are you at home?"
"Look, his cloak." Conquest said, pointing it out, "Maybe he's ill."
"Incarnations do not sicken anymore than we age, Conquest. He must
have taken a vacation." War replied.
"He has, in a way." came a youthful voice. "I'm Storm. He who chose
me did not instruct me on my duties, mayhap you could teach me?"
"Deathstalker is gone?" War asked.
"You forget, he has a mortal wife and son. But of course he'd choose
his own successor." Famine said.
"Quite." Pestilence said, "Come then, Storm, we can tell you your
duties. It will be your task, however, to figure out how to do them, just
as your predecessors did and as your successors will do."
"As to a name, we will call you Deathstorm." War stated.
The youth nodded his acceptance. He learned of his duties and they left
him to his own devices. Deathstorm began concentrating on his duties,
trying to fathom the secret of the cloak and of the internal clock he now
possessed. Then he was there, he just knew he was, so he waited. Before
him he watched a young female be beaten, raped, and killed. His senses
told him to take her. He kneeled next to her, not sure what to do.
"Why do you falter Death?" she asked.
"I am sorry, I am new at this and am trying to come to know how to
relieve you of your pain." Deathstorm replied.
"Yes, I can see that. But do so quickly." she sighed.
He tried to take her hand, but his hand passed through it. Automatic
reflexes closed his hand, he pulled his hand back, a filmy substance came
out within his grip. The female shuddered as the last left her.
"I did it." he said, "That's all there is to it?"
"It is part of it Death." came an elderly feminine voice.
He turned and faced the eldest aspect of the Incarnation called Fate.
"After you collect the soul, you return to your abode. Find the
weighing machine and place the soul into it. The machine can tell you
where the soul is destined. The good soul goes into the white orb and the
evil soul in the black, both are provided by the machine. If a soul is in
balance, the soul stays in Purgatory to work out its evil or its good as
the soul sees fit. Such souls serve the Incarnations as servants usually."
she instructed.
"Why is it you are telling me things?" Deathstorm asked.
"Mayhap you will pay back my favor just as Deathstalker did when he
came on. Now off with you, young man, times' a wasting." she smiled.
Deathstorm returned to the abode of Death to weigh the soul and to his
surprise the young females' soul was so in balance it sent the machine
into a frenzy.
"But now what?" he whispered, holding the soul in his hand, "She is
in balance. Fate said souls like this stay here in Purgatory, but how can
she be a servant without solidity?"
The soul floated out of his hand and filled out, then solidified.
"Do you understand what you are do while in Purgatory?" he queried.
"Yes, I'd like to ask to serve you." she nodded.
Deathstorm wasn't sure if he should be flattered, the female was a
beauty for her kind. "Could I ask why?"
"Well you are the one who took me from life. I think I'll stick with
a slightly familiar face, which I haven't seen besides that awful getup of
yours." she smiled.
"What do I look like?" Deathstorm inquired.
"Like you took on some angry Scraplets, then was left to starve in
the three suns of Neoxx." she stated.
"Then I will remove my cloak for surely you couldn't stand a site
like that, but I'm no looker." he warned and removed his cloak.
"An improvement, Death." she nodded.
"The others call me Deathstorm. My name before that was Storm, I
prefer the latter." he reported.
"Storm it'll be." she replied.
"What is your name?" Deathstorm asked.
"My race gives names when we are adults based on our actions and
words, therefore I have yet no name." she relayed.
He nodded acknowledgment. "I will be gone for long periods of time.
Do what you will with my home. Feel free to roam the estate, but do not
wander beyond the boundaries. Once out of my domain, I fear you will only
anger the Incarnation whose path you cross."
"I will stay as directed, Storm. May I ask you pardon and begin
exploring the house?" she queried.
"Go ahead, my duties beckon me." Deathstorm said. In moments he was
gone. He really didn't need to collect a soul, he needed to gather
himself. "Gods above, I think I'm in love."
Suddenly, a female appeared before him. "Deathstorm, I am the
Incarnation of Nature.
"I seem to be meeting all the Incarnations today." He remarked, just
then Time appeared
"Its best to start early." Time grinned.
"Leave me be." he snarled, he two looked at each other and disappeared.
Again Fate appeared, as the eldest aspect, "I believe I will explain
about..."
"Leave me be." he stated gruffly.
"This is about your new servant, I think you'll want to hear this."
he just looked at her, "You see, we set it up. We know how lonely it gets
without suitable companionship. Especially so for Death."
"And you picked her because you knew I'd love her the moment I laid
optics on her." Deathstorm sighed.
"Yes." she nodded.
"Thanks for the info, now will you leave me alone?" he asked.
She disappeared as requested. He thought for a long time, then spent a
week collecting clients. With that done he got a chance to return to his
abode.
"I'm back." Deathstorm called.
With no response, he shrugged off the cloak and cowl and decided to take a
long soak in the oil bath. He fell asleep in its warmth, and was awakened
by a kiss on the cheek. He noticed the close proximity of his servants'
body to his own as she spoke.
"Have a rough week?" she inquired.
"Yes, being new to this is real tough on me." he replied, "You've
talked with Fate I'd wager."
"Yes." she nodded.
"You don't mind?" he questioned.
"No, in fact, I'm very happy about it, and may I say that I loved you
when I first saw you." she smiled.
"You did?" Deathstorm blinked.
"Yes." she encircled her arms around his shoulders, "And right now I
want to kiss you."
Deathstorm turned to her and they kissed.
When they broke off he said, "I hope that we won't get tired of this, because I
plan to be Death a long time."
"I don't think we will, Storm." she grinned.