Ch.24 The Dark Project

I awoke to mid-day, the sun casting a shadow of the window across my floor. The like making my eyes and head hurt even worse than it already was. "Damn it. I hate this. This is going to be one hell of a day."

I stared at the ceiling thinking back on Hym and his parents. My mind fell back on what the dark lord had done to him. My fists clenched making the knuckles white. "That bastard!"

I got up out of bed, not caring how I looked and went outside. Hearing my door click behind me I stuffed my hands in my pockets and walked towards the hospital, looking down so the sun wouldn't hurt my eyes as bad. My head pounding from the projecting, I had gone too far with it. My nose took in the scents around me, telling me that I wasn't alone.

The adventurer's that came just a few days ago were being taught how to farm and kill things to gather food and material's. The everyday sounds of the villagers working and doing their jobs. My heart weighed heavily in my chest, my job wasn't done. I wasn't sure if I would ever get it done. I had fought for everything around me with everything I had and I still couldn't kill nor touch the dark lord.

He had taken Hymn, slaughtered him, right before my eyes. Crows cawed over head as they flew above. Having been scared off from their roost by a villager. My legs stopped suddenly. Someone was in front of me.

Their shadow half the size of a villager.

"Sell."

I didn't look up at the person. I didn't look up when they said my name. I didn't deserve to look at them. My hair hiding my eyes and face. "What?"

The person took a step towards me, her shadow shook showing that her body was shaking. "I don't understand. I've been noticing a few things...Maybe not a few. A lot of things. It all surrounds you ever since you came here."

"Yeah? Go on."

"Why is it happening? What did you do to cause all of this?" her voice wavered. "Our village lost lives ever since you showed up! They would've been here today if you hadn't come here!"

The villagers stopped what they were doing to look up at us. My head slightly raised a centimeter or two to look at the woman's shoes. "I know this, Serdra. I know all of it."

"Then why are you still here? The village should've kicked you out from that first attack!"

Serdra's eyes brimmed with tears. Her mind thinking of all the lost and dead people. Her hands had the calluses from digging the graves. "I should've kicked you out when I first saw you fight on the back of a werewolf! Who, turns out, was Hel!"

My body couldn't move. I deserved to be yelled at. All I had done in this village was stupid and foolish. I hadn't once taken into account at all of my mistakes. The mistakes that I had been told to not do. Serdra grabbed me by the front of my shirt bringing me close to her. "What the fuck, huh? What the hell? Say something!"

I let my eyes stare into hers. Hers shone with anger, brimmed with sadness, and bore into mine, dull, dark, and unlit. "You and everyone else in this village have every right to be pissed at me. All the things I caused, people that I couldn't save. The death toll is much higher than I could ever expect. If I could turn back time I would."

I felt myself get brought to a blade's edge, it's sharp edge pressed against my neck.

"Is that your attempt at an apology? If it was it sucked! It did more than suck, it wasn't even a proper apology!"

"That's enough," said a male voice from behind Serdra. "Put her down, Serdra. If it's anyone to be yelled at it should be me. I was her guardian throughout all this and should've taught her better."

Serdra spun around with me, her blade pressing harder against my throat. "You bastard, Hel! How can you tell me to do something when you knew how I felt for you? Yet, you still went along with Sell in everything! You didn't even protect the villagers! We had to do it all when you and Sell went off!"

Hel stared at her, his blue eyes turning dark. "We had no choice in the matter, Serdra. Me being a werewolf, I couldn't accept your feelings."

"Yet, you accept hers?" Serdra snapped at him glaring furiously.

"I'm her guardian until she can get back home, Serdra. I'm training her and her team mate." He stared down at her, his face soft but his eyes were hard.

She pressed her dagger harder against my throat, the feeling of blood seeping from the cut and falling down my neck could be felt. Hel was at her side, holding the hand that had the dagger, pulling it away. "I said that's enough. Put it away, Serdra."

"It's ok, Hel. I deserve this for all I've done to them." I whispered. "Serdra, if you think killing me will bring back the people, make your village safer and back to normal. By all means, kill me."

She stared deep into my eyes as Hel held her hand. He looked from her to me. "Serdra, I will not stand here and allow you to harm her. No matter what Sell tells me to do and not do. I'm going to act on my own."

Serdra forced her arm towards him which he stopped before the blade could touch him. She tried to yank and pull her arm from his grasp but it was no use. His grasp tightened making her flinch. "Damn you! You fucking over powered bastard!"

He shook her arm making her get jostled about and drop me. I sat there staring at the ground like a zombie person. She grabbed his hand digging her nails in. "Let me go! I demand that you let me go or I'll put you under arrest for assault!"

He stared at her with a cool gaze. "Such rank and power you flaunt so well. Threats and sheer gloat."

She glared up at him kicking at his leg with all her anger and beat at him with her other hand. Hel caught it and held it still. She screamed from anger at him being pushed back as he slowly stepped next to me in a protective manner. "That's enough, Serdra. Look how you've become just from being over powered. It's quite sad."

"Bastard! You bastard!" she screamed over and over until guards arrived from the commotion. They gawked at what was going on and made their intentions of moving in to aide her.

"Hel, that's enough! Put her down!"

They drew their weapons at him with glares. I slowly got to my feet and touched his hand. I stared at them with hardly any emotion in my face. "Go get Skelar and the werewolf. I'll be fine."

Hel flicked his gaze to me for a moment before nodding his head. "Understood." He let go of Serdra and leapt over them where he had been standing. He landed behind them striding away. All eyes were on me, as was Serdra's blade once more at my neck. Her body in such a state of anger it was shaking much worse than before. Her chest heaved from her sad excuse for a fight against Hel.

"Arrest her and Hel!" she barked putting pressure at my neck with the tip of the sword. "For assault and unknown authority! She is henceforth a threat to this village! As for Hel, he will be slain. As for Skelar he is under an investigation starting from here on out! His werewolf will be put to death sentence too!"

The guards moved in to take me into custody. My eyes reflected their forms as they drew nearer. I looked over to Serdra as a small smile crept across my face. "Such things won't hold us. By all means, waste your strength and power on us."

She stared at me with a glare. "What the fuck are you?"

I looked away back to the guards as they put my hands behind my back roughly. "That I cannot say. Didn't I state that before?"

I felt her slap me across the face. Stinging and blood could be felt on my left cheek. Her nails had cut me slightly. I smiled looking where my head had been forced to look. "Oh the things Minecraftian's will do. I bust my ass to save your lives and souls from being taken by the enemies and this is how I get repaid?"

The guards forcefully take me away to jail. I found myself in a jail cell stuck behind wooden electrified bars once more. I sat on the bed listening to dripping water from the sink. I let myself fall on the bed to rest. My mind went back to a lesson that my dad had taught me while projecting.

'Minecraftian's can be dangerous towards us, Sell. Never tell them what we are or what you can do. They don't like things that are different.'

I sighed. 'How right you were, dad. How right you were. Which means you've been in this similar incident before or something near it.'

My eyes looked out to the upper small opening of the jail cell that shown outside. I saw clouds gathering and a slight rumble. My nose picked up rain fall. A storm. What better night to burn bridges?

A howl rose up within the town telling me that Hel had been reached by Serdra's guards. I closed my eyes. There was no point in being held here in a simple little jail such as this. Hel knew what to do even without being told. I got to my feet as my mind sensed where Skelar was at and Rayr. They were with guards nearby heading this way.

My hand changed into skeleton bones and lit with fire. "I believe it's time to burn a trail home."

I had fire burning the electrified wooden fences that blocked me from getting out. Serdra was getting too boastful. The poor mayor couldn't do a thing, none of the guards wanted to hear him out. I could hear him yelling all the way from in the jail. "Hmm. I guess I'll leave the mayor to deal with the issue of Serdra and the guards. I don't got time to deal with it." I yawned as a scythe appeared in my grasp.

A huge explosion came from the jail ahead of Skelar and the guards. The jail was suddenly exploding in places and burning. The guards and Skelar stared in surprise at the sight when I walked from the flames calmly. The guards stared in shock as Skelar smiled. "Hey, Sell! You went a bit over board, don't you think?"

I strode over to them with my flaming scythe in hand resting over my right shoulder. "Hell no. This is the treatment I was given and it's the same treatment I'll return." A grin spread across my face. "Two fold of course."

The guards pointed at me with their swords. "What are doing? You have no authorization to leave! You'll be paying for the damages done to the jail!"

I laughed at them, making them angry. "What's so funny? Serdra will put you to work, freak!"

In the distance I could see guards bodies flying over rooftops and screams of pain splitting the air. "Seems like Hel and Rayr are having their fun. What do you say, Skelar? Shall we have some too before making tracks out of here?"

Skelar moved quickly putting down the two guards with swift attacks. "Let's go."

"That's what I'm talking about." I walked past him towards the painful screams, hand in pocket. "Serdra has gone and stepped over the line. I don't care though. Not our issue."

Skelar walked next to me with his hands in his pockets. "You think Serdra is killing Hel and Rayr right now?"

I shifted the flaming scythe a bit to be more comfortable on my shoulder. "Hell no. If anything Hel and Rayr are probably bashing heads. One way to find out is to head to the Mayor's place."

We set off at a jog, heading towards the center of the village. The guards bodies back at the jail, unconscious.

Serdra watched her guards getting thrown about by the two men who had ropes about their necks from the hanging that would take place. If only someone could throw the lever. She ground her teeth out of frustration. "Damn it! You fucking fools! Hang them!"

A guard got flung over Serdra's head then. She rushed forward for the switch but a guard slammed against the stand that the electrical current was running through and broke it. Rayr grinned at her with Hel standing there on his stool looking bored.

"Is this fun or what?" he gave her a smile that said more than she could read. "I do believe you have a scent of the Dark Lord on you."

Serdra held her sword in the attack position. "What are you talking about?"

"I agree. She is stinking the whole place up."

Serdra spun around to see me walking up with Skelar. Her eyes went to my flaming scythe and I could see the surprise in her eyes if her face never changed. Serdra placed her body sideways between us and our werewolves. "You're too late to save them, Sell. They will be hung."

I chuckled. "What hanging?"

She turned back to see Rayr and Hel not there on the stools. She looked about quickly to see them landing behind us as they fell from their leap. She yelled out at us in frustration. "Damn it! Why can't you all just obey me? Why can't everyone be the same? Why do you all have to be different?"

"Notch was the one that decided that. Not you. You're not God." Skelar spoke up giving her the thumbs down motion and sticking out his tongue. "Don't try to act like Notch. That's your downfall."

"There is no downfall but your own, kiddies," said a voice that made my body go cold.

I turned to see the Dark Lord striding towards us with a dark aura billowing around him slowly. Skelar looked over at him unsure of who he was. He looked to me and saw my expression. I reflexively held my scythe in front of him, blocking him from making any movements. Serdra looked at him wondering who the fuck he was. Hel and Rayr stood their ground, staring hard at him. The air was high with tension that could've been cut with a knife.

"Who the fuck is this? A friend of yours, Sell?" Serdra asked sarchastically. "Is he supposed to be scary with that skull outfit?"

The Dark Lord turned to her and laughed with her. "My dear, you will be my new project. I'm very glad that you aren't scared of me."

Serdra gave him a look that said she didn't quite understand him. "Hold on, what project?"

Rayr and Hel began growling at him. "Back the fuck off from her!"

"Shut up! All of you!" I barked making them go silent. My eyes piercing his. "What the hell is the idea here? We already met up once. What's brought you here to make Serdra your failed little experiment? Trying to bring me down?"

The Dark Lord's skull smiled. "My dear, you have it all wrong. Don't you see her soul is just crying out for my helping hand? I'm only here to do it justice."

"Bullshit!" I snapped swinging my scythe and sending a wave of fire at him. He blew it away with his own scythe and chuckled.

"As feisty as ever. And it's only been…What? Hours since our last little meet up?"

Hel, Rayr, and Skelar turned to me surprised. "You met him a few hours ago?"

Hel looked to him and down to me. "She can explain later. Right now we can't allow him to take Serdra."

Rayr agreed with a nod. "She stays as a Minecraftian!"

The Dark Lord burst into a fit of giggles swinging his scythe in amusement at us. "Look at you all. You all are so funny!"

Serdra put her sword to his skeletal spine. "I'm about to kill you. Explain what the hell you want with me, why you're here, and how the fuck you know them. Explain your purpose for seeking that bitch and her gang out. I'm sure it wasn't just to see me."

The Dark Lord's eye sockets flame dimmed. "Hmm, Minecraftian you are half of. The other half is something shocking, my dear. Take my hand and all will be explained."

I took a step forward gripping my scythe. "We said not to fucking touch her! She isn't going with you!"

Serdra stared at him and looked to me. "Does it explain what the hell she is and all she has been doing? And why are you a talking skeleton? How is this?"

The Dark Lord flung his cape up suddenly as flames leapt up to engulf them as the cape whipped over Serdra, the flames followed until there was nothing but a huge burning fireball. I swung my scythe into it a few times and the flames died down. Serdra and the Dark Lord were gone. Skelar stared at the burnt ground in shock.

"How the fuck does he do that?"

"The same way he got here." I replied under my breath. "It's really fucking annoying how he can up and vanish like that. I can't even do that shit yet!"

Hel gave me a sympathetic look for a moment before looking into the distance. His nose twitching. I looked at him oddly and also sniffed. Earthy farm smells met my nose. It wasn't the village. I sniffed again and smelled moth balls and dust, ash, and a burning smell. "What is that?"

Before my question could be answered the guards leapt up dazed and confused, wondering what had happened. Hel picked me up into his arms and sprinted off leaving Rayr and skelar behind. "Come on! We got a new destination! Home!"

Skelar leapt onto Rayr's back as Rayr ran after us. "Where's home?"

I looked at Hel's face wondering what he meant. I looked into the distance to see two figures beginning to come into view. "I don't believe it. They found us."

The figures waved their arms at us slowly. "Hello!"

I sprang from Hel's arms excitedly. My arms out wide. The whole situation that had just happened to be forgotten for just a moment. "Father!"

Skelar pushed himself up tall on the back of Rayr beaming. "Dad! Dad, I survived!"

Rayr felt him push off from his head and leap out grasping for his father. Rayr faltered but kept up his sprint. "Skelar! Don't do that!"

We ran to our fathers, happy to finally see them face to face again. It had felt like forever since we left home. They stopped walking and stood atop a small plot of raised ground as we ran towards them, our werewolves slowing down behind us. Rien and Lones smiled at us, happy to see us. In retrospect, they knew what we had encountered.

What we had seen. What had happened. I knew there had been nothing we could've done then but in the future. That was when we would justify everything. Our scythes would clash together, ringing the sound of an epic battle.

Behind us, flaming torches bounced about the village as people barked and yelled, others screamed. Our fathers embraced us tightly. Happy that we were ok, alive. I held onto father's arm, not wanting this moment to be a projection.

"We all ready to return home?" Rien asked looking around at everyone to see heads nod.

Lones and rien looked out to the village in silence before turning away and a teleportation appeared like the one that had sucked me up and deposited me in a forest not long ago along with Hel. As we were sucked into the teleport my mind wondered. If I had been teleported any other place, would all of this been different? The terrain below was falling away block by block into a dark void that spun around and around sucking the blocks into a vast blue pool. I looked over to Skelar as his body began to get stretched in different ways as he was being sucked away. The world blurred into nothing comprehendible. I felt the blackness suck me under, cutting me off from the light. My body being compressed and stretched in many different ways. I suddenly felt myself get flung out somewhere with the last of my senses before I faded away into unconsciousness.

Would I have met someone other than Skelar if we had been teleported to a different place? Would the person be a Skeletal heir or just a normal Minecraftian? Would it be near a town? Village? City?

So many questions flooded my head as the blackness over took me. My mind finally went blank. All that could be heard was the deafening sound of silence made. I felt a hand grasp mine before we were taken by the vast blue that surged up to meet us. 'Sell…'