Afraid Of My Shadow

by Deyeaz

XXI - Of Men and Rainbows (Jace)

~Afraid Of My Shadow~

Written by CraimerX and ShadowWeaver

Proofreaded by the onlyoneofmeisyou

XXI - Of Men and Rainbows (Jace)

I awoke to darkness... My vision did not help me in any way possible as I tried to look around and see where I was exactly. It was looking through a big pot of tar, nothing to see at all.

It took me awhile to figure out that my eyes were blindfolded, and that was the culprit for the darkness. I tried to reach for my face, but soon figured out that my hands were bound by chains, my arms outstretched and pulled taught by chains on the walls.

“Hey, pretty boy’s waking up..” I could hear voices from in the room... Gruff, deep, and evil. I decided to stay quiet, I didn’t want them to get jollies out of me trying to smack talk them. This was no place to be bitching at people. “Let’s take off the blindfold... I wanna see him flip out.”

I felt the hardness of a hoof on my face as I felt the blindfold give way, and some light penetrated my eyes, but not much. “Welcome to the dungeon of the Factory, mutt.” I looked over and saw one of Umbra’s goons; a shadow guard that was twelve shades darker in the coat, and his eyes were the same as his coat. It was scary, they blended into his body and he looked like a reverse Slenderman.

I tried my best to stay quiet as I stared at the guard, who narrowed his eyes. I saw them change color, from the black to a dark violet. “What? Not gonna say anything, tough guy?”

“I have no reason to speak in the presence of a fuck-face.” My words were defiant, I didn’t even bat an eyes when I uttered those words. “Why should I give you the permission to hear me speak, whelp?”

“Ohhh, a tough guy!” I saw him crack his neck and chuckle. “I love a tough guy... Makes it fun to break them...” He reared back a punch aimed for my face, and when he swung I simply dodged it. “W-What the?! Stay still you dog!”

Again and again he tried to hit me, but I was too fast. He missed every punch that he threw, and eventually got tired. “What’s the matter? Getting tired?” I smirked, trying to provoke the guard.

“No... I'm just... Taking a bit of a breather..” He went at it again, this time less hearted, and it was easier than last time to dodge him, and when he got angry enough, he tried to throw a big punch at me. It made him go off balance and I threw my head forward, headbutting him in the skull. “AHH! You, bucking piece of shit!” He yelled, backing away a bit.

“Aww, I’m sorry... Did I hurt the big tough pony?” I asked in a mocking tone, my eyebrow raised.

“Aw, can it.” The guard walked off, closing a cell door behind him. It was at this time, I noticed that I was in a prison cell, apparently in the basement of a factory of some sort.

“Where have I heard that before? ‘The Factory?’ What the hell is going on here...? If it’s what I’m thinking, then I’m either fucked royally, or fucked Celestially.” I sighed and looked down at the ground. “I’m thinking the latter...” I shook my head and sighed. How the hell did this even happen?!

---

“Aksheal! I’m gonna go!” I yelled as I walked down the steps of Aksheal’s Tower. “It’s dinner time..” I tossed his gauntlets on his desk and ran a hand through my hair. The only good I did on my blade today was make the blade itself.

It was made of platinum, titanium, silver, and gold. The gold of course was mixed with the silver to make it nice and hard. A few things magical thrown in there, such as a few crushed up shards that make a wonderful magical glass when melted down. The glass is almost impossible to shatter, and will hold an edge for all of eternity.

The blade itself is long, like a longsword, used with one hand. I have an idea for the other hand as well... I just need to get some parts made to be able to make the thing...

Anyway, the middle of the blade has gold and silver decorations melted into it. Each of them holding a different power that unlocks after killing a set number of creatures. A few enhancements from Aksheal’s books helped greatly with that.

The blade right now is a dark grey, but will be a shining white when it’s finished. When I get time, I’ll etch out parts in the blade with a flame to be able and put tungsten in there to add a bit of flare.

All in all, the blade came out swimmingly. The only thing I’m worried about is the hilt, where the three Cores are supposed to be set. Those cores don’t really seem all that stable... I’ll make my own adjustments later.

Aksheal turned to me from his window and smiled. “Ah, same for me. Lyniv is supposed to be cooking tonight... She’s an excellent cook! Something I cannot say for myself..” He chuckled a little.

“Well, we are complete opposites after all... Vinyl couldn’t cook to save her life, but I taught her how to make some stuff and she’s improving quickly.” Aksheal smiled and walked next to me, walking to the teleportation tower connected to the side of the main structure.

“This is true... Well, farewell my friend. I hope everything is alright when you return. I’d hate to see... Well... Myself caught up in anything horrible...” Aksheal smiled at me and bowed, backing away as I stepped onto the alchemical glyph on the ground, being whisked away back into Equis from the Calling Card.

This time, I stuck my landing as I fell, and checked to see if the hourglass was still around my neck, which it was. I smiled and made my way to the steps of my mansion, walking down them as I looked out the windows around the front door, seeing the sky in it’s inky blackness. “It’s gotten worse..” I say to myself as I sigh and make my way to the kitchen.

“Vinyl!” I yell, trying to find out where my wife was. “Vi! You in the kit-” I froze in my tracks when I walked into the kitchen. It was a mess. Food everywhere, knives thrown into the walls, tables and chairs thrown around, pots and pans scattered across the floor. I looked around, and then remembered that I had no weapon. “Hmm...”

I closed my eyes and tried my hardest to recall the spell that Aksheal taught me when I was unarmed and my scythe was nowhere near. I thought hard, and then the words came to me.

“Sathra, chira, marka...”

My hand swirled with black aura as it formed a simple dagger, one that would be good for emergencies. I carefully made my way through the chaos in the kitchen, and pressed myself up against another doorway, looking around the corner to the hall. Nothing.

A sound caught me off guard though, something from the pantry. It sounded like things falling. I quickly but carefully made my way over, and pushed open the pantry door, lunging in, my dagger at the ready. But, what I saw, I instantly regretted my decision of bursting in. My son, weeping.

I dropped my dagger, and fell to my knees to pick him up. “Wubsy! It’s alright, bud... Daddy’s here...” I cradled him in my arms and he cried into my chest. I stroked his golden mane softly and got him to calm down. “What happened, son?”

“T-T-The shadow men! T-They c-came in l-looking for you!” Umbra’s goonies? What would they want with me?! They know damn well this is a foolish move to come into my home where I have the advantage of territory. “T-T-They took M-Mommy!” I went wide eyed, and cradled Wubsy more as he started to weep again.

“Shhh, pal... Daddy will fix this... Alright? Now, you just stay in the pantry, and hide behind the sacks of potatoes, alright? They won’t see you there.” Wubsy nodded and slowly crawled out of my arms, going to the sacks and pulled them around him so he couldn’t be seen. “Perfect, bud... Whatever you hear, do not come out, alright?”

“A-Alright...” I slowly started to close the door to the pantry.

“I love you, son...”

“I-I love you too Daddy...” I closed the door all the way and sighed, holding the dagger in my hand. I looked at the blade and saw my eyes. The green emeralds that I was born with. I could see them slowly brighten, and I saw the red wash in, making a flood of crimson over the white, black, and green of my eyes.

“Daddy’ll slaughter each and every one of them...” I said softly, gripping the hilt of the dagger tight. “Daddy’ll make them pay...” I stood, and started to walk, my senses now increased with my anger level rising. The demon side of me was starting to awaken, and my sight was ten times better, my hearing was as sensitive as a dog’s, and my nose could sniff out blood miles away. But, I could smell blood just a few feet away...

I pinpointed the smell, and my hearing confirmed it. Struggling, muffled cries.

The guest room

I ran off as fast as I could, my shoulder connecting with the door, making it splinter like a twig, and what I saw, made my anger turn into a burning fury.

They were... Violating her... Raping, that poor innocent soul that was my wife.

To say the least... I lost it.

My eyes shown brightly as my body was covered from head to toe in blackness, and black cloaks were made from the darkness surrounding me. The hood covered my face, and my white fanged teeth, stood out from all the blackness. My eyes were two piercing lights that shined fear into enemies eyes.

“GET OFF MY WIFE!” I yelled, my voice demonic and edgy. The guards that were violating her, jumped off, and came at me, but they were too predictable. Two swipes with the dagger, and that was two slit necks for them.

There were more of them in the room. It was like a sick frat party they were having in here, and they were all taking turns with her.

I threw my dagger at one that was charging straight for me, and the weapon disappeared. It didn’t bother me one bit. I tried something else, something that was very risky, but hopefully it would work.

I quickly clapped my hands together and slammed them onto the ground, and slowly made them rise, a scythe with one... No... Two blades emerging from the depths. I grabbed the weapon as it started to float above the ground and I spun it round and round, doing flourishes as I did. Eventually, I stopped, and grabbed the scythe with my hand, holding it behind my back as I stared at the guards. “Come and get me...” I said darkly, and got ready for the onslaught.

“GET HIM!” One yelled, the herd of guards charging me all at once. It was foolish, and it was quick disposal as I spun the blades round and round, one blade facing one way on the staff and the other facing the other way. I alternated between the two, slicing and dicing through the headstrong guards that stood in the way of me and Vinyl.

It didn’t take much time at all to thin out the herd, but eventually, the scythe I was using recognized me as not being it’s handler, and shocked me with a great pulse of energy. I fell to my knees it was so great, and the scythe rolled out of my hands, sinking back into the ground where it once came from.

The surge had drained all my power as well, and I was reduced down to my human form, the cloak wisping away into nothing. The only demonic part about me now, was my eyes. Pure red still.

The remaining guards chuckled at my misfortune and ganged up around me. “Well, well, the mighty Gatekeeper falls...”

“You’re lucky you’re not in my court, asswipe...” The guard wailed me in the face, and I did nothing to stop it.

“Shut it, Romero... We’re done with your little whor-” I snapped again, and my hand was as fast as lighting as I lunged at his neck, grabbing right at his jugular.

“CALL MY WIFE A WHORE ONE MORE TIME, MOTHERFUCKER! I DARE YOU! NO, I DOUBLE DARE YOU!”

The guard struggled, but looked me defiantly in my face. “Your wife is a dirty, dirty little WHO-” He didn’t have enough time to finish the sentence before I choked his cocky ass out. The other guards weren’t too happy and they restrained me quickly. Not like I could fight back. That snap was the last of my energy.

---

And now I sit here... In this cold, dank, disgusting dungeon. Chained up like a dog, and awaiting my fate. All for just being... Me.

Can this day get any worse?

~End of Chapter XXI~

Author's Note:

Two updates in one? Christ, that's spectacular. Anywho, CraimerX wrote this chapter, not I, since I had an essay to do for World Literature. So, please notify me of any mistakes when you see one.

Comments

[the other sans]

Can I get angry? I wan't to be angry. Please let me be angry!

[lolz anonymous]

2181367 be angry! i know i am!

[Deyeaz]

2199813 2181367
Don't worry, lads. I'm also absolutely seething.