It is one of those days again. The sun is out yet the air is still cold, enough to see your own breath. Worse in the shadows of the tall pine trees. The gravel road cutting a line in the forest is made of gravel that turns to dirt a few miles from here. Bird calls and deer bleats interrupt the windy silence.

Perfect weather for an ambush.

"Where the fuck is the merchant? It's been hours…" Alonzo curses next to me. The two of us had been crouching behind a bush next to the road but after a few hours we started sitting in the dirt.

I had my men hiding in the forest around this spot of the road too. After a while of waiting I could hear them getting impatient, I am too.

"I thought you said the bastard was about ready to head out of town? Where is he?" I look to my brother who has an annoyed scowl on his face.

"Give him another 10 minutes, Jack." Alonzo grumbles, unhappy too.

One of my bandits is hiding in the bushes across the road. He is sitting in the dirt like us and playing a game of cards with another. It's been 4 hours and I am feeling sore from all the waiting.

Why the hell couldn't we just stroll into town like we usually do? Sure we wouldn't be able to steal as much but it is faster and the towns guards suck at their jobs. It would have been so much easier.

"Why are we doing this again? We could have just sacked the town and been walking back home with our pockets lined by now."

Alonzo snaps a twig between his fingers and tosses half away, putting the kept half in his mouth. There's a leaf on the twig hanging from his mouth like I've seen some farmers do with a wheat stalk. "I told you. I thought we could try doing this again. We haven't done a wagon robbery in a few years. It's all just been villages and shit."

We return to silence after that. I didn't have a retort, it had been a while since we've done something like this.

"How's the wife?" I ask my brother. He had not spoken of her in a hot bit, usually he would talk about her constantly. But recently he hasn't spoken a peep about her.

"She's fine."

That was it? Nothing else?

"And Abigail? What about your daughter?" He can't physically go and visit his wife or daughter since he is a wanted man. So he sends them letters and they send him letters back.

Alonzo flinches at his daughter's name. My eyebrow raises at the weird reaction.

"She's fine too."

The sound of hooves and wagon wheels stop me from asking anything else.

"Oh thank god." Alonzo sighs and stands up to peek over the bush. His joints pop as he gets up. I do the same and a second set of pops follow.

Up the road where it turns is a horse led wagon rounding the bend. It's moving agonizingly slow.

Cupping my hands to my mouth I make a bird call that alerts everyone that it's go-time.

One of his men falls through their bush but is quickly pulled back through by the others. A mistake that looks like didnt give them away. I couldn't make out if the merchant saw it but the cart isn't stopping nor speeding up.

The one that had fallen was one of the new guys, a 14 year old kid that ran away from home. Mistakes were expected for one his age so ill let it slide.

As the wagon approached, I had a nagging feeling that something was off. Looking at the wagon again I quickly realized why.

"Where are the wagon's guards?" There were none. A completely defenseless traveling merchant just begging to be robbed. I don't like this.

"Lost a bet? Maybe hiring guards got too expensive?" Alonzo throws back.

"Maybe."

Not really. This didn't feel fine. When has anything been this easy? Usually things go wrong from abnormal stuff like this.

I open my mouth to tell him that maybe we should skip this, cut our losses and head home. Angry men were better than dead men after all. But Alonzo is already stepping out of the bush and onto the road without me. He's supposed to wait for me!

"Dammit, Alonzo. What are you doing?" I growl at him as I follow him out.

"Sorry, Jack. You should have gone first but i got too excited." He says to me sheepishly. If it was any of my men in his place I'd have cut him down.

"Keep your head on, Alonzo. A mistake like that could get us killed." My eyes zip around the approaching wagon and the trees at its passing sides. "For all we know there could be guards hiding in the forest or something."

"Can I help you two boys with somethin'!?" The merchant asks out as he stops his cart in the middle of the road in front of us.

I frown at the sight of him. Old, very wrinkly and looks like he could keel over any second. I had expected a young man on his first merchant run innocently thinking nothing would go wrong. But no, it's a frail old man. Crows feet behind his half blind green eyes. Even the horse looked to be on its last leg with age. The stallion looked to be just as old as the old man!

This feels wrong. Something about this wasn't right.

My men walts out of hiding and their boots crunching in the wide gravel path on either side of the wagon. Two of them quickly jumped into the back of the wagon. The old horse let out a nervous winnie and shuffles, making the wagon lurk a bit. The rest of my men scatter around to stand guard around the wagon, keeping watch for anything suspicious. The two in the wagon are searching its contents.

"You sure can, old man. Why don't you let go of the reins and step off the wagon?" I didn't want another run away. Used to get them here and there back when we did this. It was always the elderly that would try it.

One of my men step close to the horse and soothes it, hand stroking its neck as the old man lets go of the reins and slowly climbs down from the driver's seat.

Good. He didn't try to drive away.

I keep glancing around. "Where are your hired guards, Old Man?"

His boots crunch on gravel when he hops down and has to grab the side of the wagon to keep from falling over. "Owf. You're him, ain't you? That legendary bandit plastered on those wanted papers all over town?" He turns to face me as I walk up to him, but keeping a few paces between us.

A frown forms on my face when he doesn't answer my question. He doesn't even look surprised that we are robbing him.

"So what if I am? Gonna try claiming the reward?" Nothing seems off. I look to one of my best scouts who stood further back down the road where the wagon came from. The bandit saw me looking and shook his head. It's clear. It's just us and this old man.

He gives a friendly grin that an old man could give. "Bloody Jack. That's what they be callin' ya' right? Lots of bad rumors are whispered about you. But I can see that deep down you are a good man, not a drop of bad in those eyes of yours."

Is he trying to hit on me or something? Not my type. Ew.

I move my hand and grab the leathery grip of my sword at my hip. It's a damn good blade that I bought off a blacksmith a few years back. Why didn't I just steal it? The blacksmith was hot. And I got it half off for giving em' a good bedding! The blade is very strong, sharp and straight with a basic rectangle shape that abruptly ends with a 45° angle. The guard is short on one side but shaped like an L on the other that goes over the fingers. It's perfectly balanced and never failed me.

I've taken to naming it Leeroy, after the blacksmith that made it.

"Empty your pockets, Old Man." He was creeping me out a bit, has this crazy look in his eyes. Alonzo jumps into the driver seat and takes hold of the reins. We had rehearsed what everyone's job was before doing this to make it go as smooth as possible. I even had four more men with bows further down the road in case the driver tried driving off.

The old man frowns and empties his pockets. Most of them he turned inside out but he pulls out a cloth purse that jingled as he holds it out.

"That be all I got, Bloody Jack."

I take it and pocket it. The purse felt a bit weighty but wouldn't get me anything but a few jerky back in town.

"Jack! There ain't nothing but barrels of ale back here!"

I look over at the bandit hanging out of the wagon. In that moment I see the old man move in the corner of my eye. Reaching for something in his sleeve.

*Sh!*

In the blink of an eye my sword is held out and the old mans head is severed from his body.

*Thmp*

The head hits the ground and rolls, followed by the body falling with a thump.

A cold breeze blows by filling the forest with shivering leaves as it passes through.

I look down at the corpse. "Shouldn't move like that around someone with a twitchy sword arm…" I honestly didn't care that I killed the old man, but what I do care about is the object he dropped from his sleeve.

Sitting on the gravel at the dead man's feet is a fancy looking flask. Cleaning my blade of his pants leg I then sheath it before crouching down to pick it up. Pretty good quality. Opening it I could smell Jack in it. My favorite drink.

Not really, it tastes like shit.

Turning it over the liquid amber spilled out. Once empty I close it and pocket it as I stand. "Alright! Let's get this wagon home, boys!"

Nobody cared that the old man is dead. Most of my men are murderers or only care for themselves. The kid though?

Looking over at the kid who is standing guard by the treeline I could see he is looking at the body with wide eyes.

He will get over it.

Alonzo got the cart moving and the old horse complained as it moved.

"The hell was the old man doing with a wagon with nothing but ale?" It's not uncommon for a merchant to stock up on a lot of one resource but they always had other products to sell. This still felt wrong to me but at least the ale would fix that.

My men and I follow on foot around the wagon. We are still on the main road so we weren't in the clear yet. We had been lucky that no adventurers or travelers had come along during this. Not that it would be a problem since I am here to keep my men alive.

Once the wagon turns off the road and into the forest did I start to feel a bit better. The ass of the wagon disappears out of sight through the bushes and we follow it in.

It takes a bit since the wagon has to maneuver around trees and rocks but about halfway back home I stop.

"Jack?" One of my men notices I stopped following and stops too. He is bald and is wearing leather armor. Blind in one eye he is our best scout, the one I looked to earlier to confirm we were alone.

"Go on without me, Keith. I wanna walk alone for the moment."

He obeys without question and continues on with the others.

I wanted to make sure we weren't being tailed or anything so I stood there and listened as they left.

Wind, birds, insects. Nothing out of the norm. Was this really that easy? No funny business? I was going to ask the old man why he was pulling nothing but ale but its a bit late to do that now.

What a stressful day this turned into…

I stay a while longer just to be sure before going back home.

Home.

The wagon is parked in front of a cave opening that has a wooden doorway shoddily build to cover the entrance. The door is open and my men are rolling and carrying in the ale barrels in already.

"You two! Take the wagon to town and try to sell it once it's empty! James! Butcher the horse and cook it up! We got some celebrating to do tonight!" My men do as told and get to work.

I go into the cave. Its a three-man wide tunnel that snakes for a few paces before opening up to the first open chamber. A few glowing blue crystals we managed to get our hands on hangs from the ceiling. The chamber is decorated with tables and chairs along with junk that they had stolen. On the other side is another tunnel that leads to the sleeping chambers where cots are stacked together.

It's basic, but it's home.

Echoey, dim, drippy home.

The last of the barrels of ale are stacked in a corner of the main chamber. I got to ordering my men and making sure we were set for tonight. We just got the most ale we've ever seen in one place. And it's ours! How could we not celebrate by drinking it all in one night!

Once the sun had fallen and night darken the sky was the horse cooked. We had seasoning and made a fire outside to cook it on.

Ale and meat. A match made in heaven. Their heaven.

Everyone gathered in the main chamber and were cheering as they drank their ale. They sang songs together cheerfully. Some were already red faced from the alcohol and a few were passed out. Light drinkers.

I am sitting with them and tipping a mug back, ale spills from the corners of my mouth when a bandit next to me pushes the bottom of my mug up. They laugh and my mug hits the table after I finish it.

"Oi' Jack! Tell us a story about that time you laid a dragon!" A man with mop-like gray hair asked.

"A dragon? The day I lay a dragon will be the day I die, cuz' it'd probably eat me afterwards!" I laugh out, my cheeks red from the ale. I am a bit of a light drinker myself. They laugh too at the absurdity of the question. "Or are you talking about that spitfire of a lady that turned out to be a bounty hunter and didn't realize who I was til the next morning?"

That was a fun memory. They had been both drunk and met in a tavern. I couldn't help but feel fond of her, she had a burning personality and we had fun all night.

"I see that look you got there, Jack. Did you love her?" Another asked.

Had I loved her? Honestly if it wasn't for my bounty I'd have tried to woo her into settling down with me. Yes, she felt like the right one. Sure she tried to kill me the next morning upon finding out it was Bloody Jack in the bed with her, but that just made me like her even more. That had been a year ago though. She could be anywhere in the world right now.

"Ay' I did love her. She had the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen. They had been a fiery orange that fitted her personality perfectly. Alonzo, remember when she…"

I stop and my eyes sweep over the table for my brother. Smile faltering and forming a frown when I don't see him. The seat Alonzo had been sitting in is being occupied by another of my men. Maybe he got up to piss and this one took his spot?

A hand claps my back and jostles me from my thoughts. "Ah, dont worry about it, Boss! I'm sure she will turn around and come looking for round two one day! Ain't no lady is able to resist your charms!" The burly man sitting next to me says and laughs.

My frown deforms into a smile and I raise my mug of ale into the air. "To Daisy! May I see her again!"

The others around the table lift their mugs and cheers. "To Daisy!" The cave vibrates as the others at the other tables join in. We all down our drinks.

They are like family to me. The only ones that could make me smile anymore.

Murderers, thieves, robbers.not the nicest of people but everyone on them had a reason for doing what they did. I never let the crazy ones join, just the ones that had a good reason and were still good people.

For the past 7 years we've watched over each other. Some had left or died in that time but most stayed. If someone had a problem with one of us then they had to deal with all of us. How do you think our merry band had lived this long, compared to other bandits? We actually work together and trust one another.

That kid that's with us? One day he will want to return home. He isn't wanted unlike the rest of us. But when he decides to leave we will be there to wave him goodbye and send him off with supplies. He's a good kid and will be welcome to come back.

Speaking of leaving, where is my brother? He isn't back yet.

"I gotta go take a leak. Be right back boys." I get up and leave the cave.

Inside had been warm but a cold wind hit my face as I walked out. It's colder now that the moon is high. The air grips me with chilly hands grasping for my body heat.

"Alonzo?" I call out his name to the forest that surrounds the cave. But there is no answer. Someone did come out from behind a tree. But it was just one of my men, buckling their belt after taking a piss.

"Have you seen Alonzo, James?" I hoped he had but the man shook his head.

"I aint seen him. Maybe you missed him inside?"

That feeling returns. Like a tingle at the back of my skull. Something isn't right.

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James closes the front door to the cave and I look to the narrow path that leads to the nearby river.

Alonzo could still be inside. I hadn't checked the sleeping chamber. But there was something on the wind, another mystery that tickled me.

My boots moved before I made my decision. Dead leaves crunching as I follow the trail, cold air prickling my face.

The world swayed a bit as I walked, a not so real heat keeping me warm on this cold night due to the ale. I wouldn't say I am a light drinker but the mugs were a bit large. I only had two of them so I'm not fully drunk, just enough to affect me in a nice way.

"..."

I hear voices and the sound of the river as I get near the end of the path.

I walk through a bush and into a scene I didn't expect to see.

A bounty hunter stood with Alonzo, stopping mid conversation to look at me.

"Jack? What are you doing here? You should be back with the others…" Alonzo looked nervous.

What is going on?

"Alonzo? I can ask you the same thing. Why is a bounty hunter h-"

"So you're Bloody Jack, wanted dead for 1,500,000 gold. That's a lot of money for one criminal." The bounty hunter reaches for the big greatsword at his back. Seeing this I reach for the grip of my sword but misses a few times before finding it. Maybe I'm a bit more drunk than I thought.

"You should have made better friends, Jack. Your’s here betrayed you." The man in full plate armor spoke. His voice is rough and gravely.

"What the hell is he talking about, Alonzo." I look to my right hand man, my brother. Alonzo looked away in shame, unable to meet my gaze.

"I-im sorry, Jack. But Abigale got sick with some kind of disease. I need the money. The wagon of ale was planned." Alonzo only looked half sorry.

The wagon was planned? Why? Alonzo could have asked for my help. Isn't that what we are supposed to do? Depend on each other to help? Like a family?

"I never agreed that you would get a cut of the bounty." The bounty hunter chuckles and Alonzo looks at him in horror.

"What?! But I set all this up for you! I did most of the work! What about my daughter?!"

"I'm not going to share a cut of the gold with a criminal nor do I care about the daughter of one. She will probably grow up to be just like you."

"I could have helped you, Alonzo. I'm inclined to kill you but since you are my brother i'll give you a head start." I could feel my blood boiling at my brother's betrayal. He hasn't even tried to ask me for help.I even asked him about his family! I would have done it too, family helped family. But Alonzo? I don't know if I could trust him now, I don't think I can see him as family anymore. Not after this.

Alonzo backs away from Both the bounty hunter and me before running off in the direction of the cave. I let him run past me. I am a man of my word after all, I will give him a 10 second head start.

"As entertaining as it would be to watch criminals kill each other, I can't risk you escaping." The bounty hunter tells me before taking a step towards me.

I look at him up and down. Heavy full plate armor, one big greatsword at the ready and a second one strapped behind his back. It looks like I can cut through the armor, but the alcohol in my veins might make my aim sloppy. But something felt off about all this. It felt planned. More planned than they had said. There was more to why they were here, not just for the money. It's that tingle feeling in the back of my skull.

"Before we get this started, would you be willing to answer a question I have?"

The bounty hunter nods. "You may."

"Does 7 heads mean anything to you?"

The bounty hunter flinches at my question, making me curse under my breath. I was hoping for a no. This ment this man was gifted and something told me a certain god had twisted things for this to happen.

"You've met World?! Have you been gifted like me?!" The bounty hunter's interest is gained.

"Yep, though I haven't run into another like me in a while."

Gifted were very rare and aren't known to exist. World is very picky about who it gifts. Normally gifted can identify another by eye contact but because of how fragile the connection is both needed visible eye contact for it to work. Like with this bounty hunter Jack couldn't see his eyes in the darkness of his helmet's eye hole. So no eye contact, no warning.

"What did you choose for your gift, Jack? From the stories it sounded like its speed related."

I narrow my eyes at the question. "Damn you got me, I chose super speed." That wasn't actually my gift but keeping the bounty hunter guessing might give me an advantage.

10 seconds are up. I'd hunt down Alonzo but I have to deal with this bounty hunter. Shouldn't be too hard. "Now that you know mine, why don't you tell me yours?"

"I think I'll let you find out." The big man then swings his big blade.

Dodging just out of the blade's deadly arch I step back close to end this quickly. My blade flashes out and annoyingly leaves a deep cut in his neck armor. His sword comes back again and I sidestep before moving out of range.

"The hell did you get that kind of armor? There's no way you could afford something that I can't cut through." My blade had been forged by a legendary smith! There are metals out there I can't cut through and just by looking at his armor I can tell his isn't made of any of those.

Instead of answering he comes over for another attack.

I've trained my whole life to be quick with my feet and quicker with my blade. This bounty hunter is wearing a very heavy set of armor that is making him slow.

I practically dance around him, leaving gashes and cuts all over his armor. Even at the joints but it's just more layers of metal. The way the metal cuts is weird. It cuts like any other metal I can cut through but then it just stops my blade from getting any deeper. It has to be magical in nature. Something else is bothering me though.

"So let me get this straight. You and Alonzo get me and my men drunk and then you kill me? What about my men? Wouldn't we overwhelm you? A lone bounty hunter? Don't you hunters usually have a team? Where are they? In the dark waiting for your signal to help you cut me down?"

"Honestly we planned to get you and your men drunk, yes. But we didn't expect you to wander away from the cave." He then lets out a low dark laugh. "They are waiting at the cave, out of sight. By now your brother has probably sent word to start taking the bandits out."

A sound is carried by the wind. Distant screams and the sound of combat.

"Sounds like the fun has started."

Anger, fear for my men, betrayal. Emotions flow through my body and make my blood boil. I'm going to kill my brother when I get my hands on him. But until then I had to take care of the man before me. I wanted so badly to run back to my men and help them, but doing so would bring him too. It would ensure their death considering not even I could cut through his armor.

I've already figured out what his gift has to be, it's his armor. Impenetrable armor.

I could only see one weak point in his armor, the 2 inch open line in the front of his helmet.

"So let me get this straight. World tipped you off to find and kill me but didn't clue you in that I am gifted?" His swings with his blade have been wide ones so if i get into his guards he might have a difficult time cleaving me in two.

"It likes to be mysterious sometimes, as you probably know." He then readies his blade once more, anticipating an attack. "It's a shame you aren't drunk, would make this a lot easier if you were. It doesn't even look like you had a drop of the ale. Don't trust being like that around your murderers?"

I'm not inclined to answer but it's good he can't tell that I actually am a bit tipsy. Not enough to stop me from killing him before he could blink but enough to throw off my aim. If it hadn't been for his armor I could be helping my men already. I can hear the sounds of combat carried by the wind start to slow and quiet. Time is running out, I need to end this right now.

With a burst of speed I rush at the bounty hunter who's greatsword comes cleaving at me. Jumping to get out of its path I raise my blade and aim for the dark slot in his helmet.

His greatsword is released and rings across the river edge as the tip of my glances the edge of the hole, missing.

Big plated arms wrap around me in a crushing bear hug.

"Damn you really are quick, but I wonder if you are stronger than me?" I feel his arms start to squeeze. Pulling my sword back I try to stab into his helmet again but he moves his helmet to the side and then down in a way I can't get him from.

My ribs scream and one of them snaps followed by another. Pain flares and I drop my sword to struggle and push my way out of his arms as he crushes the life out of me. But he is much much stronger than me.

"Ahh!" Panic sets in and I activate my gift.

Suddenly my world is split in two and half my strength disappears. My hands and knees meet damp dirt.

Now I'm both being crushed to death and free at the same time as I am in control of two of me.

"H- Hey! We can t-talk about this!" I cough out blood as my organs are getting crushed. Trying to distract him as my double quietly runs away. Disappearing into the trees.

"Sorry but I don't make deals with criminals, especially with dead ones."

"D-damn. Maybe th-this'll change your mind." Electricity sparks from my hands and I grab his helmet.

The bounty hunter roars with pain as electricity arcs through him. His arms release me and I fall to the ground. I pick up my sword and quickly step a few feet away. Blood fills my mouth and I spit it out, but it fills with more. With my guts crushed my time is limited for this version of myself. I'm filled with pain but I keep myself focused as the bounty hunter picks up his swords.

I just have to buy myself time.

"That's a nasty shock you got there, Jack." His gravelly voice grounds out from his helmet.

"Thanks. You know, I never got your name."

"Brayard."

Tuning out the version of myself with the bounty hunter I focus on getting back to the cave.

Grass crunching and cold night air wiping by as I speed down the path back to the cave.

Using my gift came with a cost, splitting my strength in half between the two of us I can already feel myself tiring. Strength, stamina and magic are cut in half now.

My pace slows to a stop at what I see up ahead.

Or should I say who.

Alonzo.

He's leaning against a tree, sword out with blood on it. On the ground a few feet away is the body of one of my men. The new kid. Dead.

Issac had been the kid's name. About the same age as Alonzo's daughter.

Behind me in the not far distance an explosion echoes out into the night sky and my copy dies.

The sound causes Alonzo to look in my direction and he notices me a few feet away in the darkness of the forest path. He gains a surprised look on his face mixed with fear. Did he really think I would be killed that easily?

"J-Jack! Ho-hold o-!" His words are cut off when my blade flashes out and cuts his head in half. His body hits the forest path.

I don't have time for this. I had to get back to my men. My real family. This traitor isn't family.

The sounds of fighting have become quiet and I'm fearing the worst.

I have to be ready to fight again.

Kneeling down next to Alonzo, I grab his arm and sink my teeth into his flesh. As hot blood fills my mouth I use my magic on my teeth and they begin to soak it all up. Converting the blood and replenishing my strength.

Heavy metal steps approach from behind.

I let go and stand up. Wiping the blood from my lips I turn to face the bounty hunter.

"Sorry about that. Where were we?" Jack casually asks, brushing his long brown hair from his face. I feel better now. Even better than before.

"I wasn't informed you were a vampire."

"No, I'm not a vampire. But that was a trick I learned from one."

Several more sets of footsteps come from the direction of the cave. And four more bounty hunters entered the clearing. I glance back to see a ranger, rogue, paladin and a white mage.

"Sir! Our side of the job is finished!" A female ranger shouted to brayrd as Jack stood between them.

My heart dropped at her words. "I guess that means I'm the last one of my crew?"

I look each of them in the eyes. Another little tip about us gifted is if one looks at another they unconsciously make eye contact.

Yet I got nothing from any of them.

So it's just Brayard then? This should make pay back easy for killing my family.

"He isn't drunk!" Brayrd could tell by the way he was acting. Or the criminal just has a really good poker face. One of his teammates cursed and they looked nervous. Sure this was a 5 vs 1 but I could still kill them all if they weren't careful.

I wipe the blood of my sword off on the body of my brother at my feet. Sheathing my sword a cold night breeze passes through the clearing. I smile to myself. One night. All it took was one mistake for every member of my men to die. My gray eyes looked to Brayrd.

"Normally I'd let an attempt on my life slide. But you killed my men. My Family." His grip on his sheathed sword tightens. "Forgiveness isn't an option anymore."

Once more my strength is halved as I use my gift again. My mind splits and I see the world and feel it as two people. A second Jack casually walks out of me and stands in the same way as me.

"This is my gift if you are still wondering, Brayrd."

Instead of having to face one Bloody Jack they had to face two.

Nobody moved. Nobody wanted to fight me.

"Too bad. Cuz' I wanna kill all of y'all."

I rushed at Brayrd and my double does the same towards his other party members. Weapons were raised in fear. What had been an easy slaughter for then now is a fight for survival.

Their healer was the slowest one and so was the first to die.

In another flash my blade had then killed the ranger, cutting her head in four pieces. Leaving it to be just I and the paladin now.

The paladin had a look of pure fury on his face.

"Any last words, Paladin? Your friends didn't last as long as I tho-." My words were cut off.

"Quiet, heathen! Your next move shall be your last! My life is not for you to take!" He lifts his weapon and holds his shield in front of himself. A large circle of blue fire appears around him, trapping me in.

"Brayrd! I'm sorry but the rest is up to you!"

"Michael! No! Don't!" Brayrd shouts back from past the flames.

I flashed forwards to stop him. With a thrust of my blade it pierces through his shield and through his heart.

"Grrhhkk!!" After a few seconds a low chuckles the paladin. "You think killing me can stop this, demon? Your fate is sealed."

The blue fire rises and the circle starts shrinking. I pull my sword from the paladin who falls dead.

I scowl at the predicament this puts me in. I had hoped that I could take care of them all and double team Brayrd. But looks like that wasn't going to happen.

Nothing ever goes right for me.

This Jack's body fades away.

The other Jack dodges another swing of the greatsword.

"Th-their all dead! Those were my friends! My only family!" Brayrd is enraged now. His greatsword came faster and I easily dodged it.

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

"The gods gave us a gift, gave YOU a gift, and what do you do with it?! You betray it! You use it to rob the innocent of their belongings! Rob them of their lives! You are nothing but a mistake! A mistake with a wasted gift! And World had sent me to kill its failed gift, to kill a worthless monster." Brayrd seeths in rage.

"You have no idea what World is. What it has planned for us. World doesn't care about us. It gave us our gift out of self gain!" Jack's grip on his sheathed sword tightens.

"It doesn't matter what lies you think of our god." Brayrd let out a dark chuckle before returning his sword to his back.

Brayrd pulls a black palm sized orb from his backpack.

"What the hell is that?" I didn't like the looks of it and I could feel every fiber of my being screaming at me to run. But I wouldn't, not till this man was dead.

"World gave it to me. Said if I can't kill you then I should use this."

"Do you have any idea what it even is? What will it even do? For all you know it could kill us." It wouldn't. If it's from World then it's harmless. World doesn't kill its gifts. But that didn't mean it wasn't bad news for me.

"World already told me what it does, Jack. I should have just done this from the start. My friends would still be alive if I had."

Tightening his grip of the orb a large crack appears on its surface.

I'd try to stop him but what could I do? It’s meant to be broken so I couldn't shatter it. Snatch it from his steel like grip? Attack him? Try to stab him through the hole in his helmet and get crushed again?

No.

If I run I could kill him when he least expects it.

Quick on my feet I turn and run the other way as the orb shatters.

A loud black tear rips through the air as I disappear into the woods.

A long bone white arm surges out of the black tear, bursting through the bushes in pursuit.

I move to dodge but the boney white hand is fast.

Grip catches me by the neck and its fingers wrap around like snakes.

Suddenly I'm pulled back. Through the forest, past the bush and across the clearing. Reeling me in, I kick as my legs drag and I'm trying frantically to pry the fingers from my neck, but its grip is godly. I even try to cut myself loose with my sword that i managed keep a hold of but even that wont even scratch it.

At the moment before I am pulled in I catch a glimpse of Brayrd.

The man is standing a few feet away and stepping back. The way he is standing portrays horror. He had never seen his own god yet he is terrified of its very hand.

The hand is stark white. The fingers are long and move in an unnatural way, like snakes wrapping around their prey. And the arm is long, slender, hairless, smooth, thin and has far too many joints. The white flesh has dark, off white, blotches of coloring that look unnatural. It feels both hot and cold and the contact around my neck makes the touching skin feel like pins and needles.

I'm pulled through the tear and it quickly closes.

The environment here is different from anything I'm used to. The atmosphere here feels lifeless and stagnant.

I'm held by the neck in a throne room. The architecture looks older than anything I've seen and had become lifeless from a time long forgotten. All the furniture and decor looked petrified. The tall windows are broken and no breeze passed through, no sounds of nature, not even light passed through, it's just blackness passed the jagged glass.

It looks like a battle happened here that took place long ago.

A fight with no victors, judging by the abomination where the throne would be.

A monster lay before me. Twisted body parts of flesh melded together. Fourteen arms. Fourteen legs. Seven heads.

I could recognise each of those faces. They used to be the 7 gods of this world. As in they used to be 7 SEPARATE beings. I have no idea how or why they became like this.

"Jack…"

All 7 heads spoke my name at once. The grip around my neck softens. Becoming like the hand of a caring parent. Or a predator that knows that its prey can no longer escape.

The 7 heads look at me in wonder, hunger and displeasure. Mostly hunger.

"It's been a while, Jack…" they speak at the same time, voices melding into one like the amalgamation that is their body. Their body isn't like a messy ball of flesh mixed together. It's more like a bowl of spaghetti holding itself up like a mountain made out of torso's and limbs. The heads were not bunched together either, they dotted its mess, with a few of the heads tangled inside and just barely able to peek out.

A moving, living, pile of bodies.

Terror fills me and my struggling stops.

I had forgotten how horrifying it is. And I had hoped to keep it forgotten.

It's been 23 years since I've seen this monster. The last time was when I was a kid, when it forced its gift onto me. I wasn't supposed to see it. The others like me never saw it. Only heard its voices. And felt its gift.

"A-." I try to speak but they start talking amongst themselves.

"You've been a thorn. Rotten fruit, Jack."

"Let us sate ourselves now."

"But that would only make our situation worse."

"He is sour. I can smell it. Not even close to sweet."

"Tear him in two."

Most of them argue. Unable to decide.

Then they go quiet. Their eyes go unfocused.

Then they all look to me again at the same time. World then speaks at once.

"Jack. You have not done what you are meant to. I had gifted you yet you had not used it for good."

"Your 'gifts' are nothing but a lie! I refuse to help a monster!"

"My gifts are like an apple to man, helpful, nourishing." World then looks at me with disgust. "You are like a worm that has burrowed its way into an apple, hiding and using my gift to nourish yourself instead of sharing it with others."

Before I could reply World smiled and spoke again.

"I wish to give you one more gift, my most special gift, a parting gift, perfect for such a parasite."

One of its other hands then tears a hole in reality. Colors and shapes rapidly flow across the opening. If I look hard enough I could catch glimpses of places. Places that could not possibly exist in my world. Most looked hellish. Others looked empty.

World then holds me just above the tear.

"This new gift will make you a seed. One that will grow and spread its roots. One that one day bear fruit. Until then I will give you a second gift. My most special gift. To keep you from dying before then."

Then it gave me its final gift.

My soul burned. White hot agony as it embedded the new gift into my soul. All it needed was the contact it had with me to give it. I kicked and yelled in pain. A kind of pain I hadn't felt in a long time. But this one felt different. Like it was corrupting instead of giving.

The dark blotches on its body began to move down its body and came together along the arm that held me. Coming down the limb it flowed to me. My skin darkens until it becomes black.

Once all of it left World's body did it stop and I went limp in its gentle grip. Its expression becomes relieved, like a great burden was removed.

"May you return one day and bring many fruit, parasite."

World then let me go and I fell through the tear. Into the unknown.