Tall, spiraling pillars of smoke reach across the sky from the edges of the village. A wall of flames erupts from the same direction before dying down. We look onwards as people scream and run away from the chaos. I turn and take Charlie by the wrist, pulling her along so that we don’t get swallowed up by the tidal wave of people.
“Sorry if you feel uncomfortable with the sudden contact!” I yell out over the other voices around us. “But we need to run!” Charlie gives me a quick nod as we pick up the pace.
“What’s happening?!”
“Fire! Fire!”
“Somebody do something!”
The other people around us are shouting as they run past, away from the hungry flames and towards the main square. I almost lose Charlie as the crowd swallows us up, but I manage to keep hold. The sky has turned red like blood and the smoke frames it like a morbid painting.
“Oliver!” I hear my mom’s voice call out from somewhere near the side of the street. I turn and spot her along with Charlie’s parents near a stall on the opposite side of the street.
“Mom!” I cry out as I push through the sea of bodies towards our parents. Suddenly a massive fireball hits one of the nearby houses. It shatters into fiery splinters, sending people flying with stone rubble that comes raining down onto the moving mass of people. The shock of the explosion loosens my grip on my friend and the crowd surges forth with renewed vigor, trying to escape our unseen assailant.
I’m turned around as I try to find Charlie. I lose track of which way she was swept away to and where our parents were. Then, I’m falling. Someone pushes me from behind, probably in a panic to escape the burning building, and I plummet towards the ground. My head meets the stone and my vision goes dark, but on the edge of my vision I spot Charlie reaching out for me. This kind of reminds me of the cave…
…
I open my eyes and am greeted by an oddly bluish colored mist engulfed place. As I try to get my bearings, I take note of the fact that it feels like I’m inside of a room. Which is kind of weird because it definitely looks like this place stretches outwards into infinity. And standing a short distance is a strange looking woman with… green tentacles for hair?
“Where am I?” I ask groggily, pulling myself upright but still sitting on the floor. The woman turns to me with a concerned look, like she was looking at her hurt child or something.
“...You’re back sooner than I expected.” She stares at me, walking over and bending down to give me a hand.
I take it and, with her help, stand up in the mist. “That’s not really an answer, Miss…” I stop and properly examine her face. A feeling of recognition comes over me and I realize where I’ve seen her before. “Wait… You’re…”
“Yes. I am the person you think I am. And before anything else I need to do something, in fact we need to do something.” She says as she pulls a small rectangular slab out from the mist. She holds it up to her ear and says something in a language I don’t understand.
After a moment, she tosses it away and a tear forms behind her. Out steps a young looking girl, probably close to my age wearing a bright pink, thick coat like thing. She has lightly tanned skin, somewhere between where mine was and this other lady’s is, and dark red hair poking out of the hood of the coat.
The lady gives her a sour look. “Really? You put Oliver through all that and then you show up looking like this?” She sighs and shakes her head. “Honestly, I know that you can be better than this.”
The girl rolls her eyes, which now that I get a good look at, are similar to the lady’s. Except instead of green they’re a dark pink. She huffs and a flash of light momentarily blinds me, when it fades she’s standing in a simple dress. It’s still pink though…
“We need to apologize, don’t we?” The lady in green says pointedly towards the other girl.
She nods her head lazily, looking like she would rather be anywhere else.
The lady sighs again and looks at me. “We’re sorry. This wasn’t what I had wanted to happen. And she did not help make things better.” She shoots a glare at the girl who just continues to look bored.
“Yeah, sorry I made you take our deal and influenced that nun lady’s mind or whatever.” Her voice is soft but something is behind it, like her attention is elsewhere. Not in a bad way, more like she’s distracted by something.
This apparently makes the lady in green angry and she storms over and grabs the girl by her shoulders with her tentacle hair. The girl has a semi shocked look on her face, like she was expecting this but not this soon, and then gets hurled back through the tear she walked out of. Her hair settles down and she smooths out her dress. Then she turns back to me and waves her hand, causing a table and two chairs to appear.
“Please have a seat. And I apologize for her, she’s… she wasn’t always this dour.” She looks a little hurt as she takes the further seat.
I carefully sit down across from her, worried about what might happen to me. “I have a lot of questions right now.”
“I’m sure but we have something a bit more concerning to talk about. We have a bit more time than the last meeting so I want you to think about my deal in earnest.”
“What? I’m a little confused about everything going on here. I think I’d be angry or upset or scared or something but I’m not and it’s a little off putting.”
“Ah. I guess that would make sense. We are in a place that helps to calm emotions. Though it doesn’t work too well on me it seems.” She chuckles a bit at her own joke, but instead of putting me at ease it makes me a bit more nervous. She notices and goes back to being more composed.
“Okay, and where are we? And what deal am I agreeing to? And what am I going to have to do for it?”
“Well… we are in a place that some like to call the Soul Space. A little silly but it’s accurate as this is where souls go after death.The deal in question is the one I proposed to you last time, but I did not give you any information about what you would have to do.” She takes a breath before continuing. “... I need you to deal with a small problem for me in your world.”
What? Does this mean I’m dead? A problem that she needs me to deal with? This is getting confusing. “Sorry, we’re in the place people go when they die? Does that mean I’m dead?”
“Oh no. No you aren’t dead. We’re just here because this is the only place that I can enter for a long enough period of time to hold a conversation with a mortal.”
“So… I’m still alive then. And you’re what? A god?”
“Umm, that’s a little complicated and I’m afraid that we don’t have enough time to go over that. We need to do this quickly because,” an hourglass appears hovering next to her, “you’ve only got a few more minutes before I need to send you back. So we should talk about what I need you to do and if you’re willing to do it, no outside influences this time.”
I stare at her confused. Most of this is going over my head but from what I’m picking up, I need to do something for her but only if I want to. And last time I was apparently influenced to do it? Ugh this is hurting my head.
“Okay… what do you need me to do?”
“I need you to deal with the ‘Demon King’.”
“Excuse me?”
She sighs. “The ‘Demon King’ is a little upstart over across the ocean in the Demon Isles. He’s currently trying to wage war on the Beastfolk and cross over to the other continents. The reason I need you to deal with him is because he has something to do with an annoying pest that I have a history with.”
“So how do I play a part in this exactly?”
“I just told you. You need to go over there and stop this crazy demon from letting my old enemy get a foothold in your world and subsequently ending it.”
“... But why me?”
“That… is another difficult question. We do not have much time left so I need to know if you’re willing to put your life on the line for me despite us being strangers.”
I sit there, stumped. She seems nice enough but I have nothing to do with this. But I also don’t want my world to end or anything. Gah! I hate being put on the spot for important decisions.
“I can tell that you’re having trouble with this. I would give you more time if I could but sadly I can’t. I need your answer now, please.” She gives me a pleading look.
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“I- I don’t know.”
She looks down and solemnly nods her head. “I understand. I’ll have to find another then, but this will put things on a bad path. It will take a while to find someone who has the potential like you do.”
I feel bad. I know that I shouldn’t put my life on the line for someone I just met, but it feels wrong to just abandon her like this. I mean I was just going through a difficult time too. Sure it wasn’t as bad as this but like still, it doesn’t quite sit right with me.
“Miss.” I say and she lifts her head. “I don’t know if I’m the best choice you could have picked but I’ll do what I can to help you.”
A surprised expression comes to her face. “You will?! I- I didn’t think you would. The Fates were right! You are the perfect person for the job!” She reaches out and takes my hand. “Thank you. Truly. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“It’s really not that big of a deal Miss. I just felt bad about leaving you to face this problem.”
“It is a big deal. Now before I have to send you back, I have a gift.”
“A gift?”
She turns my hand over and one of her tentacles hovers over it. “By my right as the last of the royal Pollyanna family, I grant you the title of Daydreamer. With this my and mine family’s blessing shall grant you access to the latent powers within.” A glow appears and, after it fades, an Inkling has formed. A dark purple blot with smaller dots hovering above it takes its place on the back of my hand. The smaller ones are red, pink, and green respectively.
“How did you do that?”
“My authority surpasses any silly mistake that your gods may make, Oliver. You were going to get your Inkling from me anyways, but that was before the mess that happened. Now it’s time for you to go, your friend is getting more worried than I’d like her to be.”
She waves a tentacle and another tear appears, one that shows me on the ground next to a very distressed Charlie. A tugging sensation forms in my chest and I am gently pulled towards the portal.
“I will see you again soon, once I have finished putting this place together so that we can go over what you’d like to know.”
And with that I’m pulled away and into the crack, towards my body.
…
I jolt upright with a sharp inhale, before coughing a bit. Charlie looks over and reaches a hand out, but she stops and stares at me. My hair is glowing! A faint purple light emanates from the tips of my hair. Then it dies down and fades away.
“Are you okay Oliver?” Charlie asks with a concerned look.
“Yeah. I think so…” I take a quick look at our surroundings. We’re inside a ruined building, I don’t think it’s the same one that got blown up but one of the nearby ones. “How did we get here? I remember being pushed but after that, I think I passed out or something.”
“I pulled you over here and tried to treat your wound.”
“My wound?” I reach up and find a stretch of cloth wrapped around my head. It’s damp and sticky as I pull it off.
“Wait, don’t! It’s still fresh-” She starts but stops. I touch my forehead and a small mark, like a healed over cut, is there. “How did you do that?”
“I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with my new Inkling.” A loud crashing sound comes from somewhere outside on the street.
I stand up and make my way over to the doorway, no door in it though. Charlie gets up and comes over to my side. I raise my hand and will my Inkling to appear. It shines for a moment, like it’s trying to tell me to go outside and do something.
“Is that your Inkling? It’s really pretty.”
“Yeah. Um, listen Charlie, I think I’m going to go out there.”
She looks at me, shocked. “Ollie! You can’t be serious! Why do you wanna go out there?!”
I turn to her and place a hand on her shoulder. “I have to help people. I know that I’m being crazy but I want to help people whenever I can now. I made a deal and I think this might be a part of it.”
I take a deep breath and then step outside. My hair starts to glow brightly as I walk into unknown danger. Charlie reaches out to stop me, but stops a moment before she can grab me.
The village is in ruins. Buildings are burning around me and rubble is piled up along the streets. Nobody is around, save for the few bodies that line the streets. I push the thought of them out of my head. There’s no time to mourn the dead now. I need to find Mom and Charlie’s parents.
I break into a run, trying to find where I saw Mom before everything exploded. “MOM! MOM!” I call out, hoping I can catch her ear if she’s nearby. There’s no response and I get a sinking feeling in my stomach.
Just then, a loud crash comes from nearby. A massive wolf-like monster, at least fifteen feet tall, comes flying out of a nearby house. “What the hells?!” A voice cries out. Someone stands up from beside the monster and dusts themself off. “Get up you lazy beast! No random old hag is going to stop us from taking over this town!”
“Old hag? Come now, I’m only in my forties.” My mom is standing on top of the roof of a nearby house. She’s holding her sewing needle and a spool of thread. “I don’t know why you want to take over our little village, but I’m not going to let you do anything without a fight.”
I don’t know how but Mom just fought a giant wolf and won. Maybe that’s what she meant when she said her and Dad met back when he worked as an adventurer. I just thought she was like, I dunno, a receptionist at one of the guild offices or something. Not an adventurer herself.
The person, who I’m guessing is some kind of monster tamer, turns towards the beast only to spot me. I can’t tell because of the familiar demon-like mask, but I’m guessing they’re smiling. They jump onto the back of the wolf and point it at me. … That’s probably not good.
“Here we go! It’d sure be harder to fight me if I had a hostage!” The rider laughs as the wolf begins to charge towards me.
Suddenly the world slows again, almost like what happened back in the cave. “Time to put that Inkling to use, Oliver.” My Inkling flashes and two lines shoot from it along my forearm. One a dark green and the other a dark purple, they curl upwards stopping about half way between my wrist and my elbow. I get a sense of reaching out and grabbing things, which I don’t think is a good idea at the moment but I guess I have to.
I put a hand out and try to call on whatever power I’ve been given. A large, light green, see-through tentacle shoots out from beside me and wraps around the wolf’s mouth, pulling it aside. That. Was. Awesome. I wonder what the other one does…
Mom raises an eyebrow in curiosity, but refocuses on the monster and its master. She throws her needle downwards and it lands next to me. Then she zips down, pulled along by the thread attached to it, and lands gracefully next to me.
“Oliver. What are you doing here? It’s dangerous for you to be out fighting monsters and cultists.” She gives me a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes, a chill goes down my spine.
“Ah… I umm… wanted to help people?” I say unconvincingly, trying to defend myself.
She gives me a pointed look, before turning back to the wolf which has broken free from my tentacle. It snarls at me and its rider kicks it in its sides, causing it to lunge forwards with its claws outstretched. Those things are like as long as my arms! Mom grabs me by the waist and throws her needle with her other hand. We shoot off upwards onto a nearby roof, I stumble a bit as we land while she doesn’t even flinch.
“Dear. I like that you’re trying to be heroic and all, but you only just got your Inkling. You shouldn’t be picking fights with anything yet, until you’ve gotten properly trained.” Is she lecturing me right now? While a massive wolf is trying to climb a building to eat us?
“You’re right Mom, but I just have to do this. I can’t sit somewhere when I could be helping people.”
That gets me an odd look from Mom. She closes her eyes in thought as she throws the needle again and we fly to another roof, opposite of where we were and a little further down the street.
“Hmm… I suppose you can keep fighting, just as long as you promise to only act as a support role. I don’t want you to get in front of that thing if you can help it.”
“Really?”
She nods reluctantly. “You have always been a person who couldn’t sit there when people are in trouble, even if it doesn’t make sense to help them.” She sighs. “You take after your dad far too much.”
We share a moment before the sounds of a wolf remind us that we are still in danger. Sort of.
“Would you just GET UP THERE ALREADY!” The rider cries as they snap some kind of whip. The wolf yelps and backs away from the building, only to charge and then jump, allowing it to scramble onto the edge of the roof that we’re on.
“Right. Almost forgot that there was trouble to be dealt with. Let this be a lesson Dear, don’t talk and fight at the same time.” My mom swings her needle on its string in a wide circle overhead. “Harpoon Needle!” Then releases it, letting it fly towards the monster. I don’t know how much damage that a needle of that size would do, but suddenly it grows in size. Now it looks like a spear hurtling towards it at the monster rapidly.
The wolf bares its fangs at the projectile and its fur bristles. Then it all stands on edge, like a thorny bramble, making it look large then it is. The needle collides with the beast, causing a loud metallic clang to ring out. The needle falls away and the wolf looks unharmed from the assault.
“Well that’s not great. I don’t really have much to deal with that in my arsenal.” Mom puts a hand on her cheek, perplexed. “Or I’d need much more room than what’s available here in town. If we were somewhere more open I’d definitely be able to skewer that dog.”
“That’s kind of dark Mom.”
“Shush. We need to get Charlie and get her to safety. You do know where she is, right?”
I nod as the beast carefully stalks towards us. The rider holds a whip out and lashes out towards us. Mom grabs me again and jumps down to the ground as the whip misses, hitting the roof where we were just standing.
“Get back here!” An angry voice calls out as we run back towards where I had left Charlie at.
We run, occasionally jumping onto roofs, as the monster and its master chase us down. Eventually we arrived back at the building I left Charlie in. Mom distracts the wolf and tells me to find Charlie so that we can get out of here. I duck into the building as Mom zips out of the way of the beast.
“Charlie!” I call out as I enter.
“Ollie? What’s all that noise out there? It sounds like some kind of large dog.”
“Well, it is, but that’s not important right now. We need to get going, Mom’s out there distracting it so that we can get a head start.”
She rushes over and peeks outside, seeing the massive wolf she ducks back in and nods at me. “But how are we going to get away? I mean your mom can’t keep it from chasing us if she’s just dodging it.”
I pause for a moment. I hadn’t really considered that. I guess I could use that tentacle thing to try and keep it down again. Yeah, that sounds good.
“Trust me, I think I should be able to keep it busy for a moment so that we can all get far away from that thing.” I hold out my hand for her to take. She hesitates and I drop it, probably not time for that yet.
We run outside and Charlie starts heading down the street. I will another tentacle to wrap around the monster, but as it shoots out towards the wolf its head quickly turns and bites down on the approaching restraint. Guess that means that it’s not as stupid as I thought.
“You won’t get me with that trick twice kid!” The rider takes their whip and lashes towards me, Mom turns midair to try and intercept it but it’s too late.