The old man who has been conscience but unable to move this whole time, could only catch the words and the occasional glimpse of the three people. Not really sure what was going on, but knowing that something just got fucked up big time. He can only watch as the lightning crashes down. He can feel the power of the strike. Feel the current flow into him and out. Reaching out from him to the three people who called him here. They scream and rail at the heavens. Each of them seems to have a power or electricity of their own. There is something more then that there, both in the lightning and the people. Some sort of power, he can almost feel. Its not something he has ever felt before. Somehow, they managed to survive that strike. As his eyes go white-blind do to the strike. He can hear them still struggling, wondering how any of them can survive such fury. “How come he isn’t dead yet.” He wonders as the rumble fades, and his eyes just start to clear, when more light from above reaches down with a crash and a roar. Sounding like some divine or wrathful beast. “This is some Biblical shit!” He thinks in awe and horror. Then he wonders, “why am I not getting hurt?”

Then as another bolt of lightning strikes even bigger and more powerful, which in his mind should not be possible. He hears a raucous laugh as he feels something land on his chest and block the light of fury all around him. “Hehe... They are totally fucked now.” The voice of the thing on his chest says. It’s a bird, a raven or crow. Glossy black eyes and feathers with just a bit of white on the elbows… “Do wings have elbows?” he thinks. No, he doesn’t think that’s the right word for it but can’t come up with the right one. The raven/crow spreads its wings as another bolt of fury strikes everywhere. He can feel it arc through the space and the people, as well as the bird. The bird that is somehow blocking it from him. The bird seems strong, much stronger then the three people who summoned him. At least now, after what ever the hell this is, seeming to siphon and chip away at whatever they are. Still, the bird seems to be less after the lightning recedes yet again. “Ok mush for brains,” the bird speaks. “I’ll do what I can to help, this is all kind of my fault after all!” The bird laughs its raucous laugh again. Sheading more lightning as another strike hits. Then the bird shutters as more of itself seems to diminish. “Well crap, this is a bit more the I expected. OK listen meat head, you are one sorry S.O.B. BUT!!… You are an S.O.B. with me on your side.” More laughs from the bird, then a grunt as another bolt of lightning strikes.

“G... RRR…, ok so long story short, these pricks stole you from Earth, our world isn’t happy and apparently neither is theirs. Tough shit for them, they didn’t set the proper anchors. They didn’t even set up a fail-safe, Fucking pricks.” The bird laughs again as another strike comes down with more force than a Fuel Air Explosion. “Woo-hoo, I’m sheading the pounds now. Gunna be a lean mean flying machine when all this is done… Well, if we survive that is.” It laughs again. The old man can see singed feathers and one eye seems to be a bit duller then before as the bird speaks again. “So like I was saying, these dickheads didn’t properly ground themselves so to speak. Which normally, wouldn’t have caused to much of a problem. Just a bit more power to keep things stable.” The bird nods to itself with a bobbing head movement. “However…, HOWEVER…, my Swiss cheese minded friend. They totally didn’t see me coming.” The bird laughs through several more strikes of the Tribulation. Each strike leaving him just a bit lesser than before. “So here’s the situation, I caught wind of this little snatch n grab, and decided to play one final trick on our old world. And… AND!... Play my first one on OUR new one. Now I know what you’re thinking. How, right? Maybe why?... Gr…rrrrrraaa! Ok that one hurt.” The bird shakes in pain as several feathers disintegrate into dark smoke.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“So how? Easy, I just waited for the right moment, scared the shit out of that asshole driver by diving though the window. Then…, THEN…, send a little bit a go juice to that soup you call a brain. Nothing to much you see, just enough to get those neurons firing, and Walla! The stupid good guy or hero complex the fates or heavens, or whoever gave to this part of you, kicks in and BANG! Your flatter than a 90-year-old hooker, and I hitch a ride in your shadow so to speak.” The bird laughs again as another bolt strikes. This time the old man hears the cries of the three around him. Pain and fear along with the sounds of tearing flesh, can be heard, and somehow felt. The Crow turns its head and looks around. The old man can see the one eye that had dulled a bit is now milk white. “Or is it a raven?” he thinks again. Watching the Birds head strike into the air and pull back with what looks to be a finger. Before swallowing it down whole, doing the bobble head things birds do. Then it turns back to him and shudders a bit. “Thought she would have tasted better, if you know what I mean” the bird laughs and does the head bob. “So here we are, you and your poor broken mind and soul. Me and my nearly divine, semi phenomenal power. Which is shrinking as we speak. But…, BUT…, don’t worry, I needed to slim down a lot to make it over to the new world with you. Start from scratch so to speak, but no worries, mate. That just gives me more room to grow. Which brings me back to you… All of the you’s. You see, well of course you do, that’s ALL you can do right now, right?”

More laughter comes from the bird as another bolt strikes. “Ok, ok… this place is starting to fall apart, so we need to speed things up before we both die. Or I lose too much of my power to do anything. So the way I see it, I did you a solid, saved you from a fate worse than death on are old world, and…, AND…, let you have a new chance on a new one. However,” the bird sighs. “There are some bitches that disagree with my very valid interpretation. You know, since I never really made any sorts of bargain or deal with you. Semantics, right? So as of now I can’t pass over unless I take you. Fucking Bitches always putting their fingers down and shit.” The bird looks around then looks up with a shudder. “OK last one is almost here, and its gunna be a real fucking shit show.” The bird looks back at the vagrant with now mismatched eyes.

“SOOO… I’m gunna do you another solid, and make sure you get where you need to go. I’m also gunna make sure you are whole of mind and spirit. All those tears and fractures you got going on completely healed. That way those BITCHES, can’t accuse me of not paying what’s due.” The bird turns its head an odd angle while still looking at him. “But…, BUT…, you have to agree. You have to give me some sign that you want to let me live…er I mean that you want to live.” The bird bobs it head again bringing it inches from his face. “So, if you agree, keep staring at me.” The bird cackles as the vagrant cant do anything but stare. “Good, Good, bargain struck. So, here’s what’s gunna happen. On this last strike, I’m letting a tiny fraction of the Tribulation Lightning pass through me and into you. It won’t be enough to kill you, but it’s going to hurt way more than you can even consider. But…,BUT…, that pain is gunna be like a crucible, a big cosmic style smelter even. Its going to fuse all your broken pieces back into one whole. Or its going to totally erase you and by proxy me, from all existence’s everywhere. Either way, this is going to be TOTALLY EPIC!” The bird laughs and shuffles itself on the man’s chest. “Just remember if we survive, WE ARE EVEN! You go your way and I go mine. End of story.”

The Bird cackles again as the last and largest bolt of Tribulation Lightning lands.