《Tales of the Iron Road: Hawthorn House》 Prologue Arthur was dead the moment he set foot inside the house. It only took him a while to realize it. The hallway was filled with Arthurs''s frantic panting as he ran. Sweat stung his eyes as he tried to escape. He took a chair and used it to block the door. He could hear the skittering horde on the other side, clawing their way through the door, the scratching of the door sounds like daggers carving the thick wood of the door. He looked around frantically for somewhere to hide. His eyes were caught by the bed, and he quickly dove under it, covering his mouth before the dagger-like pincers could break down the door. They breached the door, and several skittering legs looked around the room. They overturned many of the furniture, hacking the wood down with their bladed arms like woodsmen hacking lumber. Arthur covered his mouth, trying not to make a sound. Not a single noise. Not even a whimper. The creatures walked around the room searching. Though only about the size of a dog, they were strong enough to break through the dresser, chopping into it mercilessly. Sweat poured off of Arthurs''s brow, and frightened tears filled his eyes. Then Arthur¡¯s fears were realized when the creatures came closer to the bed. He tried to cover his mouth, praying to any Gods who would listen to his plea silently. He bit into his hand out of fear, trying to keep silent. The clocking from their mandibles grew louder and louder until finally, they left the room as suddenly as they had entered. The sounds of their trodding vanished down the hallway, and the room was left in total, complete silence. Arthur waited for a few precious seconds. Each passing moment felt like an eternity, but he had to be sure that those abominations wouldn¡¯t return. He crawled out of bed very carefully and tried not to make a sound. When he stood up, there was a silent creaking noise under him, the old grainy wood making that ugly sound. Arthur looked down in fright and then awaited the coming horde. Nothing. He breathed a sigh of relief. He had regained hope. Hawthorn House, however, delighted in filling its prey with hope. It loved that moment that it created when it gave them the illusion of chance. That moment when everything looked like it would be alright, only then to snatch that hope away. The previously underside of the bed which had been empty when Arthur crawled under it now had two glaring eyes under it. Blackened tendrils grabbed at Arthur¡¯s legs and quickly pulled him under the bed. No one listened to Arthur¡¯s screams from Hawthorn house. At least, They pretended not to hear them. It was always the same thing. Every adventurer bold enough would go into that damned place, brandishing their sword, ready to slay any monsters that lay within. Hawthorn House, however, was not so easy a foe to face. Not some bandit to face down, some Orcish warlord who wanted to burn down your village. It wasn¡¯t any monster with an easily discernible face that would roll over and die once you plunged a sword into it. It was an evil all on its own. An entity that knew you better than you knew yourself, like a parent knowing their child. Arthur had gone in there thinking he would find whatever gave that place its power. Whatever evil had possessed the house, and had claimed Baron Sigfried¡¯s daughter. He would be like a hero in a fairy tale. A handsome, young knight who braved the many evils the world had to offer. Slay the frightful monster that had kidnapped the fair maiden, rescue the damsel, and have his happily ever after. The fool. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. He had unknowingly slit his own throat by setting foot into that place. Arthur had always been blinded by his pride and vanity. The son of a nobleman who thought himself the prince charming of his own story. The boy who thought himself a man. The noble idiot who thought himself a knight. The fool who thought himself the hero. When he entered Hawthorn village, the villagers knew they were seeing a dead man walking to his own gallows, while thinking himself invincible. It would not be a restful night. It never was when some would-be hero decided to brave that place. As if the force inside could be so easily slain. As if whatever possessed the house could be exorcized. But the villagers knew full well that the house itself was evil. The screams echoed into the night like a pack of wolves howling into the wind. The boy¡¯s terrified, guttural screams fill the night with dread. Agatha, one of the villagers, found herself crying. That boy was so young. So handsome. Fair as spring''s first kiss. To hear the abject pain that his final moments brought him crushed her tender heart. In the next house over, Gertrude tried to comfort her children, who had begun to wail almost as loudly as Arthur was. How could she comfort them, imagining what horrors were currently rending the boy asunder, bit by bit, tendon by tendon? Ulfric, the village Elder, also kept awake. Nights like this brought nothing but haunting memories to him. So many like Arthur dared to enter that forsaken place. So many tried to enter inside, but none ever returned. Ulfric could see Arthur¡¯s face in the darkness, Almost as if he were watching the boy suffering. Arthur''s face would be added to the ever-growing collection Ulfric had in his dreams, waking up in the middle of the night to see everyone he met in his lifetime that had ever set foot into Hawthorn house. And Ulfric had lived for many, many years. The faces of those foolish enough to enter the house numbered in the hundreds if not a thousand. He may have forgotten the names, but their faces...their faces he will never forget. As suddenly as the screams came into the night, they were gone. Hawthorn house got what it wanted. It warned the villagers, and reminded them of its superiority, like an alpha predator reminding the forest who it was that ruled. Like the Dragon at the Iron Mountain, this display of terror was meant to instill fear into those who could listen. The worst thing out of the night of screams, as always, was the silence. The dead silence. The silence that only happens at the passing of something. The final breath is taken. The dim candle light flickered before being extinguished. The last strum of a guitar as the song ends. That was the worst part. The Silence. When all the villagers below in the valley were overlooked by the ever-watchful gaze of Hawthorn House, they were left alone in the silence. They knew that Arthur was no more. Just like all the others. Why don¡¯t they listen? Why don¡¯t they ever listen? Chapter 1 Ulysses slowly opened his eyes, and he could taste the ash in his mouth once more. The village was burning, The scent of melting flesh and charred wood filled his nose with the most familiar of scents. One of his comrades pulled him up. ¡°Captain!¡± The young soldier barked as the rest of Ulysses¡¯s squad gathered around to protect their captain. ¡°Are you alright, sir?¡± Ulysses grumbled. He rubbed the back of his head as if he had just been hit directly in the back with a club. ¡°I¡¯m fine. We need to keep moving.¡± The squad continued to move forward. Ulysses pressed onward as if he hadn¡¯t been stopped at all. Several within the squad held their shields up and their swords at the ready, waiting for the slightest moment to strike down their enemy while several men with crossbows pointed around, keeping alert. The Khanjir were illusive bastards...as well as brutal. They had come to this village not to loot. Not to pillage. Not to burn. But to destroy. To commit total genocide. Many of the villagers were put on spikes and displayed in the most grotesque of fashions. The bodies were charred and frozen forever in frightful screams of agony and terror. Their last moments filled with nothing but absolute misery. The final breath they had taken in their dying screams as flame consumed them. There were no soldiers here. No battle hardened men to defend them. This was a simple farming village, and the Khanjir had come here to send a message to King Lautrec. That the Khanjir would stop at nothing to utterly destroy them, and erase the kingdom of Sigurdsehre from the face of Valandius once and for all. Ulysses couldn¡¯t help but look at the bodies that littered the area. They were displayed in a way to frighten the hearts of men and women in their deepest nightmares. Not only men and women had been displayed like this, but the little ones were not spared this barbaric display. At the sight of one of those brutal effigies, one of the soldiers gripped a glowing blue crystal around her neck. ¡°Aloheim, blessed creator, Maker of everything. Hear my prayer. Protect us in-¡± ¡°Quiet Hilde!¡± Ulysses hushed her in an aggressive, whispered tone. ¡°There could still be Khanjir in the area. Don¡¯t muck this up while we have the advantage.¡± He glared at her as Hilde let go of her pendant and lowered her head. Ulysses made his squad press on. As he walked, there was something familiar about this place. He couldn¡¯t place his finger on it. The burnt bodies and the horrified looks of the victims put him on edge. Every fiber in him, every nagging voice in his head told him to run. To run home and never look back. That was the truth of it. He was just as scared as his men, if not more so. As for the strange sense of familiarity he had with this place, He couldn¡¯t understand it. He understood it as a man who was born blind understood color. They pressed on until Ulysses saw something moving in one of the houses. As they paused, they waited a bit longer. Ulysses took a crossbow from one of his soldiers and aimed it. He tried to get a better view of what was moving around by the window. His hands trembled slightly, as if his body was forcing him to be as still as a statue. The shadowy figure bent down to pick something up. In the back of Ulysses¡¯s mind, He could hear a faint sound. The sound of something knocking. Hearing it, He let loose the crossbow bolt and the figure in the window fell. One of the more mature soldiers in Ulysses¡¯s squad grabbed the crossbow and yanked it away. ¡°Sir! What in the seven hells are you doing?!¡± He blinked, and then went over to the house. Ulysses panicked, he still heard the knocking. Knock Knock Knock¡­ He and the rest of the squad silently rush over to the house. They line up on the walls before breaking the door open. Knock Knock Knock¡­ There it went again, from where Ulysses couldn¡¯t understand. Knock Knock Knock¡­ Ulysses looked around, and saw the figure on the ground. Knock Knock Knock¡­ His eyes widened and his breath elevated. Knock Knock Knock¡­ He dropped to his knees. Knock Knock Knock¡­ One of his men shouted his name. ¡°Ulysses! Ulysses!!!¡± Ulysses opened his eyes at the knocking on the door. Panting and sweating in bed. The nightmare again. He rubbed his face as the elderly voice shouted through the door. ¡°Ulysses! Ulysses!!! Ulysses Anderson, You will open this door and you will do it Right Now!!!¡± He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as his eyes tried to focus. ¡°Right¡­ Right. Be there in a moment.¡± ¡°No! Not in a moment! Right Now!!!¡± He opened the door and let in the old crone in his room. Dorine Calihad. About as old and frail, yet as spirited and as temperamental as they came. So old was this woman that she might have outlived Vedmaarvith himself. A Ripe old Ten Thousand years old, or at least ten and a half. She was just as fearsome as the dragon too, if not moreso. The way that, especially at her age, she held a command that even many kings lacked. If she ran a country as good as she did an Inn, she would have conquered all of Vanlandius by now. She glared at him as she entered the room. ¡°Bah! By the Gods! This place is disgusting! Here I am, slaving away over keeping my Inn as clean and as fresh as possible, working my bones to the dirt, and here you are living as if you¡¯re a swine! Gods, half eaten food! Empty bottles! Ugh! Oh and the curtains! My good curtains! Ripped apart like some rabid dog got to them! You should be ashamed of yourself!¡± Ulysses rolled his amber eyes. ¡°Come on, Fran. You do this all the time!¡± Fran quickly snapped at Ulysses, and grabbed his beard, pulling his face towards hers. ¡°And Why wouldn¡¯t I, you lazy oaf?! This is my Inn. You are sleeping in my beds, You eat the food I make, and you won''t even have the decency to pay my rent! I want my coin, Anderson.¡± ¡°I Gave you your coin, woman!¡± Fran let go of his beard and crossed her arms, and glared daggers into him. ¡°Oh yeah! You did¡­ four months ago. Your rent has been building up, and you haven¡¯t paid me a copper! See, I didn''t just come here to nag you about the furniture and garbage all over my nice floor. I¡¯m kicking you out.¡± He grabbed her shoulder and began to plead. ¡°Wait! Wait a moment, Fran! You can¡¯t just kick me out! I told you I¡¯m good for the money. Look, give me one more month. I¡¯ll pay everything in full.¡± Fran placed her hands on her hips and let out a big sarcastic chuckle. ¡°Ha! Aha Ha ha! Hardy hardy har. Pull the other one, Anderson. I¡¯d believe you more if you said you killed Vedmaarvith. No. I¡¯m done, Anderson. I¡¯m just done. Every time I brought up my rent, You pushed it aside. No more. Come back with the money, up front, and I¡¯ll consider it. But now? I just want you out of my hair. Clean your garbage up, and get out. You have one week.¡± He glared angrily at her, his blood beginning to boil. ¡°Or what?¡± He crossed his arms and looked at her, His anger brewing. Fran wouldn¡¯t back down. ¡°Or I call the guards, and the only roof over your head will be in a deep dark dungeon where the sun don¡¯t shine, and the only company you¡¯ll have will be a huge orc who hasn¡¯t seen a woman in years.¡± She left the room, slamming the door in his face as he attempted to defend himself. Angrily, he slammed his fist against the door, pressing his head against it. ¡°Seven Hells¡­¡± He pushed himself off of the door and looked around his room. He marched over to the drawer and pulled out a bottle of rum. Having rum for his breakfast, he took a large swig only to find that the bottle was already almost empty. Drinking the last few sips, he threw the bottle against the wall, still furious. He was a veteran, damn it. How could anyone treat him like this? Did he always pay on time? No. But what can a disgraced soldier do? He can¡¯t rejoin the army. No one wanted someone like him. Not after what he did. Bounty hunting had its value, but he¡¯d just drink the gold away as soon as he got it. He needed something to buy Fran¡¯s favor once more. And he had to do it fast. He went to get dressed, Putting on his armor so as to find a job to do. His military armor was scuffed, dented and worn. But it''s all he had. His armor covered up his ugly white scars and burn marks that littered his light brown skin. Equipped with nothing more than a backpack full of stale rations, his sword, crossbow and shield, he stomped down the steps and out of the Inn, the Green Mare Inn. Before venturing to find a job, he had one destination on his mind. To visit the one person who would comfort him in his time of need. Venturing deeper into the town''s seedy places, Ulysses found himself standing in front of ¡°The Flighty Nymph.¡± The Nymph was the nicest brothel in the town, which wasn¡¯t exactly saying much. The town had hit hard times after the iron mine went dry a few years ago. Seeking new ways of trading, many of its citizens have turned to more illicit acts in order to survive. The town of Owens Hearth had seen better days. It had become a den of thieves, liars, cheaters, and the general scum of the earth. The people who lived here had nowhere to go. Ulysses stepped further into the brothel, and scanned the area. There was plenty of vice and sin that littered the area. Human decency had flown out the window long ago. Many raunchy acts took place out in the open. Ulysses didn''t care. He was after one specific girl. He went to the half orc bartender who instantly recognized him. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Well!¡± The half orc spoke with a guttural growl. Not in the least threatening. Not even a typical sound of his parentage. Simply just too many swigs of strong ales and whiskies burning his throat till it was raw. ¡°Ulysses Anderson. You¡¯re early. Usually see you at the night service.¡± Ulysses grumbled. ¡°Morning Will. How''s the leg doing you?¡± ¡°Eh, Can¡¯t complain.¡± Will snorted as he cleaned the bar. ¡°You should have seen the guy who gave me my limp. They¡¯ll be scraping him off of the walls with a spoon.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah. Say, is Tabitha here? I need to talk to her.¡± Will thinks for a moment. ¡°Not right now, But she should be here in about an hour.¡± ¡°Ah, right. Okay. You have the usual spot for me then?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the early bird here, friend. It''s all yours.¡± Ulysses nodded and reached into his very light feeling bag. He fingered it through before finding a single silver and putting it on the table. ¡°Thanks Will.¡± He went to the usual spot he holds for himself and Tabitha. A small booth by the stage offered him sanctuary often in trying times. And this was one of those desperate times. He waited patiently, sitting quietly. He refrained from drinking anymore than what he had for breakfast. His fingers ran through his dark hair, brushing against the scar on his left temple. The result of an arrow flying by his head. If his head were a few inches off to the side, the arrow would have hit him dead on. There were many close calls for him in his career as a soldier. Just not as career ending as his final mission. He couldn¡¯t help but think back to that day. The day where his life spiraled out of control. Five years ago, the Khanjir Khannanite had begun to invade Sigardehre. The Khans had made their way so deep into the territory that a retaliation was made difficult. The Khans went in, struck, killed any who they didn''t think would be good stock, captured the rest and forced them into slavery, and were gone by the time the army arrived. Towards the end of the war, Ulysses led his group of soldiers to rescue civilians. There were reports that there were still Khans in the area, which put the captain on edge. That day, fear overtook him. He made a mistake that had ruined him. A mistake that had haunted him for many years now. And every day since that mistake, he had been trying to forget about it. He tried to drown his mind in whatever drink or distractions he could come across just to rid himself of the nightmare that repeated, over and over and over again, nonstop. The faces of those who he killed out of fear still burned into his mind. Like a fire that raged on and burnt a forest down, his mind was consumed by the guilt that even now weighed heavy on him. If he could just come to terms with this. If he could just overcome this gnawing pain in his mind, it would be over. He could move on, and finally have a life beyond that nightmare. Ulysses, however, lacked the strength to do so. He understood what needed to be done, and yet he felt he was too much of a coward to do it. Out of the corner of his eye, He saw her coming in. Her clothes were plain, skin slightly tarnished, hair frazzled, but that didn¡¯t matter to him. Tabitha was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Her hair was shining, naturally smooth, and raven black. It reflected the light perfectly with a mirror shine. Her milky brown skin was as soft as silk. Her lips were full, and when pressed against his own, they had the sweetest taste. Her eyes were as blue as the sea. They were comforting, and shone like diamonds in star light. She turned, and was shocked to see Ulysses already there, early this morning. She checked in with Will before moving over to him. ¡°Ulysses! Wh-what are you doing here?¡± ¡°I came to see you.¡± He held her hand tightly. ¡°Things are-uh¡­ Things are going bad.¡± She held his hand in return, and leaned forward. ¡°Since when do things not go bad with you?¡± She teased slightly as she looked at him. ¡°I mean, it''s a bit worse right now.¡± He looked away from her, ashamed of himself. ¡°The Innkeeper, Fran? She kicked me out. She¡¯s giving me a week to move out.¡± She let go of his hand and crossed her arms. ¡°And you want to move into my place?¡± He raised his hands up defensively. ¡°No no no. I just wanted to talk with you. You¡¯re the only one in the whole wide world who I can talk to.¡± She sighed and shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t need someone to talk about your problems to, Ulysses. You need to sort your problems out. Gods, look at you! You can¡¯t pull yourself out of this hole if you keep making it deeper. I can¡¯t always be the one to pull you out.¡± He grabbed her hand and held it tighter than before. ¡°Tabby, Please. I don¡¯t wanna talk about this.¡± She glared. ¡°And when will you? Tomorrow? Next week? Next year? You can¡¯t keep doing this to yourself. You don¡¯t wanna stay in this hole, do you? You think I want to stay in this place, having strangers grope me and do whatever they want with me?¡± She held his hand tightly with both of hers, looking into his eyes with her own, trying to reason with him. ¡°You promised we were going to get married. You promised me a house in the country, food on the table, kids, and you kept promising and kept promising. How many promises are you going to make until it finally happens?¡± He rubbed the temples of his head, trying to ease the stress. ¡°Look, I¡¯m trying. I just need to get some gold.¡± ¡°All the gold in the world won¡¯t help you if you don''t change first.¡± He sighed, pressing his forehead against hers. ¡°I¡¯ll do it this time. I¡¯ll make all of this better. This is the last time. I¡¯ll get the gold, and then we¡¯ll be gone.¡± She looked up at him with a questioning gaze ¡°How are you going to fix all of this? What are we going to do?¡± He thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll find a job to do. One that pays a lot. One that will get us out of here. You won¡¯t have to work here any more. We can be happy. We can be together.¡± She leaned into him and held him tightly in a loving embrace. He petted her hair as she nodded, her eyes closed. ¡°...okay.¡± They simply held each other tenderly for a while. Each trying to be the rock for the other. It was time for him to be committed to this. Committed to her. He spent much of his morning with Tabitha for as long as he could. Eventually, they had to part, and Ulysses would be forced to be alone. Stepping outside to the streets, He looked around for work. The first thing he went to was the local bounty board at the center of town. The board was full of names and sketches of criminals from all over the Sigardehre kingdom. Each ranging from a minimum of two hundred gold to over six hundred. However, it wouldn¡¯t be near enough. He¡¯d have to take several bounties at once, and travel the whole country just to locate one. He didn¡¯t have enough time for that. He needed a solution that would solve all of his problems. He asked around the town for jobs that would pay enough. He talked to the local guards, traveling mercenaries, adventuring parties, but nothing provided the quick fix he sought. Things began to look hopeless for him. Then, on one particular day, he visited one of his old comrades. A veteran of several battles, whose career ended long ago at the loss of his arm and leg. Ulysses waited at the man''s front door. After knocking, he heard the constant thumping of wood hitting wood. The door opened, and the disfigured man smiled. He was more scar tissue than man. His left cheek was completely gone, his teeth large and yellow, yet he did seem to be smiling. ¡°Ulysshesh? Sheven Hellsh are you doing here?¡± ¡°Jeremiah. You¡¯re looking¡­ well. ¡°Yeah, How about you shave the shugar coating for shomeone who isn''t misshing a chunk of him?¡± ¡°Sorry. Just¡­¡± ¡°Jusht what? The new Horshe teef in me jaw? The Misshin Schalp off me head? Or maybe yer jusht tryin not ta pissh yershelf laughin at me shpeakin voice? Go on, give yershelf a good chuckle.¡± ¡°Jeremiah, I didn¡¯t come for that. I-¡± ¡°Then why have ya come? Obvioushly not to shay ¡®Oh Hey Jeramiah! How are ya doin? Been a long time, Hashin¡¯t it? Lovely weather we¡¯re ¡®avin today, dontcha think?¡¯ You want shomething.¡± ¡°Jerry¡­ I need to get some gold, and you were always the man who had the best info. If you don¡¯t have something, Then I¡¯m out on the streets.¡± Jeremiah sighed, shaking his head before hobbling out of the way to let Ulysses inside. Closing the door behind him, Jeremiah hopped as he walked. His peg leg being a tad bit longer than his actual leg. He went to get himself something to drink. ¡°Can I get you anything? Got shome wine I bought the other day.¡± ¡°No thank you. I¡¯m trying to stay focused today.¡± He sat down while Jeremiah poured himself a bit of wine. Because of his scars, The way his face was disfigured made it to where he was always smirking. That, coupled with the hole in his cheek made drinking a bit difficult, but he managed. He had to. He hobbled over and sat down in a chair in front of Ulysses. He grumbled as he sat, holding the bottle in his hand. ¡°Sho¡­ old bag kicked ya out, didn¡¯t she? Guessh that really pisshed off that pretty whore you shack up with, eh?¡± Ulysses clenched his fist against his thigh. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ call her that.¡± ¡°Ha! Or what? Ya gonna beat me up? Make me wish I wash neva born? Maybe messh my face up a bit more? I dunno, think it maybe for the besht, ya know? If I be a walkin freak, might ash well have both shides match.¡± He drank straight from the bottle. He let out a burp through his lips, trying to keep some sort of sense of being polite. ¡°Sho. You want a job. Bounty Huntin not good enough?¡± ¡°No¡­ not anymore. I need something. Something big. Something that can get me a lot of gold in a short time. I¡¯ll take anything.¡± ¡°Anything?¡± He looked at Ulysses questioningly, and would see just how desperate he was. ¡°Anything.¡± Jeremiah thought for a moment and stood up, Hobbling over to a cupboard. He looked at files and muttered to himself as he searched for something that would be perfect for Ulysses. His lazy eye wandered around until finally catching something. He picked it up and hobbled over to Ulysses, handing the paper over to him. ¡°Here. Thish came a while ago. Might be what ya need.¡± He hobbled away to fix himself a smoking pipe as Ulysses read the paper. The note letter was an official paper, something that a town crier would hand out to people. It was a short read. ¡°Wanted:¡± ¡°The safe return of Angelica Sigfried. Daughter of Howard Sigfried.¡± ¡°Angelica has been missing for the last year, and her father, Baron Howard Sigfried has raised the reward for her safe return to an astounding Five Thousand (5000) gold coins.¡± ¡°She and an entourage of her friends went to the infamous ¡°Hawthorn House'''' to play a childish game, despite her fathers demands not to do so. Rather than listen to her father, she snuck out in the middle of the night.`` ¡°The reward will only be paid in full upon her safe return. She is not to be harmed in any way.¡± Ulysses looked through the paper, and then looked to Jeremiah with a puzzled look. ¡°Hawthorn house? Seven hells is that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that much about it. But I know one thing for shure. Nobody that hash ever gone into that plashe has ever come out.¡± Ulysses looks down at the paper. Five thousand gold¡­ That would be enough to set him and Tabitha up for life if they play their cards right. They can afford the lumber for the cabin, the seeds to plant a small field, a few heads of livestock, and still have enough spending money left over. He crumpled the letter over and placed it in his bag. He stood up. ¡°I will. I have no choice.¡± Jeremiah chuckled, blowing smoke out through the hole in his cheek. ¡°Try ta do sho in one piece. Don¡¯t wanna end up like me do ya?¡± Ulysses left through the front door without so much as a goodbye. He took in a deep breath and walked forward. Heading off into the unknown, his soul filled with determination. He had a goal now. He would see it to the end, and he would let nothing stop him. Nothing. Chapter 2 The forest was calm. The sounds of woodpeckers hammering away against the tree bark echoed throughout the area. Other birds sang their little love songs as the wind blew, albeit strongly, through the treetops. The sun cascaded light to the forest floor with brilliant God rays. A deer slowly walked through the forest floor. Its head hung low to the ground as it stumbled through the forest. As it walked, a few spurts of blood flowed from the arrow wound in its side. Its breathing became labored with each step. Finally, it sat down on its knees before falling over to its side, huffing as it lay still. A figure in muted green robes climbed down from her tree to look at the deer. She walked carefully to the deer, who at the sight of her tried to run, kicking its legs wildly and panting heavily. She tried to calm the creature down. She saw the arrow poking out, and slowly walked to the deer. Her hands held up to try to calm it as she hushed it. The deer calmed down slightly before she knelt down. She took the arrow out of the deer in one quick movement, which caused it to scream for a moment. She petted it lightly as the deer grew more still. There wasn¡¯t much that she could have done for the poor creature. It had lost a lot of blood, and she was not a healer. The best she could do was keep it company as it passed. Eventually, the deer¡¯s breathing stopped. The last signs of life finally leaving it. She lowered her head in shame, feeling as if she could have done something to help. She heard rustling from the woods and hid behind one of the larger trees. She peeked through the side of the tree to see a hunter going over to the deer. He picked up its horns and looked at the deer. He smiled and nodded. ¡°Perfect shot.¡± She glared at the man. Her eyes began to glow as if fire laid behind them. This was something that she could do. She could not heal the deer, but she could avenge it. Anger began to consume her as she opened up her hand, producing a ball of fire. As her hatred grew, it began to grow slightly bigger. Hate continued to burn through her until she found the right moment to strike. The hunter turned to look for a companion when she struck him with the ball of fire. He screamed in pain before his attacker revealed himself, and stepped closer to him. His face filled with fear as his back burned, smoke rising from his back before the fire was put out by her flipping him over. He looked up at his attacker as she knelt down. One hand began to choke him while the other was preparing another ball of fire to be planted right into the man''s face. To see him suffer. To make him pay for taking an innocent life. However, as her hand was inches close from his face, the fires burning his beard, she heard a sound. A small whimper. ¡°Dad?¡± She looked up to see a small girl holding a bow. Her eyes turned from burning hatred to fear. The man screamed ¡°Run Sophie! Run!!!¡± The little girl froze in fear. Rather than flight, she chose to fight, and pulled the bow onto the woman in robes. ¡°Leave my Dad alone!!!¡± The woman looked down at the man, fear in her eyes. Horror at what she was becoming. In a cold sweat she realized that her anger had once again driven her past reason. She stepped away from the man and quickly ran deeper into the forest. Once she was out of eyesight, the little girl lowered her bow and went to her father, hugging him tightly. ¡°Dad¡­¡± The woman ran deeper and deeper into the woods, huffing and puffing loudly as she ran until her body couldn¡¯t take any more. She panted as she hid behind a tree. She lowered her hood to get a better view. She looked behind the tree to see if she was being followed. Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t. Much of her own body had severe burns on it. Melted flesh and raw scars. Her face was horribly burned on one side. Instead of having perfectly symmetrical elven ears, one ear had simply melted off thanks to the burns. One eye was her normal green while the other was pure white, she was blind in that eye. Much of her silver hair was gone from her burnt side. All because she got angry. She hated herself for it. She wondered what she was even doing. Why did she do it? She wondered what she was becoming. She curled up into a ball and began to sob into her knees, covering her face and openly weeping. Is this who she is destined to be? She sobbed until there were no more tears to be shed. She hit herself in the side of her head, talking to herself. ¡°Illyana, you stupid, stupid girl!!!¡± She sobbed quietly for a minute or two before she got a hold of herself. Standing up, she ventured out of the forest, having cursed herself already for causing so much trouble already. It was a habit of hers that was not so easily fixed. She exited the forest and traveled along the road. She kept her hood over her head and a bit of cloth used as a mask to hide her features. Every now and then there were travelers that would pass by her. Large groups of armies marching down the road, a caravan of merchants and travelers, even the occasional mystic group peddling their charms and mysterious services for a price. All were treated the same by her. She moved away from the road, covering her face more and silently avoided them. She traveled far, wandering like a ghost with no way home. Over the near flat steppe of the Khanjir and traveled north for days. As she walked, she stepped on something strange. She looked down and saw that she trod upon old melted metal fused to the ground. She looked around and saw this place where grass had not grown for ages. The land itself had an ugly scar that stretched all the way from the Iron Mountain to the Sassaridian Sultanate¡¯s capital. A place where the bones have been fused with the steel and iron, heated at by the unrivaled flames of a black dragon. It is a place filled with the dead, frozen in time as their final moments were filled with agony and terror. This was the Iron Road. This was the place where the dragon Vedmaarvith came down from his mountain, and burned the largest army in the world. One thing known for sure about the Iron Road is that it was damned. She realized she had to leave before sundown. The Iron Road was no palace to be during the witching hours. She traveled along the road, avoiding bones that had fused with metal. Eventually she made it far enough from the road before the sun began to set. The night was not a restful one. She had made camp and had trouble sleeping when the lights over by the Iron Road began to flicker. Blue ethereal glows shone brightly over the hills with the distant sound of screaming. The sounds of men and women engulfed in fire could be heard in the distant sound at the Iron road. She looked at the blue lights and her green eye flickered in the dark as she focused on it. She could almost smell the charred flesh, burning wood and melting iron and steel. It brought her back to the burning memory of how she earned her scar when her own flesh began to cook. She snapped out of it and placed her hand on the scarred side of her face, not wanting to relive the memory and experience the pain again. She poured water on her campfire and hastily retreated to her tent, closing it and wrapped herself up in several blankets. It made her feel protected, or at least gave her the illusion of protection. Still, the blankets couldn¡¯t protect her from the screaming. Even when she used her pillow to cover her ears, she could still hear the unending screaming. In fact, the screams grew louder and louder as time passed on. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to stop the screaming. Suddenly, she would hear a familiar voice cry out her name. ¡°Illyana!!!¡± She shuddered like a reed in the wind and her eyes flew open. She looked around and poked her head out of her tent. Nothing. The sun had risen and the road had been silent. Drenched in sweat, she packed up her things and went on her way. By the time she arrived in the village, A storm had gathered. She pulled her hood down and wrapped her face in cloth, trying to hide herself from the humans. This simple village, Cherry Wood, was a farmers village. A fresh village with a population that only recently began to grow. As such, nothing much came from the village. Several new houses were being built here, and the men worked tirelessly to make a new home for themselves and their families. As a result, business was booming at the tavern after long hard days of work. Work however was cut short as the clouds began to build. Several farm hands rushed to prepare and make sure that the crops were not washed away before they had a chance to grow. Illyana ducked into the tavern and sat down at the corner of the tavern, trying not to gather a lot of attention to herself. Her only goal at that time was to avoid the rain as best as she could. The young, pretty barmaid came over to her and smiled. ¡°Hey there! Welcome to the empty flask. We¡¯ll fill it up right for you!¡± The barmaid had memorized the phrase several times a day, and she spoke it as naturally as one would breathe. Her smile was genuine, and infectious. Illyana couldn¡¯t help but smile. It wasn¡¯t like the barmaid could see it though with the mask covering Illyana¡¯s face. She looked at the girl and simply nodded, her head already turned away from her shyly. ¡°Can I get you anything? We have the best mead this side of the border.¡± The barmaid continued to smile, though it took a moment for Illyana to respond. ¡°Just water . . . Please.¡± The barmaid looked at Illyana curiously before nodding. She went back to the bar to fetch a cup of water and fill it up. Illyana still sat down in the chair. She kept her eyes averted from the rest of the tavern and simply continued to sit. As the barmaid started to bring Illyana her water, The tavern door opened. It revealed three men entering the tavern, and showed that the rain was pouring down violently. It had become a terrible storm. The men entered the tavern, all drenched in rain. The three men scanned the tavern. They had different sizes and equipment, but all had the same tattoo on their necks. The tattoo was that of a black axe dripping with red blood. A hush fell over the tavern as the patrons watched the men and their every move. Even Illyana watched as the three men went to separate parts of the bar. Their leader, a man in dulled plate armor walked to the barmaid. She looked up at the man, being much smaller than him. She shook with fear and trembled like a mouse cornered by a cat. ¡°H-Hey there. W-Welcome to the e-empty flask. W-We¡¯ll fill-¡± The man sharply interrupted her. ¡°Where''s your village elder? We got some business with him.¡± The girl froze in fear at him. ¡°I-I-I¡­¡± The man stopped her. ¡°Oh that¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll tell you what. We¡¯ll wait for him right here. Now you take that pretty little rear of yours and give us some drinks. Okay?¡± There was a great fear in her eyes. The joy she had was replaced by absolute terror. She wordlessly went to get the men their drinks. No one in the room wanted to do anything. At least, they were too afraid to move. Illyana kept her head down. She didn¡¯t want any more trouble. She pulled her hood down and pretended not to see or hear anything. The young barmaid returned with a large pitcher of an extra sweet mead. Some of the best stock that they had in the hopes they would drink and leave. She poured the mead into the cups and was about to leave when one of the men grabbed her wrist. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Hold it right there, lovely. I think I need a little bit more~¡± She nodded and began to gently pour. The man continued to taunt her. ¡°Careful now, princess. Don¡¯t you go spilling a single drop now.¡± The man grinned wickedly as he then gave her an audible smack on the rear, causing her to jump and drop her pitcher, spilling the mead all over the table. She blinked and trembled while the man continued to mock her. ¡°Awww, now look what you did! Such a mess. Tsk tsk. You gotta clean that up.¡± He stood up and grabbed her, forcing her face into the mead. ¡°There we are. You¡¯re a thirsty little girl, aren''t you? Go on. Make it nice and clean.¡± The man grinned as he reached his hand behind her and lifted her dress up and began to reach his hand between her legs. She let out a gasp and was about to scream but the man covered her mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t ruin the fun~¡± The leader of the group sighed. ¡°Gregor, would you please save that nonsense for later? We can profit from this dirt farm first. Then we can buy you some wench from the nice areas. Maybe the Blue Pearl has something?¡± The man shook his head. ¡°Nah. I¡¯m in the mood for something now. Something fresh.¡± The barmaid began to cry when Illyana stood up. She had enough. She stood in the middle of the bar, catching the attention of the trio. They looked at her, staring hateful daggers into her like a pride of hungry lions staring down a defiant antelope. Their leader challenged her. ¡°What are you looking at? You want to do something?¡± The leader of this trio despised how his man had brought unwanted attention, yet in that moment he had to stand his ground. He¡¯d ensure that none would challenge him or his group. Illyana clenched her fist until her knuckles became white as snow. There was a silence that polluted the air. The tension in the air was like steam in a kettle that, in mere moments, would boil over. Just as the stand off looked like it would go on forever, The tavern door opened again. The man who entered the room was clad in armor that had seen better days. Armor that had not been properly worn since its wearers time as a soldier. By the unknowable tangled web of fate and destiny, the man who walked through that door was Ulysses, who had come at a most dire time. He walked in and saw the stand off going on. As if the scene in front of him were some rehearsed play, he had stumbled upon it like an extra who had gone before his que, and all eyes were now upon him. He blinked. His eyes scanned the bar. He saw the girl who was being abused by the trio. He looked at the men. ¡°Is there a problem here?¡± The leader of the men smiled coldly. ¡°Yeah. As a matter of fact, there is a slight problem. Some idiot isn¡¯t minding his own business. Would you care to make sure that the problem is fixed?¡± ¡°Oh sure. Sure. You gentlemen seem to be having a discussion with the lady who looks like she¡¯s trying to set you on fire with her mind, and I¡¯m very sorry for interrupting it. But if you could kindly let the girl over there go¡­¡± The man who had been assaulting the girl pulled her up in a headlock. She yelped loudly as the trio stood up. The tallest of the group growled loudly, and pulled out a large war hammer from his back. ¡°And what are you gonna do if we don''t?¡± Ulysses looked over to Illyana and smiled lightly before he gave the trio a determined glare. ¡°Or we¡¯ll kill you all.¡± The trio laughed heartily at that, as if it were the funniest thing anyone had ever said to them. Illyana however stood there shocked. Shocked that someone would stand beside her like that. No one but her brother had ever joined her in that way since. It was a strange feeling, as if her whole life was spent within a dank deep hole in the ground, and she had just discovered what light was. The leader of the trio smirked and then looked at the largest of them. ¡°Biggs¡­ smash that guy''s skull like an egg.¡± The large man, Biggs, gripped his hammer tightly and grinned like a child who was just told he could play with his friends as he walked over to Ulysses. ¡°I¡¯m gonna enjoy this way more than I probably should.¡± Ulysses replied with a cocky smirk. ¡°That makes two of us.¡± Biggs raised his hammer and brought it down hard. However, Biggs¡¯s strike was clumsy and untrained. Ulysses effortlessly stepped aside. For him he could determine where Biggs would hit him, at what angle, and where he would need to move all in quick speed. His reflexes had been trained through many years in battle since he was young so they could be as fast as his body would allow. Bigg¡¯s hammer struck the hardwood floor and broke through, causing the hammer to get stuck in the ground long enough for Ulysses to kick Biggs right in his knee cap. He had kicked hard enough to cause the large man¡¯s leg to bend the wrong way, crippling him. Biggs screamed loudly, grabbing his leg as he fell down to the side. The other two members of the trio stood bewildered at what just happened. One moment, Biggs was about to hammer this upstart''s head in like a nail. The next, He was on the ground clutching his leg and screaming in agony. Ulysses then pulled his sword out and thrusted his blade into Bigg¡¯s throat, like a viper striking its prey. Ulysses looked at the two remaining men as the one who had been assaulting the girl now held her hostage, putting a sword to her throat as she screamed. ¡°Y-You Bastard! You killed Biggs! Move another inch closer and I¡¯ll stick her like a stuffed hog!!!¡± The girl screamed loudly, her eyes full of terror. ¡°Please no!!!¡± Suddenly, a small ball of light darted towards the man at lightning speed, hitting the man in his face. He pulled back, letting the girl go. The left side of his face was now burnt, blackened as the girl scrambled away, sobbing and crying as she went to hide behind the bar. Illyana stood there, her eyes glowing bright red as if a fire laid behind them. She stepped over to him and pressed her hands on his face as he writhed in pain. Her hands began to glow as if they were hot metal in a forge. The man began to scream louder as his flesh began to sizzle like meat on a grill. The leader of the group charged over to stop her but Ulysses grabbed him and flung him over to the table, breaking it. He went over to the leader to attempt to finish him off, but the leader was a better fighter, and would dodge the sword strike. He pulled out his sword and would thrust it at Ulysses who knocked the sword away with his. The two would exchange in a sword fight, the steel of their blades struck each other and would make sharp and quick clangs as they fought. Meanwhile, the man Illyana was killing stopped moving. His face caught fire and she stood. She glared at the leader of the group. The leader blinked for a moment as he witnessed Illyana killing his man in such a brutal way. He was distracted long enough for Ulysses to stab him in the leg. The leader growled like a wounded animal, but the fight wasn¡¯t over. He grabbed an oil lantern from a table and threw it at Ulysses. It was fast enough for Ulysses not to react in time before the lantern would hit him, the glass shattered and burning oil spilled on Ulysses, lighting him up rapidly. While Ulysses attempted to put himself out, it bought the bandit leader time to slash at Ulysses¡¯s arm several times. Eventually the leader had him right where he wanted, causing Ulysses to fall down on the ground, trying to bat his sword away as he still burned. The leader knocked the sword out of Ulysses hand and pulled his sword back, ready to strike. ¡°Time to die, you worthless sack of pus!¡± He stopped for a moment as his armor began to glow with heat. Illyana had grabbed onto the chest armor, attempting to cook the man alive. The leader screamed as he felt the metal cooking his insides as if he were in an oven. He managed to stab through her hand and throw her aside. He took his chest armor off and threw it aside and then went after Illyana. ¡°You Little Bitch!¡± He raised his sword up to try to cut her down, but she opened the palm of her hand and shot fire at him. It was as if dragons fire were claiming him, yet it wasn¡¯t strong enough to consume him. He stepped back, hair and flesh burnt, covering his eyes. The flames had blinded him. He started waving his sword trying to hit her, until Ulysses¡¯s sword pierced him from behind and exited his chest, having been run through him. The leader of the trio gurgled out blood before falling down. Ulysses sat down, panting like a dog as he looked at Illyana who was fairing just as well. The noise of the two panting was the only thing that broke the silence in the tavern. Ulysses stood up and went to the bar, peeking over it to find the barmaid cowering. He smiled lightly. ¡°Think I¡¯ll have that beer I came in here for now¡­¡° Time would pass, and the bodies of the bandits would be taken out of the tavern for the people to decide what would be done with them. The storm had let up. Thunder was heard in the distance and it still rained, but there was no downpour as there had been before. It would be safe to travel. Ulysses had his drink and had bought some supplies. He placed them in the saddle bags when he noticed Illyana watching him. He looked at her for a moment or two before resuming his work. ¡°I owe you one back there. If you didn¡¯t do what you did with the armor, I¡¯d be dead.¡± ¡°If you weren¡¯t there, it would have been much worse.¡± She tugged at her hood, making sure that not much of her face would be seen. ¡°Maybe.¡± He began to make sure the bags on his horse were tightened. She looked at him with a curious gaze. ¡°So where are you going to go now?¡± Ulysses chuckled. ¡°What I¡¯m good at I guess. Saving damsels in distress. Some baron¡¯s daughter got herself kidnapped or something, and there''s a bounty out there for her return.¡± Illyana blinked and thought for a moment or two. ¡°Do you need some help?¡± ¡°Help? Um¡­ I mean¡­¡± He was hesitant. Five thousand gold was not easy to come by. Back in the military, he¡¯d be lucky if he earned even a few gold coins to rub against one another. Still, there is safety in numbers, and Ulysses stood to benefit from any advantage. ¡°Like I said before, I suppose I do owe you.¡± Illyana smiled under her face mask. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll do what I can to help.¡± She wanted to feel useful. She wanted to help people, rather than let her rage take over her. Perhaps this would be the first step into freeing herself from that anger that boiled in her heart. Perhaps she could be normal. Ulysses looked around. ¡°Do you have a horse anywhere?¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t have enough to buy a horse.¡± She cut her eyes away for a moment shyly. He sighed and rolled his shoulders. They popped, and would make him think about his age. He was getting old. ¡°Fine then. We¡¯ll take turns riding until we get there.¡± For the moment, they would walk beside the horse and begin their journey. Ulysses would inform her what he knew about their destination. It would be nice to finally have someone to speak to on the long trip, and Ulysses thought that two new friends who bonded over killing bandits would be a good recipe for success. Chapter 3 The silence of the early morning was quickly and sharply broken by the crowing of the old rooster. As old as he was, he was still just as loud if not louder than he was when he was young and in his glory days. Again and again, the rooster crowed as loud as he could, nearly fainting as he grew closer to becoming out of breath. In the farm house, sleeping upstairs in the master bedroom was Jacob Remington. At least he would have been sleeping, until the loud crowing of the rooster rose him from slumber. Knowing the bird wouldn¡¯t be silent, he begrudgingly rose from his bed. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and would get dressed, sitting on the side of the bed as he got his boots on. He suddenly felt two arms wrap around his chest from behind, and held him in a warm and comforting embrace. His wife, Fiona kissed his cheek. ¡°Morning~.¡± He smiled and patted her hand before he took it and kissed the back of her hand. ¡°Morning. How are we doing today?¡± She got up from the bed to get dressed, revealing her large pregnant belly. ¡°You know. A little stiff here and there. The baby kicking non stop. Nothing I¡¯m not used to at this point. He¡¯s gonna be the worst to deal with, that''s for sure.¡± He managed to get his boots on and spent the rest of his time watching her. Even eight months into her pregnancy she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. ¡°Who¡¯s to say it''s not a little girl?¡± ¡°Trust me. It''s a boy¡± Once fully dressed, they stepped out of the bedroom. They would pass by a few other rooms as they went downstairs. One of the bedroom doors opened, revealing Jacob¡¯s brother, Joshua with his wife Diana. The brothers Remington were twins, though it would be hard to tell without prior knowledge, at least at first glance. Joshua was the tallest of the two, with a larger, muscular build compared to that of his brother. He had bright, aqua blue eyes and a thick dirty blonde beard to match his thick mane. Jacob however was slimmer. That wasn¡¯t to say that he was physically weaker than Joshua. He had done a lot of work in order to maintain the farm. Even Joshua could agree that out of the two, Jacob did the most to maintain the farm. Jacob had shorter hair and made an effort to shave, showing only small stubbles here and there on his face. His eyes were a dark green color to contrast with that of his brothers. Once downstairs they were greeted by Jacob and Joshua¡¯s many children. The house was packed with kids, the eldest among them being only in their mid teens. Naturally breakfast was a tall order. A lot of growing boys and girls dotted around the table waiting for their meals while the older children watched and helped their respective mothers prepare the food. It was quite common for successful farms such as the Remington farmstead to have large families like this. Before passing away early two springs ago, The matron of the home, Jeanette Remington had produced twenty three children in total including the twins. Though it remains that the twins were among the few that retained the farm life while many of the other siblings moved to live in the great cities of Sigurdsehre, like Dragons Landing. While the children awaited their breakfast, the twins put on their working clothes. For most of the day, like every day, the brothers worked tirelessly in order to maintain the farm. Tediously feeding the chickens, protecting the cattle from outside dangers, tending to the crops in preparation for harvest time, fixing broken fences along the border to the farm, milking the cows, a list full of tasks that in a single day would break any man if they attempted to do it all alone. But not the Remington brothers. They had turned their work into an art. Jacob would eventually find himself working with the horses, brushing their manes and making sure they had new horseshoes on while Joshua dealt with the problem child of the barn. The black horse Ebony had recently given birth to a healthy foal. What would normally be a joyous occasion was clouded in sadness as Ebony, for whatever reason had rejected the foal. Joshua attempted time and time again to calm Ebony down so the little foal could eat, yet she tried to strike at him and the foal several times. In fact she seemed to be intent on killing the foal. Joshua pleaded. ¡°Please Ebony, you gotta let him feed.¡± Ebony¡¯s response was to attempt to buck the foal, yet Joshua was quick enough to pull the foal away. He cursed. ¡°Dragons spit! Calm down, girl! Hey Jacob!¡± Jacob stood and went over to try to calm down Ebony, only to have the mare bite at him. ¡°Son of a bitch! I¡¯ve never seen her like this!¡± Joshua shook his head. ¡°I gotta find a way to feed the little guy. If we don¡¯t then he¡¯ll starve. She¡¯s always been a handful, but Ebony¡¯s never acted like this.¡± Jacob sighed. He walked over to a barrel full of water to wash his hands. ¡°Well, she¡¯s never been a mother before. Tell you what. Daisy lost her foal, right? Why not give this little guy to her? Maybe she¡¯ll accept him.¡± Joshua sighed, petting the foal gently before taking him away and putting him in a small pen for the moment. Jacob shook his head. Diana came up to Jacob. ¡°Jacob. Do you have a moment?¡± He turned to look at her. ¡°Maybe. Ebony is rejecting her foal. Gotta help Josh introduce Daisy to the foal and see if that won''t help.¡± ¡°It''s important¡­¡± She trailed off, looking from side to side. Jacob understood and turned to Joshua. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll be back to help in a bit. Don¡¯t wait for me, okay?¡± Joshua gave him a thumbs up and continued his work while Jacob and Diana discussed things in the barn. Joshua went over to the pen and gently placed the foal inside it. He knelt down to stroke its mane. The foal laid down on its side. He looked depressed. Joshua gently smiled and stroked the horse¡¯s mane. ¡°Shhh. It''s okay. You¡¯re gonna be okay. Daisy is a good ol girl. She¡¯s gonna be a good mom to ya.¡± The foal breathes heavily out of sadness. Joshua sighed and patted the little foal, staying with him and giving him some tenderness and love. In the Barn, Jacob sat down as he looked at Diana. ¡°...You¡¯re sure about it?¡± Diana said nothing, but offered a simple disheartened, worried nod and a frown. She rubs her eyes and looks down. Jacob runs his fingers through his hair in stress and sighs. Diana looked to Jacob. ¡°...What are we going to do?¡± He stands up and places a hand on hers and nods. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out¡­¡± Back at the pen, Joshua steps out to give the foal some space. He scratches his neck as he goes over to fetch some water to drink. Filling a glass up, he drinks. It was hot, strangely so as it was close to harvest time and in the dying days of summer. One last show of force no doubt? The wind began to pick up. A nice cool breeze for a moment or two before it became more intense. Joshua blinked and looked around, fearing the worst. He turned around and faced the direction of the Iron Mountain. His fears were realized. He dropped his cup and quickly bolted to the alarm bell and rang it loudly. ¡°Dragon!!! Dragon!!!¡± Jacob and Diana quickly ran out and looked to the west to see the ever growing black shape that was heading straight to their farm. Instantly Jacob called the children. ¡°Shelter! Get to shelter now!¡± Instantly all of the children ran out of the house and fled to the safety of their underground shelter. The brothers stayed outside of the shelter to make sure everyone made it in,yelling to them. ¡°Come on! Let''s move it! Move it!¡± The large family hurried inside until they were safely inside. Jacob crouched down to the shelter door. ¡°We have to save as many of the animals as we can!¡± Fiona was practically screaming at this point. ¡°You¡¯ll be Killed!¡± Jacob went off with Joshua close behind him. The air was full of noise. The sound of leathery wings beating against the air grew louder as the dragon approached. The dragon¡¯s flight created great gusts of wind as if a typhoon and struck the land. The bleating sounds of the animals echoed as they began to panic. The large black shape drew closer and closer until it flew past the brothers, knocking both of them down on the ground. Jacob rose up. ¡°He¡¯s heading for the cattle!¡± They rushed over to the cattle herd and would hear the bellowing wailings of the cattle as the dragon landed and began to burn them. The cattle were beyond terrified and scattered. The dragon, who¡¯s size was as great as the day is long, burned as many cattle as he could before swallowing multiple cows in a single gulp, feeding on them as a Whale would feed on krill. The cattle screamed and began to stampede through to the gate. Joshua and Jacob saw that the massive horde of frightened animals were about to bust through the gates. Jacob pulled Joshua aside in the nick of time and ducked away as the cattle rammed through the gates and charged through, almost trampling the brothers. The cattle tore through the farm, running over everything they could in order to escape the dragon. Once the horde had passed, the brothers rose up to check the damages of the farm. That was when they saw him. The Dragon towered over them as he hunched over to finish his meal. The great beast could have eaten anything out in the wild that was more than enough to fill his belly. That was not the point. This was far more vindictive. A vengeful, hateful act against humanity. Something meant to put down all men so as to ensure none could rise up against him. For if any man did, they would be slain. This was the means of a tyrant. The cruel ruler of the land who viewed himself over the kings of man. Every aspect of this creature inspired one emotion. One primal response to all who laid eyes upon him. Fear. Total, blinding fear that filled the hearts of all men as it did with Joshua and Jacob as they laid eyes on him for the first time. So great was his size that he dwarfed their two story house. So hard were his scales that it was said that nothing could pierce his hide. So black were they that they could be compared to the blackest, decolite, most hopeless pit in the seven hells. His horns curled and split into three sharp points on each side, adorning his brow like a crown, pointing back to the highest points of his head. A single scale off his side was so large, if one could take a scale and live long enough to tell the tale, they would fashion themselves a mighty tower shield. His head was akin to many different reptiles with features that of a monitor. He had folds all along his head which expanded as he was angered. It was like the hood of a cobra. His eyes were a blazing, hellish red that burned with hateful fire. His teeth were sword-like, sharp enough to cut through flesh and bone, and able to pierce the hardest of hides. His large body was bat-like, with a massive wingspan that could lift him up without issue. He stood on two powerful back legs, with large talons that were perfect for carrying larger prey like the great mountain saurids, large dragon like beasts that were just under the size of a barn. Yet while he could kill them as easily as a man could kill a rabbit, he chose not to. His large, leathery wings acted as forearms to help prop himself up. This was typical of black dragons. Each dragon race was unto themselves their own private nation. Each species had something unique about them, and his ilk was no exception. His tail was long, and ended in a sharp, bladed club that was akin to a four pronged bladed mace. It was perfect for cutting into rivals, what few there were, and shattering bone. This was the tyrant under the mountain. The slayer of the golden empire, and the ruiner of nations. He was more than just a dragon. He was more akin to the full wrath of nature scorned, akin to a hurricane destroying all in its wake. A tornado crashing through villages and towns. A falling star that would decimate entire countries, and send them into an era of twilight. The Great Wyrm who ruled over Vanlandius with an iron fist. This was the one who even great kings must walk on eggshells around to avoid his wrath. His very name in the ancient tongue of dragons summed him up. Black Terror Serpent. A fitting name for one so cruel as this lord of calamity. A name that tells one everything that one needs to know about him. His name was Vedmaarvith,and he had come to feed. The brothers could do nothing but watch as the dragon fed. They knew how vindictive Vedmaarvith could be. The Iron Road was a testament to that. Vedmaarvith turned, having sated his hunger for both flesh and the misery of men. He noticed the two brothers as they watched helplessly. Vedmaarvith said not a word. A simple hiss and growl, flicking his serpentine tongue in the air while the brothers lowered their heads, afraid to react. The dragon opened up his wings and began to lift himself up from the ground, the force of the wind knocking the brothers down like lame children. As quickly as he had arrived, Vedmaarvith was gone, his black serpentine silhouette slowly vanishing the further he went. Meanwhile, down the winding road, Ulysses and Illyana traveled. It was Illyana¡¯s turn to ride the horse. She looked around the calm, serene forest path as she and her new companion traveled. Ulysses held the rein of the horse as he walked, leading the horse. Ulysses casually spoke. ¡°You¡¯re a long way from home. Elynwyn forest is southeast of here.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Illyana sat silently. She looked away and seemed to pretend she did not hear the question. Ulysses cleared his throat. He spoke to her in a tone that was clearer, and sterner. ¡°Are you homesick at all?¡± Illyana was again silent. She hid her face away from Ulysses. Ulysses sighed, feeling slightly defeated. ¡°Well, sorry. Just trying to strike up a conversation.¡± Illyana turned her head to him and shook her head. ¡°No. No. I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ don''t like to talk about home.¡± Ulysses smiled, finally getting some words out of her. ¡°That¡¯s alright. Everyone has that one thing they don¡¯t like to talk about.¡± Illyana looked down. She felt guilty so she tried to get the ball rolling. ¡°What about you? Where are you from?¡± Ulysses smiled, walking down memory lane as he spoke. ¡°Sigurdsehre. Town of Owen¡¯s Hearth. Lovely place, if you can stand the smell and rats.¡± Illyana smiled lightly. ¡°Don¡¯t like rats much, do you?¡± ¡°Of course not. Little disease ridden blighters.¡± She giggled lightly as if the idea itself was ridiculous. ¡°What did rats ever do to you?¡± He blinked for a moment, there was a pause for a split second as he processed the question. ¡°...Because they spread diseases? They¡¯re dirty, they shit on everything, they were the cause of the last plague, need I go on?¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure that any animal can carry a disease just as easily as any rat. A rabbit could spread the next plague,yet you don¡¯t kill them on sight.¡± ¡°Well, rabbits are different.¡± She smirked and cocked her eyebrow. ¡°Okay. How are they different?¡± ¡°Well, you see¡­¡± He stammered with his words. ¡°I¡­uh. They¡¯re¡­ Well they¡­ I¡­¡± He tried to think of more of a good reason before he shook his head. ¡°Because they are!¡± Illyana chuckled and grinned wickedly under her face mask. ¡°Right~.¡± Ulysses groaned, having been soundly defeated in this debate of rats and their reasons to live. ¡°By the Gods, I forgot how much elves loved to be right, even if they have to go through such mental gymnastics to be right.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, sir.¡± She realized that she was actually enjoying herself. They have a disagreement, but they are having fun talking about it. She was having fun. Ulysses smiled a bit, glad to actually talk with her instead of her being in silence. She looked at him curiously and would continue to pry. ¡°So what makes your little rat haven so special?¡± ¡°Eh, little things here and there. I was born there. My parents died when I was a baby, so I was brought to an orphanage.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.¡± . ¡°I never knew them, so I¡¯m not too overly attached. They died in a dragon attack. Vedmaarvith.¡± He had lied to himself at that moment. He never knew them, and yet they sacrificed themselves so he might live. ¡°Ulysses?¡± He shook his head to frighten away the ghosts of his memories. ¡°Sorry, Lost myself for a moment. Anyway, I spent my younger years growing up in the orphanage. I met someone down the line. Tabitha. We got into a bit of trouble here and there. At night we would sneak out to look out at the stars. We grew close¡­ very close.¡± ¡°Before long, I was conscripted in the army and fought the Khanjir.¡± ¡°You fought the Khanjir?¡± ¡°Aye, and if you¡¯re wondering, they¡¯re every bit as brutal as the stories tell you. They¡¯re animals. Butchering, raping, pillaging, taking babies away from their mothers arms and forcing them into slavery. They are every bit as barbaric as you can imagine.¡± She signed, looking ahead down the road as he continued to speak. He scratched his beard for a moment before speaking. ¡°Lost a lot of good friends to them. I swore to myself I wouldn¡¯t let them come to Owens Hearth and take everything I cherished. At that point, the mine had been emptied, so the town fell on hard times. But that was still home. No way in the Seven Hells would I allow them to take what was left.¡± She silently listened, twirling her fingers around each other as she listened, not even paying attention to the road anymore. ¡°But before the war ended, I¡­ made a mistake.¡± He thought back to that day, where he had taken the wrong life because of fear. He shook his head. ¡°I was kicked out.¡± She looked at him with curious eyes. ¡°...What did you do?¡± ¡°I saw some movement in a house. I was afraid, I didn''t think straight. I just pulled my crossbow and opened fire. I was so damn sure it was a Khanjir trying to do the same. It¡­ it wasn¡¯t. It was a mother and child¡­ I killed two innocent souls. I will have to live with that until the day I die¡­¡± Illyana stepped off of the horse to hug him. Ulysses was surprised to be sure, but accepted it. Before he could ask her what had happened to her, she sighed. ¡°Not¡­ Not now¡­ But I will tell you. You let me know about what troubles you, so I¡¯ll tell you. Just give me time.¡± ¡°Take your time.¡± As she got back on the horse she looked up at the sky and noticed a thick black cloud in front of them. She blinked and recognized it as what it truly was. Smoke. She pointed it out to Ulysses and he nodded. They ventured further down the road until at last they came upon the source. The state of the Remington homestead was chaotic. The farm house itself had caught fire, not by the dragon''s flame, but from an oil lantern that was knocked over by the beating of his wings. The brothers Remington tried desperately to save the house, filling up buckets of water and splashing them into the house. Ulysses leapt off his horse and frantically tied the reins to a fence post. ¡°By Anu. Is there any magic you can use?¡± Illyana froze, staring at the fire, her eyes consumed by the dancing flames all around the homestead. ¡°Illyana?¡± The flames sparkled in her eyes, as terrible memories and haunting visions washed over her like the waves during a typhoon. She began to hyperventilate as watches. She could hear something growing louder in the back of her mind. She listened in, and could swear she heard her brother. He frantically called her name again and again, and each time she heard her name, she could feel the overwhelming sense of her judgment day drawing closer and closer to her. ¡°Illyana!¡± Her eyes snapped shut and she looked around, noticing Ulysses staring at her. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ They need our help.¡± Ulysses nodded as both tied their horses to the posts and ran to the Remington family¡¯s aid. Ulysses ran over, waving his arms to the brothers to get their attention. ¡°Hey there! Anyone inside the house?!¡± Jacob shook his head. ¡°No, Our family is in the shelter. You want to help?¡± Ulysses nodded quickly. He rushed over to get a pail of water. He began to throw water into the window to get the interior, but the fire raged on. At first, it appeared to be a hopeless task. Then Illyana came. She closed her eyes and calmed her nerves. Fire magic was easy for her to use. It was a part of her, like her arm was a part of her, yet other magics were more difficult to learn on her own, as were the spells she was attempting to do now. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them. Her mismatched eyes began to glow a bright blue. Her hands were covered by a very thin layer of frost, emitting a soft condensation around her arms. She took a bucket of water, and effortlessly scooped the water out with her bare hands, forming all of the liquid into a ball, suspended by her own will. She went inside the house to the fire inside, and took a handful of water and blew on it, turning it into a ray of snow and frost that began to put the fire out. She went from room to room to snuff out the flames with the cold until even the burning embers were encased in a thick blanket of snow and ice. The effort took a toll on her body. She felt weaker with each room she passed, but she refused to quit. She wouldn¡¯t allow her body to grow weak right at the apex of this task. When she was done, She stumbled out of the house and fell to her knees, the light in her eyes fading and the frost on her arms melting rapidly. Ulysses went to her side to help her up, putting her arm over his shoulder so she could hold on. Joshua and Jacob were stunned. Their home was damaged, but it could be repaired. It was not a complete loss. The same could not be said about the livestock. After spending the rest of the day rounding up the cattle and other livestock that had scattered from Vedmaarvith¡¯s arrival, The brothers Remington performed a headcount. They counted and recounted to make sure they had an accurate number. Unfortunately, it was not in their favor. Jacob read the makeshift list he had made and crumpled the paper and angrily threw it into the newly prepared campfire, startling Joshua and the other members of the family as they had previously set up a camp in front of the house. The house itself was much too dangerous to sleep in thanks to the damage. Jacob sat down in front of the fire. ¡°We have less than a quarter of livestock left. Because of the repairs we¡¯ll need for the fences and the house, we won¡¯t have enough to get new livestock. We¡¯ve been crippled.¡± Joshua stoked the fire and would offer his two copper. ¡°Well, I mean it''s not a total loss. We¡¯ve been through worse.¡± ¡°Worse?! Our farm was just attacked by Vedmaarvith? How is this not the worst thing?!¡± ¡°W-Well. The house needs some repairs, sure, but a lot of it survived thanks to our mage friend over there. The fences shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem. We have plenty of cattle left. I mean, we can tighten our belts for a litt-¡± Jacob stood up and barked, growing angry as his brother made light of what he thought was a devastating tragedy. ¡°Tighten our belts?! Do you not understand that there''s a war going on?! Think for one bloody moment. If the Khanjir manage to push further into Sigurdsehre, then the king will need to get more soldiers. More soldiers means more food. They will start to confiscate food from farmers and leave us with nothing! They¡¯ve done so in other farming areas, and they will do so here.¡± ¡°If is a very big word, Jacob.¡± ¡°Not big enough. We¡¯ll have to get more money for the family. I refuse to let them starve. Joshua stood up and looked puzzled. ¡°What''s gotten into you? You¡¯re making a mountain out of a molehill.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t sound too concerned with keeping your family fed! Do you even care?!¡± Jacob thought about what he said and cleared his throat. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Joshua. I¡­ I¡¯m just stressed. Look, we both agree that we need money, right?¡± ¡°Well yeah, But we can bounce right back. We have before.¡± Jacob nodded weakly. ¡°Yeah?¡± He gave Joshua a forced, fake smile. Something was eating him up, and it was showing. He looked over to Ulysses and Illyana and thought about the added debt of having to reward them. He sighed and stood up, Joshua following closely. Ulysses had overheard the yelling from where he sat with Illyana. Illyana was still recovering after straining herself with the spell. She had used a lot of her energy to maintain it for so long. Magic was taxing on the body, yet Illyana would do so again in a heartbeat. Though now, she was resting, slumbering peacefully in her sleeping bag. Jacob stood in front of Ulysses. ¡°Thank you again for saving the farm. I¡¯ll admit, it was almost much worse than I could fear. However, we¡¯re still in a bit of a bad spot.¡± ¡°Yeah. If there''s anything we can do to help, We can do it, though we¡¯re on a schedule, and before you ask, no: I probably don¡¯t have nearly enough gold to help with cattle.¡± ¡°Do you happen to know of any odd jobs that are open in town?¡± Ulysses cocked his eyebrow and looked puzzled. ¡°Uhh. No? We haven¡¯t even made it to town yet. We were just passing by. We¡¯re on our way to do a job.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what job?¡± Joshua stepped up. ¡°Hold on there.¡± He placed his hands on Jacob¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Think my brother and I need to have a quick talk over here.¡± He led him to a more secluded spot before confronting Jacob. ¡°What''s gotten into you?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Nothing? You¡¯re acting like it''s the end of the world. I mean, we have food. We have money left over at the bank, we¡¯re not destitute.¡± ¡°Joshua, we need money asap. No matter how much money we have in the bank, it won¡¯t be enough to pay for the new cattle. If the army comes now, then they will take every head of cattle we have left, and we¡¯ll be in worse shape than before. If we at least have some gold, then we can pay them off.¡± ¡°But we just met these guys! Yeah they helped us, but we don''t know how dangerous this job of theirs is. They look like adventurers, for all we know they could be trying to slay a giant or-or a vampire or something.¡± ¡°Listen to me.¡± Jacob placed both hands on Joshua¡¯s shoulders and looked firmly into his eyes. ¡°We have a duty to our family. Do you want them to live in poverty?¡± ¡°W-Well no, but-¡± ¡°Then Trust me, Joshua. We have to see if we can get involved in this. Even a little bit more gold will go a long way to getting us back on our feet. Whatever it is, we can handle it. Together. Okay?¡± Joshua looked over at their wives and children. Jacob had never steered them wrong before, so why now? He relented and nodded. ¡°Okay. Fine. We¡¯ll see what they want, but if they want to fight a dragon or something, we¡¯re not doing it, alright?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Jacob went back to Ulysses. ¡°After some careful consideration, my brother and I have decided to help you in your task.¡± Ulysses chuckles slightly. ¡°Have you now? And why should we take you with us?¡± ¡°Because, my friend. Joshua here is the strongest man I¡¯ve ever seen. He literally grabbed a bull by the horns and brought it down.¡± Joshua twiddled his thumbs sheepishly. Joshua was not a glory hound. He was a very modest man with modest ambitions. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that big of a bull, to be honest. I was trying to clip his hooves and he got loose and-¡± Jacob interrupted. ¡°And, I know the lay of the land and can get us all some good supplies for a fraction of the cost. With my brains and his brawn, there will be no challenge you can¡¯t face.¡± Ulysses thought for a moment. He could admit, he could go easy on the spending when it came to buying supplies, and Joshua was a large man. Taller than even he. He sighed and relented. Besides, there was more than enough gold to get the family double their cattle. ¡°Right. If you¡¯re going with us, then you need to understand, this isn''t wrestling bulls or getting a good deal while shopping. This is dangerous territory we are going in. We don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll face, but you can expect we will get into some type of trouble. You may have to defend yourself. You know how to do that?¡± ¡°We know the basics, yeah.¡± Ulysses nodded. He stood up to look the brothers both in the eye to see if they were truly ready enough and determined enough. ¡°Right. We¡¯re heading to some house named Hawthorn house. We have to rescue some baron''s daughter.¡± Jacob smiled and gave a chipper response. ¡°When can we start?¡± Chapter 4 Dawn had come to greet the Remington homestead once more, though the crowing of the rooster was absent. It felt like a bad omen as many in the Remington family awaited for the old familiar ¡°Cock-a-doodle-doo¡± that greeted them every morning for the past three years only to be met with a deafening silence that blanketed the entire farmstead. The anticipation of it was the worst. One would know that it wouldn¡¯t come, but you could still feel it. The brothers had hardly slept, knowing that today would be the start of their journey. Jacob was prepared, having packed himself with everything needed to survive while Joshua couldn¡¯t help but feel an uneasiness about him. There was a sense of dread that hung over his head like a storm cloud. What had he agreed to? What had his brother gotten them into? Why was Jacob so on edge? These questions littered in Joshua¡¯s mind. As Ulysses and Illyana tied one of the family¡¯s wagons to Ulysses¡¯s horse, the brothers would say their goodbyes. Joshua gave Diana a loving kiss. ¡°I¡¯ll come back, my darling.¡± Joshua ran his thumb across Diana¡¯s cheek. ¡°But if anything happens, I want you to just keep surviving. The farm is yours and the kids.¡± Diana kissed his cheek. ¡°Until you get back.¡± ¡°...Until I get back.¡± He had his doubts, but Diana gave him that bit of hope he needed. Jacob held Fiona tightly in his arms, rocking her from side to side very slowly and gently, as if in a slow passionate dance. Tears ran down from Fiona¡¯s cheek, for she knew that Jacob and Joshua were about to walk into danger. They said nothing, pronouncing their love for each other with heartfelt kisses. The two men would say their goodbyes to their respective children. As they did, Jacob and Fiona¡¯s eyes met for the briefest of moments before Fiona looked away awkwardly. Jacob sighed before heading to Ulysses and Illyana, with Joshua close behind them. They would board the cart, waving to their families as Ulysses began to drive the cart. The children gently sobbed as they saw their fathers leave for what may be the final time. Tears ran down both the eyes of the wives, and their husbands, the soft hearted Joshua especially. He stood up, nearly falling off the cart to address Dianna. ¡°I¡¯ll see you again, beloved!¡± The brothers and their families continued to wave until the cart would vanish out of the family¡¯s view as it dipped beyond the horizon, ducking under the many hills. A feeling of something passing washed over them, but the older sons of the family were the men of the homestead now. It was their duty as good sons to provide for their mothers, protect their siblings, and to see the farm stand back on its feet once again. For the next few days, the four traveled down the winding road throughout Sigurdsehre. The brothers would travel further than either of them had ever dared to tread, further and further from home. With each new step they grew more apart from their loved ones. Their journey would be halted at one point. Coming from the opposite direction as them, and taking up the entire road was a large legion of men. While driving the cart, Ulysses pulled over to the side of the road, parking the cart under a tree. ¡°Alright everyone, get comfortable, we¡¯re going to be here for a while.¡± Illyana rose from her slumber, peeking her head out from the covers. She was groggy and confused. ¡°Ugh. Wha?¡± Ulysses jumped off of the cart once it was parked and leaned back against it, taking a pipe out of his pocket and getting ready to smoke. ¡°Looks like someone managed to get some more recruits to take up front.¡± He looked around from soldier to soldier, looking for the banners to determine who was leading the legion. The air was filled with the soldiers singing a cadance as they marched onward, the young recruits hopeful of seeing their chance at glory arise over the next hill, while veterans like Ulysses and others in the legion knew better. It wouldn¡¯t take long for him to recognize the colors and banners of the legion that marched forth. The Banner bore three vertical lines. Two black lines on each side, and a red line in the middle. In the Red line was what appeared to be a golden warhammer, finely detailed. There were many variations of this banner, but all told the tale. This legion served one man. Not the barons that served under King Lautrec, but of the grand marshal, the master of the army. Cousin and friend to the king. Markus Harringoth: The Hammer of Sigurdsehre. Ulysses blew smoke in their direction once he made the realization. ¡°Ah. So it''s that bald ass.¡± Illyana stepped off of the wagon and stood next to Ulysses. ¡°You know who¡¯s leading this army?¡± ¡°Markus Harringoth is the meanest son of a bitch in all of Vanlandria, second only to Vedmaarvith. I was part of a different legion than his, but the man has a reputation for being a hardass. When he and King Lautrec are on the field, it''s devastating. I heard that Markus was in charge of laying siege to an enemy stronghold. The Khanjiri forces were in that stronghold for months, and they had to get them out. Markus used a battering ram, but the Khanjir destroyed it. So what does Markus do? He smashes the gates with nothing but his warhammer. The son of a bitch actually managed to breach the gates and they stormed the fortress, winning the battle.¡± Illyana listened intently to the tale, and imagined the scenes playing out in her head. ¡°Amazing. Where were you and your legion?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I shoveled horse shit while the commanders were twiddling their thumbs.¡± Illyana snorted and giggled lightly, shaking her head as she watched the soldiers march. ¡°So you weren¡¯t in any big battles?¡± ¡°Oh I was in a few battles, but more often than not, I got stuck in solitary every now and then.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Problem with authority I suppose. They lumped me in with idiots who thought that their own personal honor and glory was more valuable than their men¡¯s lives.¡± He blew out some more smoke before putting his smoke out and laid down, his back supported by the tree. ¡°It''s gonna be awhile before the army passes. Make yourselves comfortable.¡± Legions were a great size, so it would take an hour or two before the army passed. Until then, Ulysses decided to take a nap while Illyana continued to watch the army march, singing their cadences as they went along. Half an hour passed, and the army still marched onward to parts unknown. Joshua slept peacefully under the same tree that Ulysses used. As he slumbered, he felt a tickle on his nose. He wiggled his nose, roused from his sleep thanks to the feeling. When the feeling persisted, he scratched his nose, but missed whatever caused him the discomfort. Keeping his eyes closed, he brushed his fingers against his nose, only to still feel the itch. He grumbled as he attempted to stay asleep. ¡°Jacob, stop it¡­¡± Jacob stood confused, He was resting in the cart. ¡°Stop what?¡± ¡°The thing with my nose, stop it.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Just like we were kids, you¡¯d use a leaf or a feather or something and claim there was a spider on my face.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing it again.¡± ¡°No I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Yes you are! I can feel you doing it!¡± ¡°Josh, I¡¯m in the cart.¡± Joshua opened his eyes and saw that he was telling the truth. He was greeted by the sight of the most ugly spider he had ever seen. It was a large, fat, and especially grotesque ogre faced spider. Its fat body was countered by its long, slender, gangly, needle like legs that looked as if they could pierce skin. Its face was less spider-like and more like a hideous gaunt angry man. The eyes on its face were tiny save for two binocular eyes that were much larger than the other eyes. The large eyes were pitch black and soulless. It looked upon Joshua with a cold inhuman glare. All at once, Joshua realized why the Ogre faced spider was so fat. That wasn¡¯t its body, but its young clinging to their mother. Joshua screamed violently, brushing his face frantically trying to rid himself of the ghastly creature. He screamed loudly enough to get the attention of the soldiers who were passing by, who looked at him strangely. He shocked Ulysses from his rest, who drew his sword out and looked around frantically. All eyes were soon upon Joshua who stomped at where he thought the spider was. He screamed frantically. ¡°Spider! Spider!!!¡± Jacob went over to console his brother. ¡°There there, It''s alright Joshua. It''s dead. Nothing to worry about.¡± Ulysses put his sword away and looked puzzled at Joshua. The largest man of the group was cowering like a child over a spider. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°The hell is with him?¡± ¡°Joshua¡¯s always been afraid of spiders ever since he was a baby. A spider bit him, and he¡¯s been deathly afraid ever since.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± The group would wait for the next half hour until finally the legion had passed, and the group would continue to make their way to their destination. Joshua kept swatting at himself, checking behind his ears, or perking up whenever he felt his skin crawl for the next few days, utterly terrified of finding another horrid creature like that. As soon as they had the chance, he took a bath in a river, scrubbing himself clean again and again. Finally, after a week and a half of traveling, they came upon their destination. The town of Hawthorn laid before their eyes. The town itself stood in good condition, though it wore its age upon its sleeves. There was a sense of antiquity around the town with how it was designed and how the people carried themselves. The buildings on the outside were newer, more modern houses in the age with shingled roofs and cobblestone foundations, while buildings closer to the center of town were older and showed their age as moss and vines grew in the residential gardens. It was a dark and cloudy day, which matched the mood of the residents in the town, for they were all being watched by what many of the townsfolk would compare to a vulture sitting on its perch. Even a blind man would know where the damned thing was. It casted a great shadow over the town as it sat there. That thing there. That loathsome thing must have been Hawthorn house. It seemed to be built from the ruins of an old, decrepit fortress that once stood guard over the people of the area, but now looms over them with all the malice of a predatory bird. The house stood out like a wolf among sheep, its windows were blackened like the eyes of some unfeeling remorseless creature. Its brick walls were aged, dulled and overgrown with vines, yet behind the old and withered frame it stood stronger than any of the town''s newer buildings. The house had many spires that reached high in the sky, as if a cat raising its claws before striking down on an unsuspecting mouse. Facing the rear of the house was the sea, which was now dark and churning. A storm was blowing in. The air around the town was thick with an uneasy sense of dread, which made the four in the wagon unnerved. Ulysses saw how the townsfolk looked at them, turning their sullen eyes away as if watching a criminal walking to the gallows. They rode on through the town, taking the wagon to the stables. By the time they were done, the rain had come and poured down upon them. Very quickly the ground became muddy and hard to walk through. They would need a place to stay until the storm passed. Entering the Inn all at once, they were greeted as all outsiders were usually met. Long stares from the townsfolk, music from the bard taking a pause, and any crumb of merriment the patrons might have had left escaped through the door as they entered. The rest of the group went to find some seats while Ulysses went to the Innkeeper. ¡°Well met.¡± The Innkeeper remained silent, cleaning out a glass pint and seemed to ignore Ulysses. Ulysses cleared his throat. ¡°I said, ¡®Well met.¡¯ Do, uh¡­ you have trouble hearing, friend?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The Innkeeper said this as matter-of-fact as possible, focusing on cleaning his mug before setting it aside to begin cleaning another one. ¡°You¡­ have any rooms available for a group of four?¡± ¡°One room, two beds. Not enough.¡± ¡°I-I mean we¡¯ll take it if it''s all there is available.¡± ¡°Eeeyup.¡± ¡°So¡­ what can you tell me about Hawthorn house?¡± The Innkeeper raised his bushy gray eyebrow, and the silence in the building was all the more deafening. Several patrons began to leave the Inn, placing their money on the bar before patting Ulysses on the back without saying a word. He sat there looking confused. The other three who sat at their table looked puzzled. The Innkeeper leaned forward and looked Ulysses in the eye. ¡°Now you listen to me and you listen good, son. I don¡¯t know what you want with that place, but I¡¯m telling you right now, it ain¡¯t worth it.¡± ¡°There''s a girl who¡¯s supposed to be in there. We took a bounty to-¡± ¡°Then she¡¯s dead. She was dead the moment the silly tart walked in that house. She¡¯s lying, festering, and stinking in the earth. Leave now, and you won¡¯t end up like her.¡± ¡°Is that a threat?¡± ¡°Not from me. That''s a warning.¡± The conversation was interrupted by an old, haggard voice. ¡°Why bother saving him, Bran? We know his type. No matter what we tell him, he¡¯s gonna go in.¡± The old man sat looking out of the window, keeping an eye on the house. He stopped his peering in order to watch Ulysses. He gestured for Ulysses to come, and so he did. He sat down across from the old man. ¡°Maybe you can tell me about Hawthorn house.¡± ¡°Aye. I can tell you about Hawthorn house. I can tell you a lot about that place. No matter what I tell ya, you¡¯ll still go in. Same as every other damn fool.¡± ¡°This isn''t the first time?¡± ¡°Oh no. You¡¯re not the first to wanna go in. Ya won¡¯t be the last. That place. It hungers. It draws fools like you to it, like a moth to a flame, one way or another. It always finds reasons and means to do it. Somehow it always does.¡± ¡°...The house?¡± ¡°The house. Though it''s more like a plague on us all. That thing is evil. Pure evil.¡± ¡°Tell me about it then. What makes that house so evil?¡± ¡°Why should I tell you? You won¡¯t listen. They never listen.¡± ¡°Are you going to tell me what in the hell is going on or are you just going to keep saying how bad the house is without explaining it? Because this is getting ridiculous.¡± ¡°Fine. I suppose you¡¯ll be slitting your own throat one way or another.¡± The old man took a deep breath and looked over to the innkeeper. ¡°Bran! Give me a pint.¡± He waited for a brief moment as the innkeeper filled up a tall glass and delivered it for the elder. ¡°Here ya go, boss. This one¡¯s on the house.¡± The old man took the large pint and took one large drawn out gulp before setting the drink down, exhaling as if a dragon breathing fire as the drink burned the old man''s throat. ¡°This town was founded over two hundred years ago. The founders; the first settlers in this area were the Hawthorns. They were noble folk who lived in the capital. See, fishing in this area makes quite a pretty copper. So long as there''s fish living in the waters, no one has to go hungry. The Hawthorns basically had a gold mine; that and they wanted to build their house here. That hill was where an old fortress sat, back in the Golden Kingdoms days. Lovely place, it was. For a time, everything was good. The town prospered; money began to grow, more houses were being built, people came in. For many years, we didn''t have a care in the world.¡± ¡°Then, one day; about ninety years ago, things started taking a turn. Isaiah Hawthorn inherited the house and land. He was different: stayed up late at night to the wee hours of the morning, he was more interested in older things like books or something, and when he got older he started to act weirder. He wanted to learn magic, you see.¡± Ulysses raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to the old man. ¡°Learn magic? Was he even born with the gift?¡± ¡°Oh no. That''s just the thing, he wasn''t. He was envious of mages, and since he had no magic in his blood, then he wanted to gain magic.¡± ¡°That''s impossible.¡± ¡°So we all thought. He went away for ten years, traveling around the world to look for anything that could give him power. Whatever he found changed him forever. It was almost like he wasn¡¯t human anymore. He had large eyes, larger than normal, and they looked at you with some sort of strange hunger, like he could bite your head off at a moment''s notice. There was more: his face was gaunt, his limbs were longer than normal, he was as white as a sheep. It was like something was wearing his skin. He went into his house and no one ever saw him again. We heard things: strange whispers in the night in some dread language I can¡¯t even begin to utter, lights that shined brightly with strange otherworldly colors.¡± ¡°About a week after Isaiah''s return was when the first disappearances happened. Children went missing after dark. Drifters far from town would stay, but never leave. When we presumed that Isaiah had passed, we alerted his next of kin. They went in, but never came out. After that, the town began to panic. Whatever Isaiah had brought over here possessed that house. We¡¯ve tried everything: burning it, chopping it, smashing the supports for the thing to fall into the sea¡­ nothing works. Everything we do, it always ends up the same: the fire goes out, the axes shatter, we used several bulls to pull the supports, but they ended up breaking their necks. After that, we just gave up. If we couldn¡¯t destroy it then maybe we could starve it or something.¡± ¡°Starve it? You think that house is alive?¡± ¡°Oh it is, son. It''s alive and it¡¯s hungry. We told our children never to enter the house. Most of them listen. We always get travelers though who come here specifically to see the house. Fools walk in thinking that there''s no real danger. That girl you talk about; the baron''s daughter? One of those fools. That sweet dumb tart and her friends thought that the house just had a ghost and wanted to try to banish it or something. None of them ever returned.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s in the house?¡± ¡°What''s left of her. That thing has already consumed her. She¡¯s dead, and unless you wanna die too, you¡¯ll go back and tell her father as such. Tell him that there''s nothing left of her. Tell him not to come here, because there''s nothing here for him. Nothing but heartache.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just leave. I have to find her. Her father is paying a lot of gold. I have to keep looking.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re a dead man. You and everyone you brought with you. You poor, dumb, sorry fools.¡± He stood up and looks at the rest of the group. ¡°All of you! You¡¯re all fools! Leave and forget about gold or saving some poor girl. Save your own skins!¡± The old man hobbled out of the Inn, leaving Ulysses and the group alone with their thoughts. Ulysses went over to sit with his companions. ¡°Well, that could have gone better.¡± ¡°We have to look for her either way, don''t we?¡± asked Jacob in a hushed voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve seen fear in people, and I know if they are faking it. That man is truly frightened by something.¡± ¡°Well, we have no choice. We can¡¯t go back to the farm empty handed.¡± ¡°Agreed. However, I think we should at least think about it for a day.¡± ¡°Think about it? Every day we waste is a day that our families go hungry. I can¡¯t abide by that.¡± ¡°At least give us time to settle in before we do anything.¡± Illyana leaned in closer to whisper. ¡°Ulysses has a point. We just arrived here.¡± ¡°All the more reason to start searching.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll leave it to a vote. I vote that we spend a day resting.¡± Ulysses raises his hand, followed by Illyana. Joshua looks at everyone as he tried to decide. Ulysses leaned closer to Joshua. ¡°Well, Josh, you¡¯re the deciding factor here.¡± Joshua looked around and then looked at his brother before slowly raising his hand up. Jacob blinked and seemed confused. ¡°J-Josh! What the hell?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all tired from the trip. Let¡¯s have at least one day to settle in.¡± ¡°Settle in?! Our family!¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be fine, Jacob. It¡¯ll be just for one day and then we can continue on. Okay?¡± Defeated, Jacob shrugs and slammed his fist on the table. ¡°Gods Damn your eyes! Fine. We¡¯ll wait a day, but not a second more!¡± ¡°Fine then. But not a minute sooner.¡± Ulysses stood up and went to the Innkeeper to rent out some rooms. The Innkeeper wouldn¡¯t look them in the eye. He knew a fool when he saw one. Chapter 5 The night had passed slowly for them as they attempted to rest. Doubt began to plague Joshua like some gnawing beast. He knew now what soldiers and brave adventurers must feel when they are so far away from home. That comforting warm sensation of being with those that you loved was gone and replaced by an empty void. Even trying to remember some special moments with his family: the first kiss he had with his wife, the birth of their first son, even one of his wife¡¯s home-cooked meals lingering on his tongue, all of it only made him miss home the more he thought of it. He could swear he could hear his wife¡¯s laughter in the distance but knew that he must have been dreaming or imagining things. However, when he awoke he could still hear her calling his name. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked around until he found the window. He looked throughout the town to find most of the lights were gone, and only stars shone brightly in the night. There was only one light in the city that continued to glow in the darkness. One light on one of the highest floors in Hawthorn house. Was that light always on? Was there always a silhouette of a person in that window looking down at the town? Who could say? Joshua was unnerved and went back to bed, now more homesick than he was moments ago. Morning would come a few short hours later. They would all go downstairs and eat their breakfast. The Innkeeper and others who had come in to eat would quietly watch them eat. They knew in their hearts what was to come. It was as if they were watching prisoners eating their last meal before their execution. None of them would say a word though. What would be the point? All they could do for these poor fools were to pray to Aloheim to make their suffering short. When the four decided to leave the Inn and head to Hawthorn house, the townsfolk watched them move with peering eyes and lingering stares. They felt unnerved by the stares. Illyana swallowed hard as she saw people staring at her, and turned their gazes away as soon as she laid eyes on them. Joshua wanted nothing more than to return home right then and there, but his brother continued to lead the group on, standing in front of even Ulysses, who himself organized this entire affair. Ulysses noticed this and saw how eager Jacob was to deal with this house. Once they had left the town proper and climbed up the road to Hawthorn house, Ulysses placed his hand on Jacob¡¯s shoulder and stopped him. Jacob blinked in surprise and stared at Ulysses for a moment. ¡°The Hell do you think you¡¯re doing? ¡°Last time I checked I organized this job with you, and I was responsible for leading the group. Yet since I mentioned the job you¡¯ve been charging into this thing practically blindfolded.¡± Stammering, Jacob pulled his shoulder away from Ulysses and stepped back. ¡°I-I just want to get this job done as fast as possible and get paid.¡± ¡°You¡¯re hiding something.¡± ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°You want to get that gold for more than just repairing the farm.¡± ¡°H-How Dare You?!¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t give me that. You¡¯re a Farmer. You know nothing about combat that doesn¡¯t revolve around wolves hacking up your sheep or crows pecking at your corn.¡± ¡°Keep talking and you¡¯ll see how much I know about caving your skull in!¡± ¡°You¡¯re too eager to get yourself killed.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll decide what I can and can¡¯t do.¡± Joshua separated the two and tried to settle the issue. ¡°Easy! Easy! Let''s not bust each other''s heads out over a little thing like this, okay? Jacob, He¡¯s the veteran in this. He knows more about combat than you or I know, so we gotta listen to him. What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± Jacob sighed and shook his head before moving back, letting Ulysses lead without so much as saying a word or answering Joshua. Joshua sighed as Ulysses stepped forward until they climbed up the long pathway to the top of the hill. Now there they were, so close to the entrance of the house. Right in front of the very jaws of the beast. When they had a look at it, a really good look at it, the uneasiness of it all only grew worse. Ulysses stepped in front of the group. His hand inched towards the handle of the door, yet he hesitated for the briefest of moments. In a burst of courage, he grabbed the handle of the door tightly and swung the unlocked door open. He froze, half expecting something to jump out and grab him or simply scream at him, yet nothing appeared. Inside it was just a darkened empty entrance hall. They waited for a moment or two, each not wanting to be the first inside. Ulysses stepped inside and one by one the others followed suit. They were all shaken by some unknown dread. When Jacob was the last to enter, he unconsciously closed the door. A loud click was heard and the group turned. Joshua quickly went to the door and opened it. They weren¡¯t locked inside it seemed. They breathed a sigh of relief, having been given a sense of security, and thus began to explore the entrance hall. They would instantly be faced with a large flight of stairs that led up to the second floor. Sticking together as a group they went from room to room to find anything noteworthy. The first room was the living room. The room was dark with the curtains covering the tall windows. The group went around to open the curtains up and shine the long-absent light down upon the room. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. There was a couch that looked as if it could seat four people in the far back of the room where an open area stood in front, most likely used to play some games or perform for guests. There was a fireplace where two large chairs sat, with a small table fit for drinking or placing one¡¯s ashtray down. The hard dark wooden floor was decorated with a large circle rug that placed a predominantly red carpet with multiple abstract colors to highlight the rug itself. While it was mostly red, the rug displayed a vibrant amount of colors and patterns that were abstract, and uncommon for the regular Sigardsehre folk. It simply had to have been acquired from the Sassaridian homelands, which are known for their abstract works. Lastly, over the fireplace, there hung a portrait of what could be assumed to be the founders of the town below and the builder of Hawthorn house. It was a small family. The father wore fine clothes. Elegant and appropriate for the time. It was form over function, as the case usually is for nobles. He looked to be a stern man, for he looked to have a troubled brow. He was an older man, with light brownish neat hair, with a bushy beard to match, both peppered with gray strands. The mother was younger and appeared more spirited than the father. She had a natural smile that managed to be perfectly preserved on the canvas despite the long and grueling hours it must have taken to paint. She wore a regal dress that seemed to have been inspired by the abstract patterns and designs of the Sassaridians. After hearing so much about how evil the house was, Ulysses began to feel disappointed. How could this mundane house be evil? There had to be more. They had to look throughout the entire house. If not to find the daughter of the baron, then at least to find out what had these people so scared. They had to explore more. They would continue from room to room. The first floor had all the standard rooms one would expect from a house such as this: the living room, a kitchen, a dining room, a spacious pantry, and a well-stocked library. As they went about the house, Illyana would move from candle to candle and press two fingers on the wick. She blew on her fingers and instantly the candles were lit one by one. The illumination in the otherwise darkened hallways was greatly appreciated. Nothing about the house so far was all that alarming as of yet. They ventured upstairs to investigate further. They found all of the bedrooms, including the master bedrooms and rooms for any children. It all seemed so¡­ mundane. So normal. It was as if people still lived in this house, despite its age. Despite how lonely it has been for so long. Was there anything special about this house after all of the build-up? They looked through all of the rooms; the attic, the basement, the greenhouse, the kitchen, and even looked back in the living room in case they missed something. Some small thing that they had missed before but wasn¡¯t obvious enough for them. Nothing. Nothing. It seemed that their chances were all but gone. Then, suddenly, Illyana noticed something. A door at the end of the hallway. That hallway ended in just a wall before, and yet there was a door that had just appeared there. Furthermore, the wood was different. The rest of the doors were made of dark mahogany that still shined as if recently painted or waxed. This door stuck out like a sore thumb. The door was painted white and appeared aged as if it had been there for years. She stepped closer to the door and felt it. The wood grain on her fingers brought back a multitude of memories as she eyed the door over, sure of herself that it wasn¡¯t here before. Then she noticed more details about it. Small carvings painted over. Childlike images were cut into the wood using something sharp. She then realized that the door was strangely familiar. Somehow she remembered this door and its details, but can''t remember where exactly from. She pieced together the shards of memory. She heard something beyond the door. It sounded like someone calling her name. ¡°Illyaaaanaaaaa¡­¡± The voice dragged her name like a knife dragging along someone''s flesh. It cut deeply into her as she recognized the voice. A voice that shouldn¡¯t be. A voice that had echoed in her mind for years ever since her childhood, but had never actually heard until now. ¡°...A-Aithan?¡± She recognized the voice of her brother. That was impossible. She began to reach for the doorknob. She was afraid of what would happen if she turned that handle and looked inside, slowly reaching: inch by inch. She was disturbed when Ulysses called out her name. She turned and saw him approaching. ¡°Illyana? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Oh, I was just-¡± She turned to look for the doorknob, only to find that the door was gone. No trace of it anywhere. She placed her hand on the wall to make sure that it was there, but she only felt the wallpaper along the walls. She kept searching until she cut her finger, letting out a yelp of pain. She sucked her finger as it quickly began to bleed while Ulysses looked confused at her. ¡°Uhh¡­are you alright?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. There was a door here. I swear.¡± ¡°Well, it''s gone now. I think this place is a bust. Let''s get out of here. We¡¯ll figure out what to do back at the tavern.¡± Ulysses went to the door, but the handle was stuck. He jiggled it around before he began to fight the lock. Jacob looked at Ulysses with an alarmed expression, like a rat that just realized that it was in a trap. ¡°What''s going on?!¡± ¡°Damn, the door won''t open.¡± ¡°Let me try.¡± Jacob tried to slam himself into the door, but no matter what force he used, it wouldn¡¯t budge. Ulysses tried to pick up a chair from the living room and rammed it into the door, Only for the chair to break as if it were nothing but a pile of sticks. ¡°What the hell?!¡± Illyana used her magic to try to break down the door, picking up the largest, heaviest object they could find. A stone lion was used as decoration. She levitated it up and hurled the statue as fast as she could, shooting out like an arrow. The statue burst into tiny little pebbles and rubble while the door was unharmed. Jacob blinked, dumbfounded over the sight. ¡°That''s impossible! What are we going to do now?¡± Ulysses tried to calm everyone down. ¡°We can try the windows!¡± He went to try to open a window, but it stayed shut. Joshua as large as he was could do nothing as both men tried to push the window up but it wouldn¡¯t budge. Jacob grabbed a piece of the statue and smashed it against the window. The window didn¡¯t even have a scratch on it. They pounded hard against the window, yet nothing budged. Hammering the windows with their fists, they realized quickly what had happened. The trap had sprung, and there was no way out. Chapter 6 Ulysses paced back and forth in the living room as the others talked among themselves. Nothing they tried worked: No weapons, no magic on Illyana¡¯s part, and nothing could break through anything in the house. They were trapped here. Joshua looked out of the window trying to signal people, But nobody saw them. Jacob sighed, crossed his arms, and went to lay his arm on Joshua¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll get out of this, big guy.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m just worried, you know? Diana is out there and I can¡¯t protect her.¡± ¡°The boys know what they¡¯re doing. They¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°I suppose so¡­¡± Joshua sighed before slumping into his chair. Ulysses continues to pace back and forth, his boots echoing loudly on the hardwood floor. ¡°There has to be a way out of this house. There just has to be.¡± Illyana tilted her head and decided to throw her hat into the ring. ¡°I could explore the house again.¡± ¡°You have magic, right? Can¡¯t you¡­ I don''t know¡­ sense if this house is magical?¡± ¡°I can, but it''s strange. I thought it was just the house¡¯s atmosphere, but this place¡­ feels wrong. It''s not like any magic I¡¯ve ever felt. I¡¯m not even sure if this is magic.¡± ¡°Then what do you think it is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Illyana thought to herself, placing her thumb under her mask and onto her two front teeth, gently biting down as she thought for a moment. Jacob went over to Ulysses, lowering his head in shame. ¡°Look. I want to apologize for my actions earlier. I was in such a hurry to get in this place, I got us locked in here. Might have even killed us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that,¡± Ulysses spoke firmly at him, yet also in a comforting way like a father telling his children not to worry. ¡°Things look bad, but we can still get out of here. All we need is a plan.¡± ¡°What do you suggest then?¡± While Ulysses and Jacob began to brainstorm ideas, Illyana heard that voice again. ¡°Illlllyyyyyaaaaannaaaaa¡­¡± She looked away to where the sound came from. She looked at the rest of the group who were still talking about an escape. The voice spoke again, louder this time, yet the group didn''t seem to hear it. She looked at them puzzled, but then the voice spoke once more. A growing pit in her stomach told her that she needed to find out where the voice was coming from. She had to see if it was truly him calling her name. She stepped out of the room without anyone noticing and ventured further down the hallway. There the mysterious door was again, waiting for her just as it had done before. She couldn¡¯t take her eyes off it. She crept closer to it, walking down the hallway little by little. All while the voice called out again. ¡°Illyanaaaa¡­¡± Whispering her name from afar, calling to her like a lighthouse calling a ship would. Before she knew it, her hand was inches away from the handle. There was a moment''s hesitation. Her eyes stared at the handle. That beautiful gold-colored handle. That jolly candy-like handle. That sparkling, dazzling doorknob. She stole a moment of courage for herself and held the doorknob, and twisted it, pushing the door inward. Inside was a dimly lit room. The windows were covered with what looked like children''s drawings. Being an elf, her eyes were well-equipped to deal with the darkness. It was as if someone stood beside her constantly with a torch. She could see every detail of the room. The walls were lined with drawings scattered about randomly, as a child who was proud of her work would be. In fact, it would soon dawn on Illyana that the drawings she was looking at were far more than just a random child''s drawings. These were her drawings. She remembered all of the little drawings she made so long ago in vivid detail: The little drawing of the tiny yellow ducky that she saw one spring so long ago, The crudely drawn imaginary horse friend with wings that she and her brother daydreamed of riding on. Yes, Her brother. Aithan. There too was a drawing on the wall that she made featuring her parents and her brother. The drawing seemed to silently call to her as she inspected it closely. Was this even real or had she simply gone mad? Her fingers inched towards the drawing until she could feel it. The paper crumpled and shifted in her touch. This was no phantom illusion that she had simply imagined. This was real. She could feel the paper in her hands as she pulled it off of the wall. There could be no doubt. She inspected the drawing further and traced her fingers along its surface. This was indeed her drawing. She drew this exact drawing. She could smell the chalk used to carve the image out, there could be no other explanation. What was more alarming is that this small piece of paper or the other drawings on the wall, or even the entire bedroom as a whole should no longer exist. It simply couldn¡¯t. She watched it burn with her own eyes. She witnessed the flames of her house dance high into the air and consume her home until every last wooden panel had been turned into a blackened ember. A stain on her conscience marked by her scar. The irreparable damage that branded her face was still felt. The gnawing pain had never left her since that day. ¡°Illyaaaannnaaaa¡± The hairs of Illyana¡¯s neck stood on their ends. There the voice was again, clear as day. Her breath quivered at the utterance of her name, and this time she felt the heated breath of the speaker behind her. Her skin tingled with fear. Nothing alerted her of the intruder; the door had not opened; there were no footsteps to be heard anywhere; and she would have felt breathing on her skin well before he spoke. She shut her eyes tightly as tears began to roll down her cheeks. She knew she had to look. That was the most terrifying thing. To look at what was behind her; to see the horror that was inches away from her. Slowly, filled with an all-consuming dread, she turned until she saw him. The burned man that stood in front of her was a charred, ghoul of a creature; his skin was a melted blackened rot where the fire burned all the way to the bone. Melted lips sagged down and dragged the rest of his face with them; his eye melted out of his skull, lazily hanging to the side like a shriveled grape on the vine; an arm that was missing, consumed by the fire; what was left of his clothes fused with his body as his gnarled legs struggled to keep him up. Her scars paled in comparison to this walking burnt corpse of a man. She screamed and backed up to the far end of the wall, unable to keep her eyes off of the man. The man stumbled forth, lurching as if his body was being controlled by invisible strings. He bent down on the ground and coughed up black bile that bubbled like water on an open flame, sizzling loudly. He came closer and raised his arm to try to take hold of her. He croaked out words that stung Illyana like a dagger. ¡°You left me to die¡­¡± She stammered with her words as she hit the wall with her back, trying to find the door. ¡°I-It wa-was an accident, Aithan.¡± ¡°Accident?!¡± The corpse roared at her with the red-hot fury of hell itself as he went closer and closer to her. ¡°You abandoned me! Your brother! You started it, and I paid for it!¡± ¡°No! Aithan! I-It wasn¡¯t!¡± ¡°You should have been the one to die! You should have died! You should have died!!!¡± Again and again, the corpse repeated as he went closer and closer to her. Tears continued to rain down her cheeks as she began to realize that her inevitable painful death was steadily approaching. ¡°A-Aithan! I-I didn¡¯t mean t-to. It- it was an accident!¡± Yet no amount of pleading or begging could deter the corpse as it continued to chant on and on. ¡°You should have died! You should have died! You should have died!¡± Non Stop repeating like water dripping on a stone, slowly eroding her sanity. She shut her eyes and then prepared for the inevitable. Then, her hand latched onto the door handle. She turned the handle and fell out of the door and back into the hallway where she crawled away from the door. Her sobbing was suddenly heard clearly by the others who rushed to help her. Ulysses knelt to Illyana and picked her up off her feet. ¡°Ilyana! What happened?!¡± She couldn¡¯t speak. All she could do was babble and sob. She pointed to the end of the hallway where she believed the door was. Yet when they saw the hallway, there was no door. Illyana was in such a terrible state that she pressed her face into Ulysses¡¯s chest and sobbed, holding him tight. Just someone or something to hold onto as her mind was transported back to that night. They rested in the living room; Ulysses, having wrapped his traveling cloak around her to keep her warm as she trembled like a frightened child. After a while of consoling her, the fear eased up. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Ulysses pondered for a moment, pacing back and forth as he spoke to the rest of the group. ¡°Alright, there is something wrong with this house.¡± ¡°Oh, is there?¡± Interrupted Jacob with a sarcastic tone. ¡°Whatever gave you that Idea?¡± Joshua tilted his head. ¡°You wanted to come in here in the first place. You couldn¡¯t wait to get us locked inside.¡± Jacob stammered. ¡°W-Well, I-I was wrong. I can see that now. No reward is worth this madness.¡± Ulysses crossed his arms and continued to pace, watching everyone in the room while being the most concerned with Illyana. ¡°We don¡¯t have any choice now. We have to find an exit here. Somewhere. This house has some time of black magic or some vile devilry going on. There has to be something here.¡± Jacob stood up and raised an eyebrow at Ulysses. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Ilylliana. You¡¯re the one who deals with magic. Is there any way we can stop this?¡± She simply continued to tremble. She stared into space for a moment before she was startled by Ulysses calling her name again, more firmly. She looked at him and took a moment to process the question. ¡°Well¡­ if Hawthorn did this for whatever reason, then there could be something that keeps this thing going. Like fuel to a fire. If we can find out what this thing is¡­¡± ¡°Then we can stop whatever is going on, and hopefully find the Baron¡¯s daughter.¡± Ulysses finished her sentence as he nodded in approval at the makeshift plan. It was the only plan they had at this point. There was only one problem. With doors that appeared and vanished without a trace, how could they ever find the exit, let alone the heart of whatever made this house like this in the first place? That would be a difficult riddle to solve. One thing that could be done; only thing that could be done was to explore the house. They would explore from top to bottom once again, unsure what exactly it was that they were looking for in the first place. Illyana had her courage restored as she now got a sense of what to do. They had a goal now. A proper destination. This destination however lay at the end of a road covered by a dense fog and a pathway that had many branches on it like a misshapen tree. Yet, of course, the chances of finding a strange door or a hidden pathway would never arrive no matter how hard they looked. Even if they were to remove every wooden board from the floor, remove all doors from their hinges, open every window, and look under every bed, they would never find anything that would remotely resemble a pathway for one simple reason: the house did not wish it to be. Joshua and Jacob looked around the bedrooms upstairs, yet were not drawing anything up. Joshua had decided that the best possible action would be to have him and his brother check multiple rooms by splitting up to cover more ground. Jacob was no fan of this idea, but after exhausting every option so far, what choice did they have? After the third room, Jacob went into one bedroom. He had checked this room many times before, and just like before, it was the same. Jacob returned to the hallway and would wait for Joshua, yet he hadn¡¯t come out of the room yet. Perhaps Joshua had found something? He was about to call the others when he heard something behind him. The sound of a woman¡¯s cries filled the air, though muffled by a door. He pressed his ear against every door until he found the one that had the loudest sound. ¡°There you are~,¡± Jacob said with a grin on his lips. The Baron''s daughter! He had found her at long last! Jacob was thrilled. The reward was as good as his. He opened the door and would gently creep his head inside. ¡°Angelica? Angelica, you''re safe now.¡± Yet it wasn¡¯t Angelica that sat on the bed crying her eyes out. No¡­ far more than that. It was Diana, his brother''s wife. Jacob looked at her with a great deal of shock. His heart skipped a beat, and he covered his mouth to hold a gasp. ¡°D-Diana? What are you doing here? How did you get here?¡± ¡°Jacob¡­¡± She looked at him with tears in her eyes and stood up. She went to him and placed her hands on his. ¡°I-I had to find you. This guilt. It''s been eating me up like vultures pecking at a carcass ¡° Jacob placed his hands on her shoulders and would try to calm her down. ¡°Diana, stay calm. We¡¯re going to get you out of here. You¡¯ve made a big mistake coming here.¡± ¡°No, Jacob! We can¡¯t leave. Not yet.¡± She wriggled out of his arms and stood back, away from him. ¡°You want to know what a mistake is? This! This is a mistake.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Us, Jacob! I¡¯m talking about us!¡± More tears poured out of her eyes, her face red with sorrow and shame. ¡°I have to tell him. I have to confess to Joshua. I can¡¯t lie to him anymore.¡± ¡°Look, we¡¯ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Just calm down, We can tell him after we get out of here, okay?¡± ¡°Tell who?¡± Joshua stood in the doorway with a confused look on his brow. Jacob turned to Joshua in surprise and then back to Diana. Yet as soon as he looked towards Diana¡¯s location, she was nowhere to be seen. He looked around, creeped out. ¡°W-What the?¡± ¡°Jacob?¡± Joshua placed his hand on Jacob¡¯s shoulder and tried to comfort his brother. ¡°Are you okay? You look pale.¡± Jacob blinked and nodded, shaking his head as if to rid himself of delirium and regain his focus. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. J-Just¡­ it''s just this place. I think it¡¯s getting to me.¡± He looked around once more to make sure that he was not going crazy. He sighed and then went out with Joshua. The two stepped out of the room and continued their exploration of the house. Joshua himself felt uneasy around this place. As he walked through the area, he saw shapes that darted and vanished around the corner of his eye. Something small, but recognizable. Spiders. He shuddered at the sight of it, closing his eyes and continuing to walk on. He had to put it out of his mind, but this is just what he needed. More spiders. He hated spiders and it seemed that the feeling was mutual. Ulysses and Illyana were walking in the hallways down below, looking through every door and examining every room. Under the beds; out the windows, in the closets; there was nothing noteworthy to find. It was maddening. Illyana was still shaken up by the images she saw previously. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the burnt remains of her brother, though she had no idea if it was real or just her imagination. Ulysses didn¡¯t react, so that was evidence enough. She sighed to herself and then looked at Ulysses with a dower, sullen look. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to find anything. I¡¯m going to check on Jacob and Joshua.¡± ¡°Alrighty then. I¡¯ll finish up here.¡± His eyes never strayed from looking in the closet. Once she was gone, he sighed. This place was nonsensical. There was nothing here. Nothing but old dusty rooms and the creaking of the door as Illyana closed it. At least he assumed she closed it. He stepped away from the closet and closed it. ¡°What am I missing?¡± He thought to himself as he looked around, but it was nothing. He sighed and went to the door and opened it to leave. But the hallway wasn¡¯t there anymore. The door opened up to a burning town. His breath escaped him in shock as he watched the destruction. He was outside? How? What happened here? Memories began to flood his mind. That smell. The smell of charred flesh and burning wood. The smell of depravity he prayed never to see again. He looked around, The room he was in was gone. It had been as if he were somehow transported to another area. He felt someone bumped against his shoulder. ¡°Captain! Are you alright, sir?¡± A young soldier had bumped into him and looked worried. Ulysses¡¯s jaw hung open and he stepped back. ¡°T-Tom?¡± His voice shook as he saw the man here in front of him. ¡°Sir?¡± The young man tilted his head in confusion and repeated himself. ¡°Are you alright sir?¡± ¡°T-Tom. You¡­ you¡¯re not supposed to be here¡­¡± Tom stood puzzled and looked more nervous with each passing moment. ¡°Sir, you¡¯re not making sense¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s not making sense is that you¡¯re alive. I saw you die. I held you in my arms as you were bleeding out. An archer shot you in the neck¡­there was nothing I could do¡­¡± ¡°Sir, you¡¯re scaring me. W-We should report to the healer at once. You¡¯re clearly not well.¡± ¡°I am well, Tom. You¡­ this doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± He looked around, his breath heightened and his heart pounded. He thought for a moment and realized where he was. When he was. He sprinted off in one direction as Tom stood by. ¡°C-Captain? Where are you going?!¡± Ulysses made a mad dash. He had to look for that house. Maybe he could prevent it. Maybe he could stop it. He had no idea what all this was. Was it a dream he was having? Did he fall asleep? Maybe that¡¯s what this all was. Maybe this was all a dream he was having. A lucid dream at that. What else would it be? He was still sleeping in the tavern and was just having an odd dream. It was so simple! Why did he not think of it before? If this were a lucid dream he was having, then perhaps this time he would stop the nightmares. For one brief moment in his life, he could warn her. He could stop the nightmares. He could move on! Ulysses made it to the house that had haunted his dreams. He felt a smile on his lips. If he were dreaming, he would enjoy it. He kicked in the door and looked around. ¡°Hello?! Anyone here? I¡¯m not going to hurt you!¡± He looked all around the room to find any signs of life. He heard the creaking of the floorboards above him, and he ran up the stairs. ¡°I¡¯m here to save you!¡± He opened the door upstairs. ¡°Come with me. We ca-¡± His heart sank. A cold chill washed over him as he felt his spine tingle. The woman and her child were dead on the floor in a pool of combined blood. Standing over them was something even more horrifying. Another version of him, coated in their blood, holding the crossbow that killed them. Ulysses walked backward until he felt the door pressing against his back. ¡°No¡­ no¡­¡± His voice trailed off into a whimper as the other Ulysses stepped forward. ¡°What did you think you were going to do? Run in like a knight in shining armor to save the damsel in distress? It''s cute how naive you are.¡± He walked forward, his boots hitting the wooden floor like the clapping of thunder to the cowering Ulysses. ¡°No matter what you do, and no matter where you go, you can¡¯t change what you are. A coward and a murderer. Oh yes. Look at you now, cowering like a frightened little pup, whimpering for its mother.¡± Ulysses covered his eyes and sank to the floor. ¡°You¡¯re not real¡­ You¡¯re not real!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m as real as you. I am you. You¡¯re just too much of a gutless coward to admit it to yourself. This is what you are. A coward. Like a rabbit that caught a whiff of the hunter, you run.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean to hurt her¡­¡± ¡°Oh no. You saw something that terrified you so you shot it. You let your fear get you because you are nothing but a sniveling little child.¡± ¡°Shut up¡­¡± ¡°Oh, Shut up, eh? What are you going to do, soil yourself?¡± ¡°I said shut up!!!¡± Ulysses grabbed his double and wrestled him to the ground, strangling him. He squeezed as the double turned blue and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. The double kicked his feet as Ulysses continued to squeeze tighter and tighter. Suddenly Ulysses heard Illyana¡¯s voice. ¡°Ulysses!¡± She stood there shocked and watched Ulysses with terror in his eyes. He was like a rabid animal right now. Ulysses looked up at her. They were in the hallway right outside the door he came out of. He looked down to see that he was ¡°strangling¡± a rug. He let go and stood up and caught his breath, trying to calm down. He tried to think of something to say, but he drew a blank. What had happened? Was he going crazy? He shook his head and cleared his throat. ¡°Gods above¡­we need to leave this place¡­¡± Chapter 7 After experiencing old memories flash in front of his eyes, Ulysses searched for the rest of the group with Illyana in tow. He found the Remington brothers and quickly caught up to them as they walked down a hallway. ¡°W-Wait! Stop!¡± Ulysses choked out, his breath escaping his lungs. He felt as if his chest was on fire after sprinting, with Illyana barely able to keep up with him. ¡°W-We have to¡­ stick together. This place¡­ it''s messing with our minds.¡± Jacob blinked and the others looked at each other. They all experienced something. Illyana with her brother, Joshua with his fear of spiders, Ulysses with his sins, and Jacob himself with his affair. There was enough evidence in everyone else''s faces that proved that they were not insane or imagining things. Something about this house wanted them to know fear. It wanted to show them their fears and their sins. Yet even though their attempts to subvert the house¡¯s attempts to attack them, its strategy would change. The group was alerted very suddenly by the distant sound of a woman''s crying. A pitiful, awful sound that filled their ears with sound and their hearts with fear. Was this yet another attempt from the house, or was it the baron¡¯s daughter? They looked at each other with trepidation and dread. Nevertheless, they followed their guts and followed the noise, this time as a group. No one would be separated on their own this time. They traveled further into the hallways, following the echoing sound of the woman''s crying nonstop. The louder it became the more they could feel the growing pits in their stomachs and the lump in their throat. They pressed on further into the hallway, carefully climbed down the stairs, and found the hallway where Illyana had first found the door that led her to her nightmare. The door was not previously there for all to see. Yet this time there it was clear as day. Only this door was different. This one matched the other doors. Ulysses glanced at Illyana to note her reaction. She swallowed hard before giving him a frightened nod. He slowly reached for the door, his hand trembling as it inched closer to the doorknob. The touch of the cool brass against his fingertips sent shivers down his spine as he began to twist the knob. Slowly opening it to just a crack, he looked inside and saw what appeared to be a woman crying in the corner of the room. He swallowed, careful not to make sudden movements. This could be a trick of the house after all. He looked back to make sure that everyone else could see the woman, which they did. Joshua would take a deep breath and entered the room before Ulysses. ¡°M-Miss Angelica?¡± Joshua said quietly and gently as he made his way inside. Slowly; step by step he crept in closer. The woman continued to sob uncontrollably. He continued to creep closer to her despite all his senses telling him otherwise. There was a strange feeling that he felt. It was some primal urge to run away and hide like a frightened animal. Nevertheless, he carried on and got even closer. ¡°Miss Angelica? M-My name¡¯s Joshua Remington. We¡¯re here to help.¡± He was only met with more sobbing. More uncontrollable sadness flooded the room. He slowly reached his hand out to her. Ulysses noted that there was something strange about the figure. She was very frail, more so than they would have expected. She had been missing for a while, but not so long that she would be nothing but skin and bones. The clothes she wore were ragged and tattered, barely able to cling to her. How any of it managed to be wearable was beyond reason. The strangest thing however was that she hid her face. She was low on the ground, curled up with her face down on the ground, her head covered by her spindly frail arms. Joshua¡¯s hand moved closer, inch by inch as he went to try to comfort the crying woman, but all the while Ulysses continued to examine her. He noticed something extremely odd. The silk clothes that the woman was wearing seemed to be attached to her. It was like it was growing out of her. Ulysses outstretched his hand to try to pull at Joshua. ¡°Wait¡­¡± He was concerned and frightful. This woman¡­this thing was not who they were looking for. The ¡°woman¡± quickly grabbed Joshua and lept onto him, revealing its face. Multiple eyes pierced into Joshua¡¯s very soul as it opened its fanged mouth widely, showing the needle-like teeth in its maw. The arms of the woman split in half. Four limbs turned into eight as her body began to reveal itself for the horror that it truly was. A humanoid spider abomination that was fouler than anything Joshua had ever seen before. He screamed, helpless in the creature''s grasp. He was paralyzed by fear as the milky white skin of the creature was sticking to him. It would only be a moment before the creature sank its fangs into his flesh. The two spider fangs were as large as daggers and just as sharp, dripping with a green viscous liquid that fell to the floor and burned through the wood. Ulysses pulled out his sword and stabbed the creature. It screamed and backed away, letting Joshua go, who crawled on the floor sobbing like a child. The creature stood up and showed its real height. It was tall enough to bump its head against the ceiling. It grabbed Ulysses by the throat and threw him aside before pulling the sword away. It looked at the sword and placed it on the high ceiling before vomiting up webbing on the blade. The weapon was now stuck as the creature returned its attention to Ulysses and slammed him against the wall. In that instance, Jacob and Illyana entered the room. They chose to fight this thing. Jacob jumped onto the creature¡¯s back and wrapped his arm around its neck. Ulysses was slammed again by the creature as Jacob tried to choke the monstrosity out. It swung its arm and threw Ulysses out of the tiny room next to Joshua. Ulysses¡¯s head rang louder than a church bell as he slammed his head on the wall. The creature bucked like a wild horse and tried to grab at Jacob as Illyana placed her hands together and began to cast a spell, spraying fire upon the monster. The creature roared before bursting out of the room and throwing Jacob away, setting its sights on Joshua. Joshua began to sprint as the creature let out an ear-piercing shriek, forcing everyone else to cover their ears before it darted toward Joshua. It crawled on the walls and ceilings, avoiding all of the furniture that Joshua threw at it as he ran. Joshua sprinted down the hall, tears of absolute terror running down his cheeks as the spider raced after him. Joshua bobbed and weaved down the hallways as the creature came closer and closer to him. Were there this many turns and forks in the road before? How long did this hallway seem to go now, when previously it was shorter? What awaited him on the other side? Would he reach a dead end soon? These questions were absent from Joshua¡¯s mind. All that Joshua thought about right now was outrunning this monstrosity that nipped and clawed at his heel. Every corner he turned, everything he grabbed and threw at the creature in futility, all to escape the creature. He then ran across an enemy far more terrifying than the spider. A dead end. No doors, no windows, just a blank wall that stood there mocking Joshua in what would most likely be his final moments on Navara. He could hear the creature behind him, barreling at him like a charging angry bull with its horns aimed directly at him. Joshua pressed his back against the wall and anticipated the creature as the noise it made grew louder and louder with its approach. Finally, there it was, hurling at him like a runaway boulder tumbling down a hill straight at Joshua. He slid down from the wall, huddled in the corner as the creature continued to charge. He covered his eyes as the creature came closer and closer, charging at him with terrible speed. His arms blocked his face in a futile attempt, and he waited for his inevitable death. Then, a great silence fell upon him. He was hesitant to lower his arms, trembling like a mouse about to be swallowed by a cat. He pulled his arms down to look. The spider creature was gone. He looked around and began to stand up. His breathing was fast, afraid of every sound that came from all directions. He began to calm down. A sense of relief washed over him. He sighed through his nose and tried to make his way back to the group. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Jacob?!¡± He hollered loudly down the hallway, cupping his hands around his mouth to shout. ¡°Ulysses? Illyana? Anyone?¡± Silence reverberated around the walls. He then began to feel less calm. Perhaps the house wanted to separate him from the rest of the group. He tried to retrace his steps, but the hallways had become a maze. He looked around, placing his ear on every door to see if he could hear the group calling him. He continued to call out for them, but no reply was heard. Then, he heard a sound coming from one of the doors. A sound not of chittering spiders or growling of some unholy beast, but something carnal. Something seductive. Something that sounded like his darling wife. ¡°D-Diana?¡± His voice trembled at the sound before he remembered. This house was full of tricks. At first, he moved away from the door, doing his best to ignore the house. But as he moved further away from the door, he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard his wife¡¯s voice say something that shocked him to his very core. A single word. A name. ¡°Jacob¡­¡± His wife¡¯s illicit tones called forth Jacob, and Joshua stood there in shock. Curiosity got the better of him and he moved closer to the door. His hand hovered over the doorknob, afraid to see what lay inside, yet curious to know the truth. He took hold of the doorknob and twisted it, opening the door to a crack. He opened it just enough for his eye to peek, yet the first thing that greeted him was the sound of lust-like air escaping a jar as the lid popped open, releasing the carnal sounds of animalistic pleasure in the hallway. There he saw with horror the truth. His wife Diana was on all fours, and rutting behind her was none other than Jacob. The house had shown Joshua more than just what he feared. It introduced him to something new to fear. The two people he cherished more than anything in the world, and were betraying him. The adulterers melted into each other with primal urges and grunts. Joshua wanted desperately to look away, but as if being the audience to a tragic play, all he could do was watch. He shook his head. No. This had to be a trick from the house. Just another illusion that sought to play with his mind for some dread purpose. He pushed himself away from the wall and closed the door, turning to walk down the hallway. Yet, just as he had closed the door, the hall that he had previously found himself in was gone, replaced by the interior of the barn at the house. There he saw Diana and Jacob again. Diana frowned as she looked at Jacob. ¡°I¡¯m late, Jacob¡­¡± she said with tears in her eyes, losing control of her emotions for a moment. ¡°No no no¡­¡± Said Jacob as he pounded his fist upon a support beam. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡± ¡°I am¡± She assured him. ¡°When we¡­did that, Joshua was traveling to the city to sell some horses, remember? The timing is¡­¡± ¡°...You¡¯re sure about it?¡± Diana said nothing but offered a simple disheartened, worried nod and a frown. She rubs her eyes and looks down. Jacob ran his fingers through his hair in stress and sighed. ¡°...What are we going to do?¡± Diana managed to choke out a question as she looked to Jacob for comfort. Realization dawned on Joshua¡¯s face as he saw them talking. His blood boiled white-hot and his fists clenched. The usually thoughtful and kind Joshua was now filled with rage. His wife and brother betrayed him, and it was obvious now why Jacob was so eager to get the gold. He knew that Diana was now pregnant, and the healer would be expensive, along with repairing the farm. Perhaps they would run away together, leaving Joshua with the broken farm and alone. And what of poor Fiona? Joshua wasn¡¯t the only one Jacob betrayed. Joshua¡¯s anger continued to boil over and finally reached the tipping point. Before the dragon attacks, Diana and Jacob wrapped themselves around each other and planted an illicit comforting kiss. Joshua let out a roar and anger flooded him. He grabbed Jacob by the throat and threw him against the wall. ¡°You bastard! You Gods forsaken bastard! I¡¯ll kill you!!!¡± Joshua grabbed him again and picked him up and threw him out of the door. The barn door swung open as Vedmaarvith burnt the farm, yet Joshua¡¯s anger burned just as hot. He reached down to pick up Jacob, only to have Jacob transform into Diana as quickly as blinking an eye. Joshua let go and stepped back, looking at Diana with a now heavily pregnant belly. Diana¡¯s face was twisted into a horror that stretched her skin tightly, showing rows of sharp needle-like teeth. Her eyes were as black as sin itself, and her pregnant belly rumbled and swelled. ¡°Look at you, Joshua~,¡± Diana spoke with thousands of voices coming out of her throat, all in unison. ¡°You are pathetic. You¡¯re no man. Just a hapless child, afraid of an insignificant bug¡­¡± She was wretched in pain as her belly began to balloon up, growing bloated. She wailed and screamed in agony before she was ripped apart like fabric. Her blood and bile pooled on the ground around her. The same spider-like creature from before crawled out of her belly, coated in her intestines and gore. Joshua screamed and bolted in a direction, any direction as the spider chased him. Joshua ran through the door, bashing it open with his shoulder, not even noticing that he was back in the hallway from before. The creature once again chased him, barreling towards him with great speed. He ran as fast as he could in a mad dash to escape the creature. Ulysses and the group heard his screams and decided to set a trap. They went into different rooms to hide, hearing Joshua getting closer. They waited carefully. If they were but a moment off, Joshua would be dead. Too soon, and they would kill him. Too late, and the spider would. They sat there, waiting; patiently, carefully, and silently. Then Ulysses saw Joshua running with the creature in hot pursuit. He looked to the others and they prepared themselves. Jacob with his weapon, Illyana with her flame, and Ulysses with his sword and expertise. They lay in wait for the right moment. Ulysses held up a finger to give them pause. Just a bit closer now¡­ Then, finally, Joshua passed by, and Ulysses came out of the room and swung at the spider, cutting off one of its limbs. Though it refused to die. Illyana came forth and sprayed fire on its face while Jacob went over to beat the creature over the head. The group beat down the creature. Ulysses stabbed the beast at every inch of its body. Illyana burned it to a smoldering pile, and Jacob beat the creature to protect his brother. Eventually, the horrid creature stopped moving. It curled its legs up and became nothing more than charred ash. Illyana took a calm breath and blew, using her magic to create a cool wind and put the flames out. Joshua was on the floor, having witnessed the group kill the creature. He panted, gasping for air as Jacob knelt down. ¡°Joshua. Are you alright?¡± Joshua paused and looked at his brother. There was a relief, but that lingering anger inside him. He stood up and would grunt out his reply. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Jacob looked confused. Did he not just help to save his brother''s life? It must be shock or fear. He put it to rest. He was just glad that his brother was fine. The group looked at each other. It was time to rest. They went into the same room and made camp there. There, they thought they had some measure of safety. If they were together, then they could fight this thing, this house. Time would tell how long that truth would remain to be true. Chapter 8 The group sat there in the room that would barely be enough for four people. Two beds in a windowless room that''s only purpose in existence was to sleep. No portraits hanging on the walls, no rugs, not even a bathroom. It was much less of a bedroom and more like a box with ugly lime green floral wallpaper that was now less lime and more of an aged urine stain of a decoration. Hours had passed, and it was the second watch of the group. Joshua had just finished his first watch and Ulysses was now staying awake. There was absolutely nothing in this room to entertain him, and so he was bored to tears. It had not yet been an hour in his four hour watch, and yet he could fall asleep right now. His eyes began to sting as he strained them to keep open. A yawn came over him and he became all the more tired. He found his eyes almost closing on their own. He snapped out of it and shook his head. He stood up and pressed his ear to the door, trying to locate some sort of sound. When all he was met with was silence, he sat back down and pressed his back to the wall. ¡°Having trouble sleeping?¡± Illyana stood up. She elected to sleep on the floor. She had been used to it for so long. She sat next to Ulysses and whispered so as not to awaken the others. ¡°A little. You too?¡± He looked at her, appreciating the company and distraction from the endless boredom. She nodded in response. ¡°...Elacrai.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ulysses turned to her in confusion. ¡°You once asked where I¡¯m from. I¡¯m from Elacrai.¡± ¡°So you are a high elf.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Not entirely. My mother was Highelven. My father was human. Calenor of Brunerthorpe. It was a small village south of Sigardshere. My mother found him one day. He had been gored by a boar. The healing of men would have killed him, but the healing abilities of my kin are greater. After a while, they got to know each other. They fell in love¡­and then my mother had us¡­¡± She stared off into space as she remembered her life before; her childhood, her family, her home. ¡°Us?¡± Ulysses tilted his head,puzzled. ¡°My brother and I¡­Aithan. Twins. He and I were inseparable¡­¡± ¡°¡®Were?¡¯ What happened?¡± She lowered her head and would hug her knees tightly. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­always had a problem with my powers. Magic isn¡¯t exactly easy to use. You have to learn how to wield it without hurting yourself or those around you.¡± Ulysses frowned and would reach over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder and giving her a comforting smile. She raised her head and locked eyes with Ulysses. He knew that whatever happened was difficult for her, and she could see it on his face. She looked away for a moment. She hesitated for a moment about what she was about to do. She reached up to her cowl and mask. The cowl was moved back and she pulled down the cloth mask from her face, and Ulysses looked at her in shock. She had been deformed by fire. The complete left side of her face was ruined. Sides of her face exposed her teeth to the elements. Her ear was now nothing but a hole, as was the left side of her nose. Both her eyes were spared, but her left brow slumped over her eye, making it hard for her to see some times. The hair on the left side of her face was all but gone. Much of her scalp was gone, almost showing the muscle and bone. The burn scars on her face were severe, and the pain she must feel at all times even more so. Ulysses looked at her, full of sorrow and horror as he looked upon her. ¡°Illyana¡­¡± She covered her face up again and would begin to weep silently. ¡°There was a fire¡­I caused it¡­I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± She gripped her pant legs tightly as she clenched her fists. ¡°My father¡­My mother¡­My brother¡­¡± Ulysses saw her sorrow clear as day and he felt his heart sink as low as possible. He could do the only thing that he thought of. Illyana would keep her head lowered. There was a tinge of fear in her heart that perhaps Ulysses would be like the others. Some were afraid of her visage while the cruel and horrible ones mocked her. Yet she was in complete surprise when Ulysses pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. At first her mind couldn¡¯t process what was going on. Was she dreaming this? Was she imagining it? No¡­no he really did care for her. He was a true friend. She weakly held onto him and returned his hug, holding onto her tightly. And then she sobbed. She cried and muffled her voice against his shoulder. For so long she had dealt with this alone. Years of pent up despair and self hatred would melt away and would come pouring out of her as Ulysses held her tightly, almost fatherly in a way. He rocked her as she cried. ¡°Shhh. It''s okay. Hush now. You¡¯re okay¡­¡± She continued to cry and hold him tightly. And then after a while, she pulled away. She felt relieved. At peace. She felt whole again. She looked at him, tears still in his eyes, and she smiled under her mask. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re a strong girl, Illyana. You just need to wake up in order to see it.¡± He smiled at her and she would sniffle, trying to calm down. It was a peaceful, tranquil moment that was rare in this house. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Then, the walls would rumble. Joshua and Jacob would be roused from their sleep as dust began to fall down from the ceiling. The rumbling of something outside was growing. Ulysses tried to open the door to see what was going on, yet the handle wouldn¡¯t budge. Then, an explosion. The side of the wall would explode, and send debris flying. The group huddled down on the ground to shield themselves. Then a new sound was heard. The sound of men yelling, swords clashing and arrows loosened. The roaring, thunderous sounds of hooves charged down to unleash wrath and hatred. As the walls around them had crumbled, the group had found themselves in the middle of a battlefield. The fires caused the sky to seem almost blood red. The clouds were black, with death and ruin scattered across the field. Coming through the crack was something in the guise of a man. Its eyes were red as embers, and his mouth was opened wide, broken and hanging cockeyed. The armor that the ¡®man¡¯ wore was that of the Khanjiri stepp. They had found themselves in a twisted version of the Khanjiri wars, and Ulysses turned pale at the sight of the man. ¡°...No¡­¡± The house would seem to target him now. The Khanjiri warrior charged and would attempt to strike at Jacob who was still on the ground. Ulysses growled and charged, blocking the warrior¡¯s sword and then moving the blade aside for a quick thrust into the warrior¡¯s heart. He rushed forward, and pinned the warrior on the wall. Yet the Khanjiri was still alive and swung his sword at Ulysses. He ducked the strike and would try to fight off this thing as it attempted to pull itself off of the wall, the sword being the only thing keeping it locked in place. With each movement, the sword began to get loose. Ulysses would growl and take the sword arm of the warrior and would yell to Joshua. ¡°Cut it off! Cut the arm off!!!¡± Joshua took his sword and yelled loudly and struck the arm at the elbow, cleaving it off. The Warrior continued to try to grab at him, but Ulysses would pull his sword out and then behead the warrior. The body of the warrior fell down and would crumple. The armor would begin to deflate, and the flesh of the warrior would shift and change shape. Several strange bugs crawled out of the armor and dug into the ground. Ulysses sighing and shaking his head. ¡°Alright. Sleep¡¯s over. We need to get out of here.¡± Jacob looked around outside at the carnage. ¡°But where is ¡®here¡¯ Exactly?! ¡°Flussburg. We¡¯re in Flussburg.¡± Jacob blinked in surprise. ¡°What?! How could you possibly know that?¡± ¡°Because I was here¡­ The house is trying to get to me now.¡± Illyana would hold her hands out and create some fire, prepared for the dangers to come. ¡°Then we best get out of here quickly. Find some sort of exit or something.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Ulysses nodded and cleaned his sword as he was prepared to step into the battlefield once more. The house would show that it had what appeared to be a limitless potential. There was no trace of the house whatsoever; The mud that they stepped in felt real enough, The smell of burning buildings and charred flesh was real enough, The sounds of men screaming in agony, calling to their mothers was all the more real. This was a Warzone. This was a universal horror, but one that Ulysses Archer had a special connection to. They hid from all of the figures in armor that waged war. They knew that the house could make it so each army would see them as their enemy. They could trust nothing here. And so they pressed on, marching through the seemingly endless fields of destruction and chaos. As they trod through the vast and endless battlefield, they would see the ground was not wet by water alone, but by the rivers of blood that were inside all of the dead men who laid in pools of their own lost life. Just as they believed that they would see the exit, there was yet another battle that was being fought. Time began to appear almost meaningless as the sun never moved from its position. Not an inch. Just smoke rising from the ruined battlefield, and the sky burning red with hatred. Then, at long last, Ulysses came across an old familiar sight. He had stopped in the middle of a town square, much to the rest of the group''s confusion. His breath quickened and his eyes shot wide open. He knew this place very well. He turned around to face them. ¡°This isn¡¯t the right place. We need to get out of here.¡± There was a bit of panic in his voice. And then he saw the worst of all the horrors here. The most terrifying thing that chilled him to the bone. Himself and his men walking up. Here they were, just as they were on that fateful day. Unlike the other apparition who would try to attack them, these ghostly figures from the past marched forward and ignored them. Ulysses felt a sharp chill run up his spine as if he had a cold iron dagger plunged deeply into his back. One word escaped from his lips. ¡°...No.¡± Illyana placed her hand on his shoulder and tried to comfort him as he did for her. ¡°Ulysses, whatever this is, it''s not real. We need to keep going.¡± Yet Ulysses was too focused on what awaited him. He went over to his doppelganger and yelled. ¡°Turn back you fools! Turn back! There''s no enemy here! You have to turn back right now!¡± Yet, they passed through him as if made only out of ash and embers. They slightly burned him as they passed, yet he continued. ¡°You Fool! You Damned Fool! Turn back! You¡¯re going to-.¡± He then had an idea. If he couldn¡¯t stop himself, then he would rush to his destined victim. He ran up the street as the others were shocked and chased after him. ¡°Ulysses! Wait!¡± pleaded Illyana as she went after him. Ulysses charged in a mad dash to save the woman and her child. He would almost make it, reaching over to the window to warn her; scream, shout, beg, plead, he did everything he could. ¡°Please! Please hear me! You¡¯ve got to stay low! You have to stay still and quiet! Get down, hide, please!!! Please, in the name of the Gods and all that is holy-¡± He stopped as he felt a sudden pain in his heart. The doppelganger had fired his shot and it went right through his heart, burning as if his heart were set ablaze by hellfire. The arrow went through him and then it struck the woman and her child in one single blow. Moments of shock and horror passed and he went to the door, bashing it open with his elbow. He saw the woman on the ground with her child. Both were as silent and as still as the grave. Life drained from their eyes and was as cold as marble. Ulysses knelt down to the woman and held her in his arms, rocking her mournfully. ¡°Not again¡­not again, please Gods no¡­¡± He sobbed, tears running down his cheeks like a river. He swallowed hard and hugged her. He squeezed her tightly and would beg and plead with her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± As he held her, she and the child crumbled away into ash. The others quickly arrived in the house and saw what had happened. Illyana was shocked. Her hands shot up to her mouth, veiled by her cloth mask. She knelt beside him and would hug him as he cried. The room they were in began to peel away like paper being burned and rising into the air before turning to ash. They stood in that room as it shifted and morphed to become the living room of Hawthorn house once more. Was this their fate? To relive their worst nightmares over and over again? Who could be sure. As they continued to languish in this room, they saw that Ulysses, arguably the strongest of them, was just as vulnerable as they were. Illyana would simply hug him and shed her tears for him, gently rubbing his back and being a comfort to him. Chapter 9 Thunk¡­ Thunk¡­ Thunk¡­ The hard repetitive sound of Jacob pounding his head on the main door echoed loudly through the house. The hard thud endlessly repeated as everyone else sat around, the last bit of their hope leaving them like a thief in the night. How long now? How long have they been locked inside this death trap? This prison. Thunk¡­ Thunk¡­ Thunk¡­ Jacob continued to beat his head against the door. The only thing between them and freedom was a simple wooden door not even a few inches thick. Yet despite his efforts, the door remained closed. Not just sealed off, but no scratch on it; no trace of any indentation, no splintering, not even a drop of blood that would come from Jacob¡¯s head after beating his head for what felt like hours. Still, On and on he banged his head. ¡°Would you please stop that already?¡± Joshua huffed as he sat down with his back pressed against the wall. Jacob paused. ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to do¡­¡± ¡°There''s a first.¡± Joshua rolled his eyes as he scoffed, a bit of venom dripping from his lips. Jacob turned and looked confused as he rubbed the back of his hand on his head to dry up some of his blood. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You heard me. Ever since Pa died, you¡¯ve always had to be in charge. You always had to be the know-it-all.¡± Joshua then made a stupid face and mocked his brothers voice, creating a caricature of a whiny, impulsive child. ¡°Oh, I have a great idea; let¡¯s save money by building only one house for our huge families; let¡¯s not double the size of our crops this year to help the war effort; let''s risk our lives by going into a house straight from the pits of the seven hells!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know the house would be like this, Joshua¡­¡± ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t. You don¡¯t think of any downsides to a plan of yours until after things get bad. Our families are so big, we have our kids sleeping in the same rooms. They hardly have a space for themselves. If you had listened to me about feeding the army, they would have paid us and we¡¯d have all the money we need to rebuild.¡± ¡°The army would have just taken everything then.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that! You think you know everything. Why, because you happen to be the first to come out of mom? Face it: you know nothing.¡± Illyana sat down and tried to comfort Ulysses who sat down hugging his knees like a frightened child. ¡°Joshua. Jacob. Enough.¡± Yet the brothers continued to fight, arguing as Joshua had begun to stand up for himself, letting the venom flow from his lips. ¡°The fact of the matter is, Jacob: no one elected you to be the leader. No one forced your hand to do this.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how hard I work to keep our family surviving.¡± Jacob glared, gnashing his teeth as Joshua stood up. ¡°I have worked myself to the bone keeping our families afloat. Did I make some mistakes? Yeah, sure, but I¡¯m not perfect. No one is.¡± ¡°Then quit acting like you¡¯re perfect. You are not in charge of me. You¡¯re not in charge of anyone.¡± ¡°What brought all this up? Why now?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject.¡± ¡°No. Tell me what happened.¡± ¡°Like you wouldn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Know what?¡± Illyana finally had enough and yelled. ¡°That''s Enough! Both of you! Now is not the time to be at each other¡¯s throats over something petty.¡± Joshua growled and snapped at Illyana. ¡°Petty?! If not for him, We wouldn¡¯t Be in this mess! If not for him, We¡¯d be back at the farm, away from this nightmare!!!¡± Joshua¡¯s face was red with anger, but he blinked soon after and regained his composure. He sighed through his nose and lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I didn¡¯t mean to snap at you like that.¡± Illyana placed her hand on his cheek. ¡°It''s okay. We¡¯re all on edge right now. We have to stick together.¡± Thunk¡­ Thunk¡­ Thunk¡­ Joshua turned and glared at Jacob. ¡°For the last time: Stop banging your damnable head on the wall you stupid-¡± Joshua froze in terror when he saw his brother was away from the wall, not banging his head. Jacob too was frozen as he turned to the door. Thunk¡­ Thunk¡­ Thunk¡­ The entire group stood up, afraid of what the house was doing next. Slowly, they crept away from the door as the thunk grew louder with each passing moment. Ulysses pulled his sword out, ready for anything as the sound grew more and more, almost ear splitting. They backed up further until they hit the fireplace, ready for whatever was on the other side of that door. Thunk¡­ Thunk¡­ Thunk¡­ Lilliana produced flames from her hands and readied herself. Jacob and Joshua drew their weapons and were ready to unleash their fury on the creature outside. Moments passed as they waited¡­ As suddenly as the noise had begun, it stopped. The absence of the knocking was even louder than if it had continued. The ear piercing silence flooded the room. Everyone breathed heavily as the silence persisted. Jacob stepped forward, with his makeshift weapon pointed at the door. After a sigh, he lowered his weapon and turned to the rest of the group. ¡°I think the house is just trying to screw-¡± Jacob suddenly screamed out loud and fell back, knocking over the table and chairs as he felt blinding pain. He looked to see that there was a large curved spike like that of a claw poking right through his foot. Joshua¡¯s first instinct was to pull Jacob away from the thing and get his foot off of the spike before quickly trying to stop the bleeding. The Spike remained motionless on the ground for a moment before it retracted back into the darkness from under the floor. Soon another spike burst out of the floor, followed by several more. What crawled out of the large holes was some unthinkable insectoid abomination. The creature that rose from the floorboard had eight limbs. Six long and slender legs and two arms with sharp mantis like forearms with bladed tips. They were sharper than any scythe they had seen. One of its blades dripped red with Jacob¡¯s life¡¯s blood. Its carapace was glossy like resin and shimmered like oil in water. The abdomen pulsated and twitched, twirling around like a tail with sharp earwig like pincers flexing. The thorax was coated in a protective shell like that of a beetle. Like the rest of the creature, its carapace was shiny, oily black with hints of wild colors from the light. The only difference was that the thorax shell had sharp spikes growing out of the back as well as the tips of the spikes having a rusted color to them. The head of the creature was by far the most disgusting aspect. It looked like some hybrid of praying mantis and human face. The large yellow compound eyes with what looked like a red pupil. The face of the mantis looked almost human with a split jawbone acting as the mandibles for the insectoid mouth with finger-like digits inside to pull its prey into the gaping maw. The creature would lunge at the wounded Jacob, only to find Ulysses there as its opponent, taking his sword and stabbing at the creature with his blade. The beast let out a cicada-like scream as it reeled away in agony. Ulysses stepped forward and would slash at the abomination, crossing his blade with the scythe like claws of the creature. It was as if crossing swords with an enemy as the creature parried the strike. When the monstrosity focused on Ulysses, it was lightning fast as it blocked almost all of Ulysses¡¯s strikes. The sound was reminiscent of swords clashing before the beast retaliated, striking Ulysses on his shoulder, and causing him to bleed. With Illyana focused on healing Jacob, Joshua stood up to grab his weapon and flank the creature. With the wounded eye, the creature had trouble fighting two at once, yet it was still deadly, giving Joshua several cuts on his belly and chest, and slashing deeply into Ulysses¡¯s leg. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Meanwhile, Illyana was focused on stopping Jacobs bleeding. She placed her hands on the wound and burned the wound, cauterizing and preventing more blood loss. This of course caused Jacob to scream violently, almost kicking Illyana instinctively. Once she was done with the wound, Jacob passed out from the pain. Now Illyana could freely help Joshua and Ulysses deal with this monstrosity. She rushed over to Ulysses¡¯s side and would spray fire at the beast. It yelped and moved back, giving them all some breathing room. Yet as the one beast was pushed back, the floor had begun to buckle and break open. More of these things began to crawl out slowly. This forced the rest to back away. Ulysses and Joshua would grab the unconscious Jacob and put him over Ulysses¡¯s shoulder. Ulysses had been used to carrying wounded men, and could move the fastest. Illyana continued to spray fire at the beasts, pushing them back. Yet they were relentless, crawling slowly forward. The more there were, the tougher the battle became. Ulysses and Joshua ran down the hall with Illyana giving them some covering fire as she followed closely behind. Illyana would produce a wall of fire to block the hallway, hoping to give the group time to escape. She ran to catch up with the rest. Her wall would not last, and the abominations would force their way through the fire as it began to die out, leaving not a scratch on the house. The group ran down the hallway, knowing that the creatures were in hot pursuit behind them. They knew the flame would not protect them. In a moment of desperation and fear, they piled into a room and locked the door. They moved the large dresser from one side of the room to block the door. Then they moved back as one large group away from the door, keeping their eyes peeled for even the slightest of movements. Everyone covered their mouths trying not to utter even a whisper. Jacob tried to stifle his pain as best as he could. They remained silent for as long as possible, trying not to react to the chittering noises that came from the other side of the door. It almost sounded like a stampede of angry bulls coming down the small hallway. How many of these creatures were there now? The noise of their hunt dragged on like a knife cutting them down their back in a slow, sadistic way. Then, just as quickly as they had arrived, the noise ceased. Yet the group was not about to leave the room right then and there. What if those things waited on the other side of that door, being just as quiet? What if they knew everyone was in there, and were like cats waiting for the mouse to pop out of his hole? They decided to stay there for a little while longer. Jacob laid down on the bed since his foot was injured. They sat there waiting, too afraid to make a noise, any noise. Silence can be a dangerous thing, especially when left alone to one¡¯s thoughts. Joshua sat down in the corner of the room and closed his eyes, waiting for the chance to leave this room which had already worn out its welcome. Suddenly, a noise. From the wall to his right, he heard something like banging and screaming. He looked at the others to see if they heard it, alas, they could not. No one else reacted to the noise, acknowledged its existence, or even seemed to be made aware at all. Joshua pressed his ear against the wall to listen in. He could hear muffled screaming and moaning. Yet as he listened, it became more clear. It sounded less like the creatures slaughtering some more hapless adventurers, and something more carnal. Then his eyes grew larger as he recognized what was going on. The house was antagonizing Joshua again. He heard the lustful moans of his wife in bed with Jacob. The betrayal stung worse than anything these bugs could do. He pulled his head away and hung his head low. He looked up at Jacob lying in the bed. Joshua began to have dark thoughts about his brother. He had to know. He had to know this very instant what was true and false. He pressed his ear against the door and then looked at the group ¡°I think they¡¯re gone.¡± Joshua said in a welcoming contentful sigh. Everyone else watched him for a moment longer to see if anything would try to burst through the door and cabinet, yet there were no such noises. A sigh of relief washed over them, yet Joshua would move over to Jacob, standing over him at the bed. ¡°...Is it true?¡± He said behind gritted teeth and clenched fists. ¡°What?¡± Jacob was confused, blinking in bewilderment as he would sit up. ¡°Is. It. True?¡± Jacob had no idea what to say. He swallowed hard, a terrible thought placed in his head as he looked up at his brother. ¡°...Is what true?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb with me!¡± Joshua barked angrily at Jacob, gnashing his teeth like an angry wolf. ¡°Is it true, yes or no?¡± Jacob blinked and swallowed hard and would begin to sweat. He looked at Ulysses for a moment and then back to Joshua. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what-¡± Joshua slammed his fist on the wall with a hard thud. ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb with me, Jacob! Yes or no?¡± Ulysses stood up and have his arms out to try to calm them down ¡°Calm down. What''s gotten into you?¡± ¡°Stay out of this, Ulysses.¡± Joshua continued to look at Jacob as if trying to mentally kill his brother. Jacob blinked and would crawl away slightly on the bed away from Joshua. ¡°J-Joshua¡­ I think you shou-¡± Joshua grabbed Jacob by the shirt and glared at him. ¡°It''s a simple question, Jacob. Answer me. Have you been sleeping with my wife? Yes or no?¡± Jacob couldn¡¯t believe what he had just said. He had been found out. His breath heightened and his heart began to race. ¡°J-Joshua. Y-You have no idea what you¡¯re saying. T-The house is lying to-¡± Joshua growled loudly and shook Jacob like a baby with a rattle. ¡°If it''s not true then just say it! Don¡¯t stammer around like an idiot and lead me around like an idiot. It¡¯s a simple question. Yes or no, that''s all you have to say. Yes or no.¡± Ulysses would touch Joshua¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Alright, that''s enough. Let him go.¡± Joshua ignored him and continued to glare at Jacob. Jacob swallowed hard. He lowered his head in shame and sighed in sorrow. ¡°...yes.¡± Joshua¡¯s lip quivered. With that admission to guilt, he felt tears welling up in his eyes, yet he fought the urge to cry. His fury would be mighty as he gripped his brother tightly. ¡°...Why? Why Jacob? Why would you do that?¡± Jacob couldn¡¯t even look him in the eye. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ It never should have happened. Last year after the harvest, you went to take the produce to market. It was such a haul that everyone celebrated. All the kids were playing, everything was just fine. Fiona, Diana and I got drunk and we partied too hard. Fiona passed out on the couch, and it was just me and Diana in the house. One thing led to another¡­ by the time we sobered up and realized what we had done, it was too late.¡± ¡°There was this¡­sense of giddiness we got into. We¡­did it a few more times together. Though a while ago, Diana wanted to stop it. She said she felt dirty, and what happened between us was a mistake. I agreed, and that was that¡­ Then¡­came the day the dragon came¡­¡± Joshua scoffed and threw his hand in the air. ¡°Bah. You decided to fuck her again?¡± Jacob shook his head. ¡°No. She came to me in the barn and¡­¡± He trailed off. What more could he say that did not stab his brother in the back already? ¡°She¡¯s¡­pregnant¡­¡± Joshua slowly let go of Jacob. He covered his eyes and could feel the anger building up. ¡°How? How could you do this to me?! I¡¯m your brother!¡± ¡°Joshua, please, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jacob stood up with shaking feet as he tried to balance himself. Joshua growled and glared daggers into Jacob¡¯s very soul. ¡°You¡¯re sorry?! You slept with my wife! You stabbed me in the back and got my wife pregnant with your baby!¡± Jacob held his hands up, pleading for Joshua to stand down. ¡°Please. Joshua. Calm down¡­¡± Joshua reacted by quickly grabbing Jacob by the throat and strangling him, unable to contain the sheer rage anymore. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you!!!¡± Ulysses tried to pull Joshua off of Jacob, only to receive a hard punch from Joshua. Joshua was a large, strong man and had the force to knock Ulysses out like a light. Ulysses fell hard, as if someone had dumped a sack of rocks on the ground. Illyana rushed over to him. ¡°Ulysses!!!¡± She pulled him away to try to make sure that Ulysses wasn¡¯t injured. She would try to wake him up. Joshua continued to strangle Jacob, but before Jacob could pass out, he bestowed Joshua with a swift hard kick between the legs, causing Joshua to back up and fall to the ground. Once able to breathe again, Jacob looked for a suitable weapon. His sword was near Ulysses, and Joshua stood between them. So Jacob grabbed the next best thing, a candlestick from the nearby nightstand. ¡°Back off, Joshua. I¡¯m warning you!¡± Joshua growled and tackled Jacob to the ground. He would then rain powerful, heavy fists down on Jacob¡¯s head, getting his knuckles bloodied. Every punch felt like a hammer falling right down on Jacob¡¯s face. Rivers of blood poured from Jacob¡¯s brow. Jacob would reach for the candlestick that had been knocked out of his hand by the tackle. Joshua kept hammering down into Jacobs face as if he were making sausage. Jacob grabbed the candlestick and swung it at Joshua¡¯s head. Joshua was sent to the ground, clutching his head. Jacob felt his adrenaline pumping through his veins and would quickly get on top of Joshua, hitting him repeatedly with the candlestick. For every punch Joshua gave him, Jacob¡¯s weapon came down harder. Jacob took it far beyond self defense. He beat Joshua badly as he could swear he heard cheers behind him. Cheers from Diana. He wanted Diana, didn¡¯t he? He wanted to have it all. Joshua was just in the way. He heard the voice in the back of his mind whisper loudly. ¡°Do it, Kill him! Take what''s yours!¡± He continued to beat Joshua. Illyana watched with utter horror, never seeing such savagery before. She looked at Jacob as he and Joshua had descended into madness. She gripped her fist tightly as she stood up, letting Ulysses down gently and would throw a fireball at Jacob¡¯s face. Jacob screamed and fell back, the pain snapping him out of his psychosis. She went over to Joshua to see what could be done, but the damage had been done. Joshua was dead by the time the candlestick came down the third time. The other countless strikes were just for the sadistic twist. Jacob blinked, realizing what he had just done. He had murdered his own brother. He knelt down and started to sob. ¡°No¡­no¡­ Gods, what have I done?!¡± Jacob looked at Illyana and Ulysses. He then looked down to his blooded hands. Stained with the blood of his own brother, and littered with his greymatter. He began to hyperventilate and then he looked at the sword. He looked at Joshua¡¯s sword, still attached to his hip. He quickly grabbed the sword and pulled it from the scabbard. Illyana stood, aiming her hand at Jacob, ready to give him another fireball to the face. ¡°Put down the sword, Jacob. Don¡¯t make me do something I¡¯ll regret¡­¡± Jacob simply stood there, sword in hand. He tightened his grip around the hilt and then looked Illyana right in her eyes. ¡°My life is nothing but regret now¡­¡± Without even missing a beat, he took the sword and slit his own throat before Illyana could react. He fell to the ground, choking loudly as he gave out a last gurgled breath. And just like that, he was gone too, laying beside Joshua. Illyana stood there, her entire body feeling numb to the touch. She backed away to the wall and sat down. She looked at Ulysses who began to wake up.* ¡°Uh¡­w-whats¡­oh no.¡± Ulysses awoke to see the bloody sight. He looked away. He turned to look at Illyana. Now, it was just them. Just these two. They stared at one another and swallowed the hard, bitter truth. They were going to die here. Chapter 10 Joshua and Jacob were dead. Joshua laid motionless on the floor, his head caved in from the heavy brass candlestick. His skull was cracked like an egg with the yolk of his brain matter spilling out across the floor. Blood poured from Joshua¡¯s nose and ears due to the blunt force trauma that ended him. Jacob laid beside him, the color of his skin already grayed, drained of his life¡¯s ichor. His blood pooled on the floor where Illyana and Ulysses could see their own reflections. In a brief, fleeting moment the house had murdered them. It frightened them with abominations from the pit of man''s fears and twisted them to the point of madness. The two brothers were turned against one another through fear and jealousy. What hope did Illyana and Ulysses have? They sat in that room not knowing what to do. Their hope had run like an hourglass with only a few grains of sand left. The fragile minute moments of their lives were forfeit. There was no way out of the house. Everyone in the town outside was right. They should never have come here. Death was all that awaited them. What could they do now? Wait here to die? Was that it? Was that how their lives ended? Huddled up in a corner waiting for the inevitable? Ulysses stood up, nursing his headache from the recent punch and looked down at the bodies that were once his companions. He closed his eyes and contemplated his life leading up to this moment. Ever since his failure at the town where two innocents had died by his hand, he had been beating himself bloody. Broken promises and regrets filled his mind. He thought of what could have been with Tabitha. If he had not wallowed in his own self pity, he could have gotten a life with her. He would have truly lived instead of pretending to live. Maybe he would have a family by now. Maybe he would be happier. Whatever the case may be, he would not ever know what future he could have had, now as he understands that he will die here. All roads to his life were closed the moment he stepped through the seemingly innocent wooden door. He might as well have been a mouse that willingly wandered into a cat¡¯s ambush, or a fly unknowingly landing in a fly trap. He began to cry. Illyana was in the same situation. She had tortured herself over the death of her brother. It was purely an accident. She couldn¡¯t control it. What use did she have in blaming herself, especially here and now at the end of it? Her life had been so consumed by this that she never truly lived. She hid, exiling herself from men and her own elfen kind. There were simple joys she would never experience now. She never knew what it was like to relax with a group of friends and laugh over a joke. She never experienced what the world had to offer her. She never even experienced her first kiss, let alone a passionate night with a lover. Who could love her in this way anyway? She had no time for it. Oh, but surely now she realized that there might have been someone out there that cared for her if she only opened up. She looked at Ulysses with tears in her eyes. A thought came to her mind. In her sad, fleeting moment of a life, she had many regrets. Yet out of all of the regrets she had, none stung more than not knowing more about Ulysses, who had become her only friend in these final days. What use would be regretting now? He turned to her, and they looked in eachothers eyes. It was strange; as all things were said and done, the thought of death didn¡¯t seem to bother them anymore. There was a strange kind of peace about it. Knowing one was about to die would make things easier. It was comforting. A certainty was there. Security. To know that one was going to die, there was an acceptance. And yet, if death was so assured, then why not make it memorable? If this house was akin to a predator, and they were the prey, then why not go down the beast¡¯s gullet fighting? Why not hook and claw in its throat or at the very least give it some sort of crippling stomach ache if not full scale food poisoning? Why not make this evil regret swallowing them? What would their plan be now? Did they even have a plan? Ah, but what simpler plan would there be if not to go out in a blaze of glory. Kill everything that stood before them in one last stand. To burn everything they could and create a fire so large that not even the house could stop it. That was their mission. That was their last stand. To fight valiantly and then fall. Illyana and Ulysses stared at one another and realized they had both come to the same conclusion. If this be their end, let it be one that Hawthorn house remembers and thinks twice about. If fortune favored them, then let their deaths also be the harbinger for the house¡¯s destruction. Ulysses pressed himself against the door with his ear against the wood as Illyana stood beside him, her back against the wall as she prepared a fire spell in her hand. They took a deep breath and closed their eyes as they readied themselves to make this last stand. Three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­ They exhaled and Ulysses threw open the door to face down toward the hall while Illyana pressed her back against his towards the opposite side, her hands ignited in flame, outstretched towards what seemed like endless darkness. They stood there for a moment, anticipating the oncoming horde of nightmarish creatures just waiting to butcher them like cattle. Instead, they were met with the all powerful deafening noise of silence. The house was playing a game of cat and mouse. Ulysses and Illyana looked at each other and would silently nod. Illyana couldn¡¯t waste her energy on casting spells at nothing. She would be drained like water in a bathtub if she simply chose to unleash her power on the house itself. They moved forward, Ulysses keeping his blade out in front of him while Illyana walked behind him, pressing her back and staying at the same pace to avoid losing him. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Both were alert. They knew that these creatures could be simply hiding under the floorboards and lying in wait like hungry sharks in the water, waiting for the first drop of blood before diving into a frenzy. Cautiously, they walked down the hallway and kept their eyes peeled for any sign of movement. Their ears were trained for the slightest noise or vibration. They were focused, more than they had ever been in their entire lives. Then, with the speed of lightning, a monstrous hooked claw came down from the ceiling to try to swipe at Ulysses. He let out a sharp alert. ¡°Duck!¡± They dodged out of the way in time, narrowly being pierced by the claw. Before the creature could pull the claw back, Ulysses would swing his blade with all of his might and sever the claw from the creature''s arm. It fell from the ceiling and kicked and clawed at the air. Illyana quickly used her power to burn the creature to embers. Another creature came from behind her as she faced the burning abomination in front of Ulysses, yet he was there to spot the danger and pierced its misshapen head, sending it crawling backwards in pain before Illyana finished it with flame. The creature let out a loud shrill screech before flame consumed the last shreds of the thing. Down the hall, more skittering, chittering noises were heard in the dark, drawing ever closer as they duo pushed on. More of the abominations arrived as they made their way down the seemingly endless hallway. Ulysses would notice the wood buckling on the side of the wall and would duck moments before a large claw would swipe. Had he been a few moments slower, he would have lost his head, but instead he received a large gash across his back. He gritted his teeth in pain as the creature raised another talon to try to finish Ulysses off before his final stand could even truly begin. Yet Illyana was there to use her magic to freeze the creature with a powerful gust of frosty wind from her fingertips. Ulysses trudged through the pain and swung his blade at the creature and shattered it into thousands of glass like shards. They would fight through the seven hells themselves as they struggled through, creating as much chaos as possible. Ulysses would get another claw to his chest while Illyana suffered slashes on her legs and back. Yet for every slash they earned, they returned the assault to the beasts tenfold. The fight would leave both of them Bloodied and beaten, but they pressed on. The creatures piled on top of one another just to reach the duo. Their bodies burn from Illyana¡¯s magic. It was more than the house could take, and they would be able to hear the creaking and moaning of the wood as the house buckled around them. The crack of wood and mortar was that of an angry beast that, for the first time of its long life being the apex predator, had now finally met its match. They fought tirelessly until they saw it, the final door in the end of this hallway. They pushed through the beasts, slaying them as the beasts carved them up like a butcher at work. Ulysses tried to open the door, but it was locked. He used his full strength to slam into the door with his elbow. Illyana was forced to spray the oncoming hordes of abominations with fire as he persisted. For Ulysses it was like trying to open a solid brick wall, but with more fire, the house groaned and creaked. The abominations would continue to try to attack while Ulysses pounded the door with all of his might. Then, at long last, something gave way. The door opened and he made it to the other side. He looks over to Illyana and yells at her. ¡°Get in!!!¡± She turned and was about to enter the room when suddenly she felt a sharp pain through her back. Her eyes widened as she felt the incredible pain. She looked down and saw a burnt, bloodied hand stabbing through her body. She turned to see the image of her brother. ¡°You can¡¯t leave me again, Illyana¡­¡± Ulysses stared in shock and horror as blood poured from her lips. Her eyes grew cold with determination and a quick realization of what needed to be done. She would cast the most powerful spell her body was capable of. Her body would begin to ignite in flame. Bright enough to burn her clothes off in the ensuing blaze. Ulysses had an idea on what she was doing, but could do no more than scream. ¡°Illyana! No!!!¡± She looked at Ulysses, coughing up blood as she charged her magic. The image of her brother tried to pull himself off of her, but she held his burnt hand tightly, even as her brother began to shift and deform into yet another one of those abominations. The flames would burn away her mask and reveal her face for the final time. She looked at Ulysses and smiled. For the long black terrible skid mark that she believed her life was, she saw that Ulysses had been her only true friend, and that was the brightest light in the shadow. She would thank him if she wouldn¡¯t need to focus the last bits of her remaining strength on the coming spell. She wished that things had been different, but if this is how she must die, then what could be sweeter than dying for a friend? Her eyes would begin to glow bright red with flame as she forced the door to close as she turned herself into a mighty funeral pyre. Flames poured from the slits in the door as she would engulf the hallway and much of the house in flame. A bright flame that could even be seen outside to the shock of the townspeople below. Ulysses yelled and went to the door to pound on it with his fist. ¡°Illyana!!!¡± He tried to pull the door open, yet its touch burned his hand. He fell to his knees and lowered his head. He sobbed, mourning the death of his friend. The only friend he had in this accursed place. And now, he had made it to the final obstacle of the house. If Illyana¡¯s actions proved anything, it''s that the house was able to be wounded. If the house could be wounded, it could also be killed. Chapter 11 It was at this moment that he realized at long last that this was the end. Finally, this road; this maddening, winding, twisting road would reach its conclusion here and now. He looked around the new environment and found that, in actuality, there was no environment whatsoever. All that laid before him was darkness. Not darkness in the sense that it was just a dark room, but a blackness that was like a void. A blank spot. A place Alohiem seemed to forget at the creation of the universe. He looked at his hands, arms and legs and could see himself clearly. It was more as if he were the only visible work of art on a sheet of paper painted black. No shadow, no light, no echo, nothing. A grave was not as silent as this. He pointed his blade in all directions, trying to get a glimpse of something; anything. Even the door he came in was gone, replaced by the endless black void. Keeping his blade out, he walked towards some random direction and persisted onwards. He followed the long stretch of darkness as far as he could. The hallway didn¡¯t seem so bad anymore. At least in there, he had something tangible to see. He could hear the creaking of floorboards, and smell the old paint on the walls as fresh as an old garbage heap, with a similar scent. Here there was nothing: nothing to grab onto, nothing to hear, nothing to sense. Only the unnatural darkness that laid before him. And then, without any warning he found himself in a room. One moment he was in the void, the next moment after he blinked he was in a house. His eyes burned at the sudden appearance of bright lights. He was disoriented for a moment until his eyes adjusted. He found himself looking at the front door of a pristine house. It appeared to be spring. The sun was shining brightly and kissed Ulysses¡¯s cheek with its warmth. The flowers were fresh and sweet. This small house was something that Ulysses had always dreamed of having. Something to have away from the war, misery and death that plagued Vanlandius for ages. It was a quiet place. He brushed his fingers against the door to feel it before opening the door. He saw a young boy sitting down and reading a book. Ulysses knelt down and saw that the book was about dragons, going into great detail for a children''s book. The large picture of the black dragon Vedmaarvith was prominent. It depicted a burning village where the Dragons scales and the black smoke blotted out the sun. It was an image all the folk of Vanlandius would be afraid to see in real life. Dread consumed his heart. Ulysses knew exactly what the house was trying to do. It was trying to break him. Once again the house was trying to send him into madness, playing with him like a cat playing with a cornered mouse. He looked at the door and aired patiently for whatever would come through it. He stared at the window, knowing that the crossbow bolt would come at some point and ruin this happy image of a family free from the troubles of the world. He hung his head low. His fist tightened into a ball as he waited for the inevitable. Sure enough, the front door opened with a loud crash, and a double of Ulysses came in brandishing a sword and crossbow with murder in his eyes. This disheveled, pathetic excuse for a human is how he saw himself the day courage left him, and fear took its place. He was a far more dangerous thing that day than any dragon in the child¡¯s book. Time slowed down for Ulysses as he saw his wicked shadow raise his sword in the air and prepare to strike down at the pair: the mother having fled to protect the child. Ulysses knew that he would do this over and over again. He would see himself be the murderer of the innocents, just as he always had after that day. His own carved out section of Hell built solely for him to be punished for all of time. The house would feed off of Ulysses¡¯s fear forever more. Yet, something snapped within Ulysses. A thread had been cut that, once cut, could never be mended. The straw that broke the camel''s back. The non stop repetition of that day''s events running over and over and over again. At that moment, fear had left Ulysses and was replaced by anger. Ulysses drew his sword with lightning speed and blocked his shadow¡¯s strike. The shadow turned to look at Ulysses with shock and awe as the family house quickly lit up in a blaze. The walls crumbled into char and ash, revealing the hellish landscape that surrounded them. ¡°...No.¡± Ulysses stood without fear, but determination. He glared at his double, who¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. The double backed away as Ulysses stood proudly. ¡°No more¡­¡± He brandished his blade, pointing it at the double and glaring hateful daggers into the shadow. ¡°Whatever this is, it ends now. I will not fall to you so easily. If you want me, you¡¯ll have to fight me! Today, I will either triumph or I will fall!¡± He took a defensive position and gritted his teeth at the foul shadow. ¡°Whatever you are, whatever black pit you crawled out from, I curse you! I let fear consume me before, and it has haunted me nonstop. Now? Now all fear has left me. Now, my only wish is to see your end!¡± Angrily, the shadow hisses at Ulysses, the initial shock of being defied long worn off. There would be no more talking. Both charged at each other. ¡°Hrrrugghhh!!!¡± Ulysses let out a battle cry as he swung his sword, clashing his blade with the shadow, sparks flying from them as if struck by a blacksmith''s hammer. Ulysses knocked the shadow back with his shoulder, sending the creature tumbling back against a burning wooden beam. He swung at the shadow, only to have the double dodge at the last moment, and swing its sword at him. The Hellish environment roared around them in their duel, deafened by the fire and the screaming of men in battle beyond this dueling ring. Every strike was expertly done, The double and Ulysses were evenly matched. The shadow kicked ash into Ulysses¡¯s face, temporarily blinding him. Ulysses tried to defend himself, but was cut in the arm by a well placed strike. He winced in pain as he reeled back, grabbing his arm as the shadow struck again, Ulysses barely able to defend himself in the nick of time. The shadow grinned as it swung the blade in full force across, Ulysses jumping back away, the blade managing to cut cleanly through his armor. He blinked and saw the shadow licking its blade. It let out a yell before it tried to stab at Ulysses, only for him to dodge out of the way and strike at the shadows back. The shadow hissed loudly and turned to glare at him, its eyes glowing red like embers. It walked around. A twirl of its blade, and suddenly it had transformed. It took on the appearance of a human man. His eyes were glowing gray this time, cold and ruthless. Ulysses knew the face the shadow used all too well. It was the grand marshal, none other than the Hammer of Sigurdsehre himself. Markus Harringoth. The shadow looked like the famous grand marshal, yet had a black and smokey aura around him. Ulysses would normally be terrified of seeing Markus here, yet he knew this was just another of the house¡¯s lies. The shadow spoke. His voice was like the hissing of smoke and the crackling of burning wood. ¡°You will always be a coward, Ulysses. What you do now doesn¡¯t change what has happened.¡± The figure that was Markus swung his blade. In the clash of swords, the shadow changed itself again as quickly as the blink of an eye. It now assumed the form of the woman who he killed so long ago. ¡°You will always scurry away like a cockroach, hiding from the light. There''s no changing you.¡± Ulysses growled loudly and pushed the shadow away and swung at her. ¡°I will not be ruled by fear. Not anymore.¡± The shadow growled. Another swipe and it turned into Illyana, still with a fresh hole in her torso. ¡°You let Illyana die for you. Everyone sacrifices something for you.¡± It changed into Tabitha, and Ulysses hesitated for a moment. The thing spoke again in a raspy voice that mocked Tabitha. ¡°This whore sacrifices her dreams while you waste away. You hate yourself to the point where it is infectious. You promise her so many things, yet you never deliver.¡± Ulysses gritted his teeth and breathed heavily as he swung at the creature. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Be silent!¡± The loud, reverberating clang of metal hitting metal echoed as the mockery of Tabitha giggled with the hiss of a cockroach. ¡°She would be better off if you died here.¡± Ulysses screamed as he pulled his sword back and readied himself to thrust. ¡°Enough!!!¡± He stuck the profane image of Tabitha right in the heart. Its skin began to crack and shatter like glass. They expanded - impossibly so - along the ground and the sky, the entire world as if a child threw a stone and had cracked the very window of reality itself. What new fresh hell was next, Ulysses thought to himself. It was here that he found himself in a truly alien realm. It was a vast, gray desert filled with a miasma that blanketed much of the horizon. What Ulysses could see through the fog was disheartening. A long, flat void with white sandstone like ground. Turning around, he saw that there were endless stretches of desert that went on for eternity, broken up occasionally by colossal ebony black obelisks of obsidian. The towers in the distance were impossibly large, stretching far beyond the sky and into the inky black void beyond¡­wherever it was he found himself. With no choice, he stepped forward, journeying to one of the nearest spires. He didn¡¯t know how long he would travel. Every step felt like a year passing him. Yet he never noticed the sun moving. In fact, he realized that there was no sun, yet the desert was as bright as if it were high noon. That¡¯s when he began to learn other things about that place. Every step should make some echo, yet there was only the flat sound of his foot hitting sand. He looked high and low, and against his better judgment, he called out for someone. ¡°Hello?!¡± He expected an Echo, yet there was nothing. No sound other than his own footsteps and voice. He felt his throat tighten up, uncertain as to what laid before him. He learned that there was an absence of something in this place. Something that alarmed him further was that there was no heat or cold. Just a dull sense. Something missing, as if this were a blank sheet of paper that had yet to have anything written upon it. He pressed on until he finally found himself in front of one of the spires. He looked upon it with awe and fear. The pure size of this one Spire was to him as He must appear to an ant. This place was unnatural, and served only to insult his very existence in some incomprehensible way. He went to face the spire and would feel all along its walls to try to enter it somehow, looking for a door. The moment he touched it, his finger stuck to it. He pulled away and found that the spire - despite being made out of obsidian like material- was soft like oil. He grimaced and forced his entire hand inside. He held his breath and pressed forward, walking deeper into the spire until he vanished. Once he reached the otherside, he found himself in a grand chamber that felt as if it had been carved by termites, and everything that entailed. Huge walls that were carved from rock, saliva, dung and other things that should smell foul, yet there was an absence of smell, just as there was outside. There were many tunnels within this place, each completely visible despite no fires. No light, no darkness. The complete absence of either. He pressed on, not knowing which direction was correct, yet having no choice as to where to move. His journey was as long as it was in the desert if not longer. This one tunnel seemed to be longer than the outside world was, yet he couldn¡¯t know that for sure, could he? He would come to a smaller obelisk in the middle of a large chamber. When he did, he heard muttering, as if someone was talking. He went around to the other side of the obsidian spire and looked on with horror. There was a man fused to the black stone, or at least it used to be a man. The figure was deformed in multiple places. One leg jutted out of the side of the spire. It was gnarled and twisted, either having been broken or somehow gaining multiple joints. One of the arms was much the same, save for it sprouting from a different side of the obelisk, and longer than the other arm. It snaked around and joined the other arm in a prayer motion. The thing''s face was contorted. A Scraggly beard ever so barely clung to the man''s face, dangling off of the loose skin. The jaw seemed to have been broken in two, and his face split horizontally. Both sides moved as if mandibles were chewing. This sad, pathetic creature spoke the same thing again and again and again, reciting something nonstop. Seven lords adorned with fated crowns. Seven seals that bind us down. It is in his nature, he can not resist. The lord of the clan shall awaken the mist. Pride comes before the fall. The lord of calamity shall lose it all. The lord of silence has no voice. When the lord sings, we shall rejoice. The lord of Lions shall be named king. Death''s praises he shall sing. The Horned Lord is no mere fable. Upon his third death, he shall sit at our table. The lord of masks wears many faces, but can¡¯t remember his own. When he does, He shall return to his throne. Many deaths suffered him, the lord of decay. Upon his final death, he shall open the way. Seven seals shall break. The world turns in our direction. Rejoice, for soon comes the hour of perfection. Ulysses stared at the figure as it repeated this mantra incessantly. He tried to make sense of it all when he noticed something. Some small fabric of clothing, tattered as it still remained. Ulysses knelt down and picked up some cloth that had fallen to the floor at the base of the creature¡¯s monolith. It had a faded inscription. The letter H embroidered upon the cloth. ¡°H? ¡­Hawthorn¡­¡± He looked upon what was left of Isaiah Hawthorn. Was this the reward that Isaiah had received after bringing this evil upon the town? He shivered and dropped the cloth on the ground. What cruel devilry orchestrated this? It was incomprehensible to Ulysses. What could he possibly do now that he was here? The crushing reality of the situation dawned on him. He was effectively in a type of hell. Yet this was not the Seven Hells which he had heard of. There was nothing that was even a glimmer of what the stories said: no lakes of fire, fire demons torturing you, no screams of unending agony. This was not hell and it most assuredly was not the high heavens¡­ What was this place then? Was this some place between? He chose another tunnel and ventured deeper into it. The journey took him even longer this time, yet he did not hunger or thirst. There was the absence of hunger. He was not full, but neither was he starving. Just a simple lack of anything. Finally, he finds himself once again in a black void as was in the house itself. He peered through the darkness, trying desperately to find something. Yet when he approached, he heard something to his side. He whirled rapidly to look, only to find nothing. He drew his sword, ready to strike at anything from the darkness. There they were again, the chattering sounds, the clacking of mandibles, the insect humming from the darkness, he whirled again, only to find the same thing that greeted him before. The deafening silence of the void. The noiselessness of the area made his heart quiver. It was so quiet, he swore he could hear his own heart beating. His eyes cut to his side as he felt a presence behind him. He turned and stabbed, thrusting his blade into something solid. What he had stabbed was monstrous in size. The fluid that leaked from the wound had an odor, The first odor that he was able to smell since he arrived in this godless place. It was a pungent smell that made Ulysses want to vomit. He shook his head and Coughed before he looked up at the abomination that faced him. He pulled his sword out and saw the titanic form of the creature in front of him. It looked as if it were a misshapen mantis that was bloated with eggs. The viscous liquid poured from its wound had the consistency of sludge. The smell of rot and bile filled Ulysses¡¯s lungs. The multi armed creature had vaguely humanoid skin, armored in thick chitin. It had numerous eyes like a spider, and several tendrils with mouths at the end of each tip that opened up like pedals of a flower. Ulysses would almost go mad at the sight of this impossible creature. He huffed loudly, eyes widening at the pure size of it. In that moment, he let out a loud, terrified scream. The abominable titan outstretched its many arms and raised its head up as if it were a God, and Ulysses had come to worship it. He thought about Tabitha at that moment¡­ He gripped his sword tightly and plunged his sword into the beast, catching the thing off guard. He cut open the thing, and sent the creature''s guts spilling out of it. It let out multi voiced screams all of which sounded eerily human. He climbed up the creature, stabbing all the way upwards. It tried to swipe at him, but it was about as easy as a man trying to find a flea on his body. He went up to the creature''s chest and plunged his blade into its chest. It let out a violent scream as Ulysses continued to stab again and again and again. The beast wailed loudly as he stabbed it. He tried to thrust his blade into it one last time, but slipped. The sword fell out with him and he screamed loudly, falling down into the blackness below. He felt something under him that was quite different from the hard sandstone and chitin that built up the hellish realm. He opened his eyes and saw a color he almost forgot about. Green. Beautiful green grass under him. He pushed himself up and looked at the grass. He began to chuckle like a mad man, pulling out bits of grass and rubbing them on his face, laughing heartily. Tears welled up in his eyes before he crumpled down on the ground and sobbed. He saw that there was a glow coming from behind him. He turned and saw the most beautiful thing he could ever hope for in that moment. Hawthorn House burning brightly in a great funeral pyre. He stood up and saw the house was engulfed in the bright orange glare. The entire town had stepped outside and watched the fire blaze on into the night, acting as if a second sunset. He limped over to the house and laughed at it, most of the townsfolk surprised to see him living and breathing. He laughed as if he had lost his mind. He did it¡­ he actually did it. He killed Hawthorn house! He knelt down and started to sob again. It cost him so much, but at long last the deed was done. The town was free. Chapter 12 Angelica Sigfried was never found. It was as if she had vanished off of the face of the earth. The smoldering embers of Hawthorn house would become a cautionary tale. While Angelica was gone, no one would ever go missing thanks to the house again. The cinders of the house would go out after a few weeks. While it was proven that stepping upon the foundations of the house were not hazardous, everyone still looked over their shoulders over the looming presence of the house. Even its corpse was enough to strike terror. The town had added the names of Ulysses¡¯s companions to the graveyard, hopefully giving them a final resting place, despite the lack of bodies. Recovering from his injuries, Ulysses would visit them regularly, and paid special attention to Illyana¡¯s grave. On the final day before Ulysses would need to leave, he would visit her grave. He bought her some flowers and laid them down. ¡°Illyana¡­ I won¡¯t be able to visit for quite some time. I¡¯m going to have to return and make things better. The town pitched in and gave me some money to start over again.¡± He hesitated to speak. He choked up and bit his lower lip, looking away from the grave for a moment. ¡°...But I will see you again. I promise you that. I will see you again.¡± He sat down on the ground and slammed his fist on the tombstone. ¡°It''s not fair¡­ I should be worm food, not you. Your only crime was you didn¡¯t know how to control your magic as a child. I¡­I killed people. Innocent people who I murdered because I was afraid. You should be standing here, not me.¡± He began to sob like a baby. After a few moments of letting his emotion run wild and free, he stood up. ¡°But you aren¡¯t standing here. I survived. I promise you, I¡¯m not going to make your sacrifice go in vain. I¡¯ll quit drinking. I¡¯ll use the money to buy myself and Tabitha a life. A good life. A life she deserves. A life I was too wrapped up in my own self pity to give her.¡± He pushed the flowers up closer to the base of the grave. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± He turned and left. Life for Ulysses would change. He ventured back home to give Tabitha the good news. He was a changed man, through and through. It wasn¡¯t as much money as he had hoped, but it was enough. Not a single copper would go into drinks. He bought a nice plot of land out in the country and built himself a homestead with his own two hands, his sweat, blood and tears. A part of him felt guilty that he returned, and the Remington brothers did not. Once the homestead made some coin, he would send what little he could give to them, praying that they would be able to make it through the difficult times. The boys of the Remington farm managed to pick up the slack on their own. The oldest among them took the step to become the men of the house and take care of their mothers and sisters. They would survive and rebuild, eventually thriving. As for Ulysses himself, another great gift was given unto him one stormy night when his daughter was born. An adorable little girl who gained her mothers beautiful blue eyes. Ulysses swore he saw stars in them, especially all the times she laughed. They thought of a very fitting name for her: Hope. His homestead prospered, and soon enough they were practically growing gold. The kingdom was very much in need of produce, and Anderson farmstead was only too happy to oblige. For ten glorious years, they lived in peace, away from the troubles of the world. Here they could live in peace. One night, Ulysses sat down next to Hope and was finishing up a story. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°And so the wolf and the boy lived happily ever after. The End.¡± He closed the book as Hope piped up and clapped her hands. ¡°Again, daddy! Again!¡± ¡°Ohoho sweetie, I can¡¯t. It''s bedtime.¡± Hope pouted and lowered her head. ¡°Awww.¡± ¡°Now come on.¡± Ulysses chuckled heartily and brushed the little girl¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯ll read another story tomorrow, okay?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t go, daddy. Please stay.¡± Ulysses raised an eyebrow and leaned closer ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°The monster will come¡­¡± ¡°Monster. Ah. It''s going to be alright, sweetie. No monster is ever going to hurt you. Not while I¡¯m here.¡± He smiled and gave her a kiss on her forehead. She looked at him, frowning with disapproval. She lowered her head and covered herself with her warm blanket as Ulysses blew out the candle. He stepped outside, getting one last look at her. ¡°Goodnight, my little princess. I love you.¡± He smiled and closed the door. He turned around to head downstairs, yet when he saw what was before him, his eyes widened with horror as he saw an all too familiar room. No candles were lit, yet he could make the outline of every bit of furniture. The ugly wallpaper, and the rancid smell. It was the living room of Hawthorn house. He turned around, his hand still on the doorknob. It was the front door entrance to the house. He tried to open it, but it refused to give. He let go of the door and entered the living room properly. It all dawned on him at that moment. Did he really think it was that easy? Did he really believe that he could kill Hawthorn house that easily? Kill it? How foolish. He realized in that moment that everything he went through, the past ten years of his miserable life were nothing more than a fabrication. All of it was a lie. He had nothing: no loving wife to comfort him, no house he built with his own two hands, no child to give him a reason to live, nothing. This sad and pathetic excuse for a man thought that his story would end by slaying the terrible monster at the end. He thought he would live happily ever after as if this were some children''s story? No. He deluded himself the moment he thought he could best the house. Best it¡­ Now the wretch understood that only one ¡°ending¡± was fit for him. One that it designed. Ulysses began to cackle like a raving lunatic. His mind shattered into thousands of shards. Tears streamed down his face as he fell to his knees, laughing as loud as he could. Hawthorn house still stood proudly upon its hill; its throne. He thought he was clever, yet he was just another unwitting prey animal that wandered into the maws of a greater predator. A fly that landed into the jaws of a venus flytrap. He did more damage to the house than any other fool who wandered into it, and inspired the house¡¯s wrath. Ulysses could not be frightened by the images of the family he killed. He conquered that fear. So what was the house to do? It gave him a new fear. It gave him a beautiful lie. The perfect life that he could have lived. He had everything, and then the house ripped it away from him. Ten years, it made him suffer. The house took no one else, instead focusing on torturing Ulysses until the end of his days. Only when Ulysses would die would it seek to spread its misery again. Until such time has come, the house was content. The night was filled with the laughter of Ulysses, echoing louder than any screams that house desired for them to hear. It taunted those that lived here, but had nowhere else to go, showing its dominance like a successful predator. Ulfric: the village elder sobbed as he heard the laughter, even more terrified than the screams he would have been used to hearing. He covered his head with the pillow, trying to drown out the terrible laughter. He muttered to himself as he wept. ¡°Why? Why?! Why don¡¯t they listen?! Why don¡¯t they ever listen?...¡±

The End