The Forsaken King

The Stickman

  The world around me was dark cold and wet. Rain poured from the weeping clouds and drenched the land beneath it. The thunder roared at the fleeting lightning bolts. I was a blur of black sprinting under the street lights away from this stickman like demon, the road i was traveling lead to the neighborhood high schools. However before a left turn into the school grounds there was a small shopping center. My mind was so focused on my destination i forgot about cars and was thrown off by the high beams of a Chevrolet. "Skkreeeeeeeeeeeechhh BAM" was all i heard before i was launched 5 feet into the air. I landed in a patch of grass by the curb, the truck had slid into a telephone pole on the other side of the road . The Driver steps out wiping some blood off his startled face. "..uh hey lil feller you ok? I'm gonna call 911 don't you worry" He says nervously. "You just go running about in the street like that at night kid; especially not in all black." He said walking over to me. " GET THE HELL AWAY WHILE YOU STILL CAN, that thing isn't too far behind!!" I shout sending him aback. "What are you talking ab-" Abruptly interrupted by a bladed arm bursting out his chest the man utters his last words.

  The Demon came out of nowhere, it hoist the driver up with the arm already inside him. The stickman cocks his head to the side and thrust it's other arm in the man using both to pry him in half. The beast began eating the body, it seemed completely distracted so i took action.  I scramble to my feet and limp off into the shopping center. The closet store to me was the thug infested CVS. A bunch of low life's stood at the door in complete disregard to the car accident less than a block away. "What you limpin for lil nigga? Wuh that your car dat crashed?" One of the lackeys prodded. The others closed in like a pack of wolves caging a wounded deer. " I got hit...the driver is dead, call the damn police quick." I say my voice trailing off with each breath. The first one who approached me who seemed to be the head of the gang raised an eyebrow. He was tall and light-skinned with many tattoos on his face and neck. He wore a black north face jacket and i spotted a gun tucked in the side of his jeans. "Who you think you bossin cuh, i seen you before too lil nigga. You the one we punked out for your money last week. I told you not to show your face here no more." Spat getting closer to me.

  My fists balled up and that's when i remembered the gauntlet. " I have wanted to do this for the longest time" i spit back with a gnarly grin on my bruised face. My Steel clad fist slams into the thugs jaw, i hear a satisfying snap as his head does a 90 degree spin. I had managed to snap his neck in one blow. His men glanced at the body and drew arms, in total there were 12 guys. Panicked i sprung through the CVS window and bolted towards the back of the store. The thugs follow, four of them with pistols begin firing shots into the isles. The cashiers and pharmacy workers duck behind their post and i hear screams. "I'm so screwed...now would be a good time for that freak to show up it would make a good distraction." I think to myself. As if a prayer had been answered the mangled corpse of a gang member flies over a few isles into mine. The gunfire turns to somethings else and it seems even the crooks were screaming. "Yo!! Dafuq is this thing bruh" i hear one shout before a mist of red fills the air. There was a soft cooing sound and a few thuds. I ease my way back to the front of the store to see what had become of the gang. The stick beast was hunched over a mound of red gunk and shredded cloth.  It lifts it's pointed head up to me and from it's rib mouth speaks. "Gauntlet...i retrieve for master. To the worms i must gift your corpse" the demon croaks before letting off another screech.

  Some instinct much like the one that helped me use this energy to seeming slow, time ushered me to raise my palm at the beast. "Cianara you pin headed mutherfucker", a large spinning orb of flames former in my palm and shoot at the demon like a canon. The blast sent embers and flames all over, the stickman had been knocked through the sliding doors onto a parked car.
I heard sirens approaching and a ringing noise filled my head. I fell to the floor and time froze completely. The tiny star like embers were completely still in the air, the smoke and falling dust like snow frozen like a picture. In front of my stiff body was the golden haired man in the same white robe. "Xander, you cannot win without unleashing the sword from the Gauntlet. I have shown you how to Blink, those times when time seemed to slow was really you using your power to move incredibly fast. Use these abilities i have shown you and beat the forsaken beast. " The man said calmly. His voice reminded me of a teacher from one of the old martial arts movies, you could almost feel the wiseness and experience behind his words. " who..who are you man? How are you doing this." I ask trying squeeze all the info i can before i return to my fresh hell of a day. The man extends his arms and smiles warmly. "My name is Leo, i am one of your ancestors and guides. Now focus on the battle at hand...concentrate your energies. Win for this is your true right of passage." He says as he fades away and time resumes. I grunt to my feet and step out the broken door. 'I got to take this fight elsewhere before police het involved...if i can just concentrate my energies' i think to myself trying to slow time and move fast like before.

  Like a car engine it took a second for my power to ignite but when i saw how slow the cop lights were approaching and how sluggish the Forsaken was i bolted forth and used the gauntlet to lift the stick beast and carry him. What felt like a 10 minute walk to the school football field for me was actually 67 seconds. In that time i had strolled past the cop cars and down the road a half a mile. To the world i was probably a blur. Seeing how easy it would be to kill this thing at this speed i set the creature down by a goal post and opened my palm. Because i was moving so fast the stickman demon was still in the process of getting to his feet when i carried him here now he was finally reacting to being carried. His long bladed arms moving slowly in all directions, i imagine if i was seeing normal speed it would be thrashing wildly .  "Burn you sick freak" i curse under my breath as a fireball forms in my palm. I toss the orb into the beast ribcage mouth and slowed down to normal speed. It let out a howl of pain as the flames consumed it from within.

  I sat on the fields fake grass with tears falling down my face. Watching the demons body burn i let all of of what just happened sink in. The steady pouring rain began dousing out the flames and i was left to the dark. Behind me was a small breeze like someone breathing on the back of my neck. " I see you beat him, looks like me and you get to fight after all. Your mother is strong but she let her gaurd down to long...she is badly injured but still alive. Now come on pretty boy...give me all you got." A voice says from behind me followed by a sinister giggle. I turn around to see Violet, her curly bob cut fell flat in the rain and her dress was scorched in places. What stood out the most were those glowing purple eyes and her arms. Both of her arms were just bone only her bone was made of a dark steel like metal. Her skeletal hands had long sharp red tipped fingers. I felt her energy, it was far stronger than the stickman's and possibly even stronger than my own. I had to do what Leo said...i had to figure out how to release the sword.