Skyrise

The Merchant's Plan

Dragonfly

     As I traversed the forest near Oak's home, taking care to sidestep the traps I had memorized and learned to avoid, a glimmer caught my eye in a little rabbit hole. "It looks like something metallic. Maybe Fox dropped one of his gadgets out here."

     I pushed the branches aside and found a small treehouse, fallen down and overgrown. Upon entry, I smelled the sweet, unmistakable odor of yellowed paper. Pinned to the walls were drawings of two people. One of them was Oak, his red soul prominent against his neon green t-shirt. The other was a little, Oriental-looking boy with a dark grey shirt and a white soul. I recognized him from somewhere. Scrawled across the bottom in a child's handwriting was the words: "Never Forget."

     There were all sorts of drawings of the same caliber, but I learned the name of the white soul was Storm. Oak and Storm were, apparently, great friends before something happened that took Storm away. And, knowing me, I had to find out. I also found a dark green soul named Leaf.

     I found a dusty pencil on the table and attempted to pick it up, but instead, it was attached to a rope that opened a trapdoor under me! I slid down into the depths of the earth. I tried not to yell out, but my stomach churned and my heart wanted to leap into my mouth.

     I landed in a pit with a huge wall of fire before me. I walked up and put my bare hand to it. Of course, I pulled my hand away, hissing. "Fire's really hot, idiot. Don't be stupid." I scolded myself. I stood back before it could catch on my clothes.

     "Hand print not recognized: Please hold for longer." A strangely female voice told me.

     "Do I really have to stick my hand in fire?" I asked. "Seems kinda...sadistic."

     "You are a god, Master. This shouldn't be much of an issue for you."

     I breathed deeply and stepped up to the wall. "Welp. Flames of Judgement! Flames of Judgement! Flames of Judgement!" I chanted, sticking my hand into the flames once again. At first, it seared my hand and hurt like no other. But, over time, I became numb. The wall dissipated.

     "Welcome back, Master."

     "Thank you..." I muttered.

     As I wandered the halls of the lair, I heard the Merchant himself on the intercom quite a few times. Merely going about his day, bossing around monsters. These monsters, however, were unlike anything I had ever experienced. They looked like twisted, melted husks of what used to be humans. I wanted more than anything to reach out and touch them, but seeing their current maybe-solid, maybe-liquid form, I decided against it. Once a few of them had strung together a few shattered sentences and words, I started to put together a story. All I gathered was that someone, or something, had stolen their souls' positive energy, turning them into horror movie fodder. All of them had pitch-black souls. One of them attacked with six tentacles that could've once been two arms. They wrapped around and squeezed the life out of me. I was trapped! I swung at him...her...it? It took severe damage. I heard it roar in pain and drop me to the floor. "I'm sorry!" I yelled over my shoulder as I fled down the hall.

I shrieked with each new encounter, and I hadn't even seen the traps yet. Oh yeah, the traps were just about as nightmarish as the front entrance and the enemies. The whole facility seemed against me. At the end of every hall was another elevator. I figured the best way to go was up. And so, when I finally spilled out of the last elevator (covered in injuries big and small, by the way), I was shocked to see the Merchant himself working away at an old computer.

     It was a large, dome-shaped room with an exit to the left and a few empty crates to the right. The Merchant sat directly across the room from me.

"Two souls including my own. That's all I have." He said, probably not noticing my eavesdropping. Whose soul does he already have, I wonder?! Maybe he's gotten Oak's and that would explain his behavior? "Ten souls. That's all I need. If I can get those ten, I will have the power to transfer back to my old body." Old body? "Hm? And it would seem I have another... Ha!" A lightning  bolt attack was thrown at me. I barely dodged and took off toward the exit. I ran up a ramp and saw daylight through a door. He yelled behind me, but I never stopped running. As long as he's behind me, who cares where he is?

     I threw open the door and stepped into a huge swamp. I used my hammer to knock loose some limbs to block the door. I heard him yell behind me. "Come on, man. I'm not a god yet. I can't actually move these things as quickly as you think." I ran out of the swamp and collapsed before I could make it any further.

I'm not doing the line anymore. It was really annoying to try and mash a button a bajillion times over and over. Anyway, what's with the Merchant chapter all of a sudden, right?! Ten souls. What do you think his original form might be? Also, uh, that gay chapter I was talking about is up next, so don't read that if you are easily triggered.