“No fucking way!” Isla cheered.
The streak of orange crashed just beyond where their line of sight hit he treeline.
The emeralds of her eyes met the turquoise of his.
She beamed at him and they grabbed their bags. Eli adjusted a small holster on his belt and down the road they went.
After the Witness was freed, whatever flash of light that followed it had incinerated the eyes of every zombie on the planet.
The world got a lot deader.
Eli and Isla walked along the broken but paved road. Traveling at night was never safe, but with mortal kind and their iron and silver re-entering the world, the things in the dark tended to stay more careful.
Though none of the mortals trusted that there were no longer any undead lurking out there. So they stayed in their zones and compounds.
So that left just Eli and Isla, alone at the End of Days, looking for a rock.
“For some reason,” Eli lamented, “I thought this would be easier.”
The slanted tunnel into the earth had been easy enough to find though the meteorite had flown away. They knelt in the grassland nearby, looking for the stone.
“How will we know if we find it?” Eli asked.
“You’ll know,” she said, “probably.”
“I just think if we wait until the mor–,” Eli said as his eyes suddenly opened very wide.
The was as static buzzing in his ear.
He turned.
There in the dirt.
He reached for it.
He rose.
“Is this it?.” Eli asked, “it’s kind of warm?”
It was small, a muddy yellow-orange, it fit nicely in his hand.
She walked over to him. She reached for it but her hand stopped just above it. Her eyes widened too.
“Whoa,” Isla said, “this thing has got Power, capital P.”
She pulled her hand back.
“How?” Eli exacerbated “we just watched it fall?”
“I have no idea,” she said.
There was a flash of scarlet but Eli had already moved as crimson tears fell. The torrent of hellfire whipped around the invisible cylinder Eli had called up around them. A trickle of blood came from one of his ears.
The interior temperature of the cylinder began to rise. Eli pressed a hand back to Isla, his fingertips brushed against hers and words passed silently between them.
The invisible cylinder unwrapped, and reformed around the source of the flame. The smell of rotten eggs drove Eli to tears but he pressed on.
Isla repositioned.
There was a pulse of force from within the blazing cylinder, the resulting recoil flew Eli upward in a set of vibrating cartwheels. His concentration faltered, the cylinder shimmered out of existence, and he hit the ground.
“Arrogant worm!” The demon roared. The hellfire died away to reveal some kind of medieval bestiary rejection.
Its skin was scaly and azure blue. Its horns were solid opal and reached straight up. His tongue was bright pink and split-serpentine, another copy of his face was on his stomach.
Eli set his shoulders and stood before the demon, his hand to just above his holster.
“Give me the Devil Stone, vermin.” its voice was sticky, like it could not swallow.
In response, Eli flicked open the holster. He pulled out a small, plastic green water pistol.
“I have no idea–,” he but their conversation was interrupted by a blast of searing yellow. It engulfed the demon who roasted in screeching rage.
“I said two seconds after ‘idea’!” he roared as he ducked away from the flames.
“Sorry!” she responded from the dark.
There was a blast of air and the plume of flame was snuffed out. Eli mimed a wall appearing before him with his left hand. The force of the air pushed him several inches back as it was displaced by the plane of force before him.
Eli stepped ford and pressed the wall forward. The plane of invisible force connected with the demon. The ward wrapped against the demon as if to mummify it.
Blue-white sparkles of electricity began to float in the air beside the demon.
The cocoon of force vanished at the same moment as that world went blue-white. There was a blast and Eli was sent several feet through the air. The jagged fury tore through the demon’s hellfire body from the side opposite the sparks.
There was a roar of sound and embers as the demon was torn asunder. Its upper torso was blown clean off. It hit the ground in a heap.
Its form began to darken and shimmer.
Sulfur began to stir.
Tension built in the air.
Eli kicked the reforming demon over, pointed the bright green water pistol at it, and pulled the trigger.
A pathetic squirt of holy water fell upon the demon. Instantly the water began to glow golden-white and a tone thrummed through the air.
The scarlet hellfire erupted into golden light, the tone ended, and the world went dark.
“What the fuck?” Isla barked. “Devil Stone?” Isla asked, moments later applying a large bandage to her arm. She wrapped the cut carefully.
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“No idea,” he said, “I have never heard of something like it.” He wiped the remaining crimson tears from his eyes and ears.
“It is a power beyond you, boy.” said a woman’s cackle.
They turned.
She was nearly six feet tall, she wore a cloak, or maybe a dress, of onyx mist that seemed to shift in the wind. Her hair hung like a wrought iron curtain.
“Give it to me,” she said, raising her staff. It was taller than her. Elegant black wood with no designs at all. The only adornment was at the top of the staff. It was a large stone with jagged, uneven edges. It was roughly symmetric in its triangular shape.
In response Isla chose another four letter curse, and with flick of her athame, a plume of yellow flames came up and intersected with a flicker of azure sparks from the woman.
“What the fuck?!” Isla yelled again.
Eli took a step forward and threw a right hook with the hand holding the rock and braced for the recoil. It never came.
Rather than the invisible blast of telekinetic force he had intended, the air erupted into a scarlet column of hellfire the thickness of his fist.
It tore through Isla’s yellow flames and hurled toward the other witch.
The yellow, blazing flower was immediately snuffed out by the column of scarlet. Eli's eyes widened as his stomach sank.
Emerald met turquoise.
The
“No fucking way!” Isla cheered.
The streak of orange crashed just beyond where their line of sight hit he treeline.
The emeralds of her eyes met the turquoise of his. She beamed at him and they grabbed their bags. Eli adjusted a small holster on her belt and down the road they went.
After the Witness was freed, whatever flash of light that followed it had incinerated the eyes of every zombie on the planet.
The world got a lot deader.
Eli and Isla walked along the broken but paved road. Traveling at night was never safe, but with mortal kind and their iron and silver re-entering the world, the things in the dark tended to stay more careful.
Though none of the mortals trusted that there were no longer any undead lurking out there. So they stayed in their zones and compounds.
So that left just Eli and Isla, alone at the End of Days, looking for a rock.
“For some reason,” Eli lamented, “I thought this would be easier.”
The slanted tunnel into the earth had been easy enough to find though the meteorite had flown away. They knelt in the grassland nearby, looking for the stone.
“How will we know if we find it?” Eli asked.
“You’ll know,” she said, “probably.”
“I just think if we wait until the mor–,” Eli said as his eyes suddenly opened very wide.
The was as static buzzing in his ear.
He turned.
There in the dirt.
He reached for it.
He rose.
“Is this it?.” Eli asked, “it’s kind of warm?”
She walked over to him. She reached for it but her hand stopped just above it. Her eyes widened too.
“Whoa,” Isla said, “this thing has got Power, capital P.”
She pulled her hand back.
“How?” Eli exacerbated “we just watched it fall?”
“I have no idea,” she said.
There was a flash of scarlet but Eli had already moved. The torrent of hellfire whipped around the invisible cylinder Eli had called up around them.
The interior temperature of the cylinder began to rise. Eli pressed a hand back to Isla, his fingertips brushed against hers and a plan passed wordlessly through them.
The invisible cylinder unwrapped, and reformed around the source of the flame. The smell of rotten eggs drove Eli to tears but he pressed on.
Isla repositioned.
There was a pulse of force from within the blazing cylinder, the resulting recoil flew Eli upward in a set of vibrating cartwheels. His concentration faltered and hit the ground.
“Arrogant worm!” The demon roared. The hellfire died away to reveal some kind of medieval rejection.
Its skin was scaly and azure blue. Its horns were solid opal and reached straight up. His tongue was bright pink and split-serpentine, another copy of his face was on his stomach.
Eli let the cylinder disappear and stood before the demon.
“Give me the Devil Stone, vermin.” its voice was sticky, like it could not swallow.
In response, Eli reached down to the little holster and flicked open. He pulled out a small, plastic green water pistol.
“I have no idea–,” he but their conversation was interrupted by a blast of searing yellow. It engulfed the demon who roasted in screeching rage.
“I said two seconds after ‘idea’!” he roared as he ducked away from the flames.
“Sorry!” she responded from the dark.
There was a blast of air and the plume of flame was snuffed out. Eli mimed a wall appearing before him with his left hand so one did. The force of the air pushed him several inches back.
Eli stepped ford and pressed the wall forward. The plane of invisible force connected with the demon. The ward wrapped against the demon as if to mummify it.
Blue-white sparkles of electricity began to float in the air beside the demon.
The cocone of force vanished at the same moment as that world went blue-white. There was a blast and Eli was sent several feet through the air. The jagged fury tore through the demon’s hellfire body.
There was a roar of sound and embers as the demon was torn asunder. Its upper torso was blown clean off. It hit the ground in a heap.
Its form began to darken and shimmer.
Sulfur began to stir.
Tension built in the air.
Eli kicked the reforming demon over, pointed the bright green water pistol at it, and pulled the trigger.
A pathetic squirt of holy water fell upon the demon. Instantly the water began to glow golden-white and a tone thrummed through the air.
The scarlet hellfire erupted into golden light, the tone ended, and the world went dark.
“What the fuck?” Isla barked. “Devil Stone?” Isla asked, moments later applying a large bandage to her arm. She wrapped the cut carefully.
“No idea,” he said, “I have never heard of something like it.” He wiped the remaining crimson tears from his eyes and ears.
“It is a power beyond you, boy.” said a woman’s cackle.
They turned.
She was nearly six feet tall, she wore a cloak, or maybe a dress, of onyx mist that seemed to shift in the wind. Her hair hung like a wrought iron curtain.
“Give it to me,” she said, raising her staff. It was taller than her. Elegant black wood with no designs at all. The only adornment at the head was a large stone with jagged, uneven edges. It was roughly symmetric in its triangular shape.
In response Isla chose another four letter incantation and with flick of her athame. A plume of yellow flames came up and intersected with a flicker of azure sparks from the woman.
“What the fuck?!” Isla yelled again.
Eli took a step forward and threw a right hook with the hand holding the rock and braced for the recoil. It never came.
Rather than the invisible blast of telekinetic force he had intended, the air erupted into a scarlet column of hellfire the thickness of his fist.
It tore through Isla’s yellow flames and hurled toward the other witch.
She sang a tune and a plane of flickering iridescent force appeared before her. The hellfire blasted against it like a firehose. She was pushed several feet back in the egg-scented heat.
She switched tunes and the new song erupted from her lips in waves of auroral hues in the air.
All of the veins in Eli’s neck tensed and threatened to pop. Isla screamed, her athame dropped.
“Idiot chil–,” she started as the world when golden-white. No sound accompanied it.
The song stopped. Eli and Isla dropped, panting. They looked up.
“Now what?” Eli breathed.
“What the fuck?” Isla snapped
“Who goes!?” hissed the elder witch.
“Just a Wanderer.”
