She looked up at Reden, whom she was still leaning against. This time he did not notice her however, for he was still reading the book and trying to decipher what they meant. He took out the Jewel he had and began to study it. The reddish tint showed that it was the Jewel of Anger.
Reden thought to himself, 'The Jewel of Anger... what are its capabilities?'
"Hey Reden."
Reden seemed to awaken from his thoughts with a mere, "Hmm?"
Selvi had said it. She asked, pointing at the Jewel, "Is that one of the Jewels?"
"Yes Selvi - it is," Reden replied.
She did not respond. She only watched the Jewel, as if hoping it would do something. She studied it and its appearance. Reden could only wonder what she was thinking...
"Reden, come over here."
The voice had come from Tria. She was standing over Trey, who was quickly working on the body he was sweating and frowning as if something had gone wrong...
"Okay," Reden replied.
Selvi stood up and Reden did the same. They both walked over to Trey, Tria, and the man. They saw that he bleeding more intensely now.
Trey stood up and said with his head down, "This... this is impossible to fix."
The man looked up at Reden. His eyes were clouded as he clutched his symbol in his hands. He stared up at Reden and the Jewel that he held in his hand.
With the man's final words he said, "Corruption may be your death warrant; however, your death warrant may be the way to stop the corruption. Do not become corrupted, for if you do, death may be the only solution to the impossible problem..."
Then the man died, still clutching the symbol that lay across his chest. Reden looked down at him and then he felt something. The same type of presence he had felt near the shop. He looked around but he saw nothing, nothing at all. They trees then grew quiet as the rustling of the leaves ceased. The creatures of the swamp were silenced with the arrival of this new presence.
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
Suddenly, a chain swung out of the forest and struck the ground beside Reden. A man emerged, holding the end of the chain. With a quick flick of his hand it flew back into nothing. He stood there, holding the chain in one hand. In front of him was a large hole in the ground where the chain had struck.
The stranger asked them, "Which of you has the Jewel?"
Reden stepped forward and drew his dagger saying, "I do."
The man smirked and said, "I don't want to have to kill you... but Sinoto said to get the Jewel no matter what. So hand it over or die."
"Get back," Reden commanded.
However, Trey didn't listen and he flung himself at the strange man standing at the swamp's edge. The man smirked as he flicked his wrist and the chain flew forward, smashing into Trey. The force of the blow threw Trey through the wall of the small hut. With the wall down, the top of the hut followed. It caved in onto Trey and Tria ran towards where he fell, Selvi close behind.
"Now," the man said, "hand over the Jewel before I have to kill another one of you."
Reden held the Jewel tight. He looked down and saw that it began to glow redder and redder. Suddenly a wave flew from it and went into Reden's body. He felt powerful and like he was able to do anything. His emotions were running high. He glanced back at Trey and grew even angrier at the man. The power surged within him and he launched an attack.
"What the hell!" the man screamed as he barely parried the blow thrown at him by Reden.
Reden turned at threw his dagger at the man who was now in the air. It went straight into his stomach and, with the intense impact, the man flew back into a tree. Blood poured from where the dagger had entered into the stomach. The man grimaced as he pulled it from himself and threw it aside.
"You think you're strong?" the man shouted at Reden; obviously injured from the onslaught.
Reden didn't respond, he only glared at the man before charging once again at him.
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
"Not this time!" the man shouted as he swung the heavy chain at Reden. However, Reden’s mind told him to duck, and he did. The chain missed entirely and swung into a tree; smashing into hundreds of pieces.
Reden turned upwards and forced his fist to collide with the man’s chest… as he struck he shouted, “Die!”
The man smashed into the ground, causing dirt and grime to fly up in all directions. Within moments though, the man had stood up. He spit blood onto the ground and said, "Sinoto will have your head boy!"
After speaking, he pulled two runes from his puch and smashed them together. As he did so, dust surrounded him and when it cleared - he was gone.
Reden turned back towards the place where Trey's body lay. The anger within him turned to sadness and the power that was inside of him fled from him and returned to the Jewel.
Reden ran over to Trey's side. A large hole in his side allowed blood to pour from him in large amounts. Trey's face was white as he looked up at Reden.
Trey muttered, "Reden, I know we weren't the best of friends..." He paused for a moment and gagged before continuing, "But, I thought of you as a brother..."
Reden began to tear up and said, "Trey, I'm so sorry... It's all my fault..."
Selvi spoke up saying, "No Reden. It was no one's fault besides that man's."
"No, I took the Jewel. I chose not to give it up. It was my fault," Reden insisted.
Trey then spoke a final time, "Reden... Tria... Selvi..."
With that Trey's body grew cold as his spirit left his body. Reden looked up and he could see the faint outline of it flying through the sky. At least, he thought he could see it.
Selvi and Tria began to cry as their friend had spoken his final words. Sadness overtook them and their souls were vulnerable to temptation. Reden however, only had revenge on his mind and in his soul; thus, he was untouchable by such evil...
Sinoto strode across the wooden floor with a sadistic look on his face. Through the window, he could see his own smog surrounding the house. On the ground lay the motionless bodies of guards from the Phoenix gang. Both of them had no wounds on their body for Sinoto had used his smog to suffocate and kill them.
The man from the swamp bashed in through the doorway. He was still bleeding from the stomach and from the mouth. He was holding his side and was trembling in pain. His red hair was covering his dark eyes and his broken chain swung slightly from his hand. He stepped inside and closed the door.
"Did you recover the Jewel, Maxiam?" Sinoto asked.
Maxiam stared at the ground before replying, "No, they fought back. At least, one of them did."
"This was a simple task. How could you fail?" Sinoto asked.
Maxiam did not dare look at him in the eye. He merely responded saying, "I killed one of them. Then the other attacked and injured me."
Sinoto smirked and said, "Do not worry. The Jewel had activated when you killed one of his friends."
Maxiam watched as Sinoto walked towards the window and opened his hand. When doing so he revealed Black Jewel of Acor. He laughed and lifted the Jewel into the air. It collected energy from the surrounding area and then blasted a wave of power through the air; sending Maxiam flying through the back wall and crashing into the ground. Sinoto continued to laugh as the air around him grew black and he vanished, leaving Maxiam dead.
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
Sinoto reappeared in a transparent area. He was floating in the air and was surrounded by a multitude of white, cloud-like figures that seemed to have a life force. Sinoto was interested in one of them in particular. He floated over to it and he put his hand into it. He then opened it and his black smog flew into it, clouding the white figure. It then began to follow Sinoto and Sinoto smirked once more. With the quick closing of his hand that contained the Jewel he and the white figure vanished from the area.
They reappeared in the Phoenix gang's hideout, which had been reformed into Sinoto's hiding spot. In one hand was the Jewel, and in the other was the black cloud like figure. He walked over to Maxiam's motionless body and he released the cloud figure over it. It swarmed around the body and entered it eventually. Maxiam's body began to transform, taking a new appearance. Slowly, the body took a new appearance.
Sinoto asked it, "Do you remember anything that happened today?"
"No," the new body replied.
Sinoto said to it, "Your new name is, Trey."
The body looked exactly as Trey's did. The soul that Sinoto had gotten using the Jewel of Death was Trey's. He had reformed it using his smog so that it would serve him.
He handed Trey a pack of throwing knives and a large axe saying, "Take this - soon you will be using it. Train with it and grow accustomed to its feel."
The new Trey nodded and took the items. He immediately tried out the axe by destroying the front door with a small swipe. Then he took out the throwing knives and immediately threw one towards the wall. It smashed into it, creating a small hole.
Sinoto seemed pleased with his new assistant. He smirked and said, "Good, you will soon fight."
Trey's eyes had dark circles surrounding them and an evil tint to them as well. He leaned slightly forward as he stood and he held the axe over his shoulder as if he had had it a lifetime.
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
Sinoto said, "Soon we will acquire the ten Jewels of Acor and we will conquer everyone in our midst. Eternal power shall reign supreme and we will institute a large amount of laws."
Trey stood still as he stared at the ground. He held the bag of knives in his left hand and the large axe over his right shoulder.
Sinoto smirked once again as he said, "Soon, we will rule supreme!"
Reden lay in his room, asleep on his bed. The walls were bare along with the room except for a few objects. There was a small desk in the corner and a small chest resting beside it. The dark wooden walls seemed to pull the energy from the room. His bed sat in another corner, opposite from the desk and chest. His dark black sheets blended in with the room and his one pillow sat alone, resting underneath his head.
His closet was open, revealing the small amount of items that he owned. Robes, shoes, amulets, weapons, gloves, boots, and a few other various things lay inside.
Reden was sweating in his sleep. He was continuously rolling about and talking in his sleep. He was mumbling however, and he couldn't be interpreted correctly by anyone that would hear him. He dreamt of Trey and what had happened to him. After the incident he had been continuously blaming himself for his death.
He continued to talk in his sleep. Sometimes, words or phrases could be understood from the vast amount that was being said. One of the few phrases that was continuously coming from his mouth however was, "No, I took the Jewel. I chose not to give it up. It was my fault."
Suddenly he threw the bed covers from him and sat up while holding his face in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably. He thought of Trey and his lifeless body, preparing for burial in the morgue. He cried softly, but tears flew through his hands that were trying to conceal them. His blue eyes were clouded with hate and his mind was being turned to a new type of thought; revenge.
After about ten minutes of constant sobbing he stood up. He walked over to his closet and grabbed his leather clothing that he had received as a gift from a passing adventurer. With it he took his leather gloves and boots, his Poisoned Dagger, his snakeskin bandanna, his amulet, and a bag.
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
He opened the bag and dust flew into the air. He had not opened it since he had first received it from his father, whom had died the previous year. Reden stopped as he held the bag open. He thought back to what he had heard happened the previous year when his parents had been killed...
------------------
"Stop, thieves!" a woman called.
She was Reden's mother and she had dark black hair along with brown eyes. She was attractive and also had a sleek appearance, just like Reden.
A man emerged from the home; which was located next to the Axe Shop where Reden worked. He stepped out holding a Sword that glowed red and his amulet around his neck.
An arrow flew from a distance, causing Reden's father to jump to the side in order to avoid it.
"Be careful Samuel!" the woman cautioned.
Reden's father, Samuel, turned and yelled back, "I will Ruth! Don't worry!"
He turned back in the direction that the thieves had ran and he heard a shout come from the East. He quickly crossed the bridge and stopped at the edge. He looked around him and saw goblins had surrounded him.
"This may be a problem..."
The goblins swarmed him. He swung with all his might at the one closest to him and made a clean cut across the chest. Green blood spewed from the wound as the goblin fell. However, another one was quick to take its place.
Samuel continued to strike at them, killing them one by one. He was an old man though, and he wasn't strong enough to handle the goblins along with the thieves he was pursuing. He heard a scream come from his home and he turned his head to try and get a glimpse of what was occurring. This was his fatal mistake.
A claw struck him in the chest, causing blood to leak from the wound. When one struck him, he was vulnerable to others. The one strike was all that the goblins needed. They attacked with menace and they were ruthless. Strike after strike caused more and more blood to come from Samuel.
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
He gained up all of his strength and he swung his blade; a wave of power, colored red, flew from it. The wave killed all of the goblins with a single blow, striking them down due to a blow to the midsection.
Samuel slowly forced himself to his feet and muttered, "Idiotic creatures."
Then he remembered the scream that had come from his home. He turned and prepared to run towards it, but he was unable to. He felt the sharp tip of an arrow glide into his unprotected back. He had forgotten his armor and was unable to defend himself or attempt to avoid it. He fell to his knees, only able to support his weight by holding his sword which was sticking out of the ground.
Three men appeared in a wave of smog before him. They all wore black masks and black capes; two of them held Daggers, whilst the other held a Bow and Several hundred Arrows.
The one with the bow asked, "Where is it?"
"Where's... where's what?" Samuel asked, obviously struggling with the pain.
"The Jewel!" one of the others shouted.
The one with the bow raised a hand and silenced the other, he was obviously the leader. He said, "You know what we want. We know it's here! Now, give it to us or you and your wife both die."
Samuel laughed and struggled to say, "Kill us if you wish... but you will never receive the Jewel.... my wife and I both took an oath that we would not reveal where we had hidden it..."
The man with the bow quickly shot an arrow into Samuel's face, killing him instantly. He turned to the others and said, "Kill the woman."
They nodded and vanished in a small cloud of smog. Moments later, a blood-curdling scream could be heard throughout the air. Shortly after, nothing could be heard but the slight gurgle that came from the flowing river...
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
------------------
Reden noticed that a tear was beginning to crawl into the corner of his eye. With a quick motion of his hand he brushed it away and put on what he had assembled. He wore a snakeskin bandanna, Leather Armor, boots, gloves, and an amulet. On his side was a dagger, poisoned, along with the small sack that he had received from his father the year before.
He wished he would've been there to assist them in their time of need the previous year; but he was in Seers at the time, stocking up on items for the shop that he worked at.
Reden stepped outside into the cool, brisk air. A slight breeze could be felt coming from the north and the trees dropped leaves from the tips of there branches to the ground below. Reden glanced to his right and saw the book he was reading earlier still resting on the step. He had forgotten it with the commotion that had occurred earlier.
He thought once again of Trey and quickly made his way to the house in the graveyard where the body was being kept. He remembered having watched the house before, when he was going South with Trey to meet Selvi and Tria. Reden could only imagine what they were going through at the time.
"Blasted lock..." Reden muttered as he attempted to pick the lock on the gate that blocked the path leading into the graveyard.
Finally, after a few moments, the gate's lock clicked open and Reden stepped into the cool dirt. The graveyard was empty and a slightly ghostly presence could be felt protruding from the many graves that covered the ground. He made his way past the tombstones and up to the door of the house that was holding the body of Trey.
He was surprised that this door wasn't locked as he easily opened the door. He felt in the bag he had brought and discovered a lantern and a tinderbox. He quickly lit the lantern and began to study the room.
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
