Death and Howls Part Twenty-Four: A Midnight Snack!

Checking the time, Trauma requested me specifically for a job. Of course it had to be around midnight. Nothing like causing trouble in the middle of the night, I thought sarcastically to myself. A whistle had my back straightening, the hem of my leather jacket fluttering in a rancid gust of wind. The train chugged to an abrupt stop, the squeal torturing my ears. Traumios poked his head out, his form glitching.

“Thank you for coming!” He shouted cheerfully, something telling me that the task wasn’t quite the energy he was putting out. “Shucks, the nightmare realm isn’t going to be happy to see you.” A strained what escaped my lips, a nervous laugh tumbling from his lips. Hopping on, my unimpressed expression had him shrinking back. Rushing off to start the train, a freshly cleaned scarlet bench caught me. Holding my scythe on my lap, words of my purifying powers had traveled fast. In between the small battles with walking corpses, churches often asked me to purify their holy water. Whatever made them happy, an usual tension shutting down around the religious front. Staring numbly ahead, the train chugged to life. Steam curled into the air, Traumios crashing down next to me. Snapping me out of my train of thought, he pressed a hand drawn picture into my palm. A shadowy form stared up at me, neon green eyes sending chills up my spine.

“Frights is his name. That bastard pulled off a coup d’etat last night. Do you think you can take him down?” He informed me with pure terror in his eyes, something telling me that they couldn’t refuse him. “It is out of my hands. If you succeed, I gain control of the nightmare realm. With that, his weakness is yours.” Grimacing at my beat up boots, the alliance would prove to be worth it.

“You won't pull any shit on me, right? As cool as you are with me, how can I have faith you won’t join his side.” I asked cautiously, my lips pressing into a thin line. Leaning forward with a twinkle in his eyes, kindness brightened his aura. Scratching at his knees, a confession rested on the tip of his tongue.

“Might I admit that I am the rightful heir but got kicked out. Differing views and all.” He admitted with a brokenness in his eyes, his fingers digging at his knees with increasing speed. “If you help me, my word is as honest as they come.” Patting his shoulder to comfort him, our bond strengthened that much more.

“Count me in. Back me up when I need it.” I laughed heartily, a twinkle returning to his eyes. “Maybe we can make a therapy session about it.” Chuckling to himself, he went on to explain everything about this guy. Zoning in and out, the basics of this madness boiled down to an egomaniac driving a kingdom into the ground. Traumios requested my skills to purify him into nonexistence, a sense of honor washing over me. Lottie would be proud of people asking for my help like they asked for her aid, this occurring for as long as I could remember. Offering me a steaming cake, a sweet filling enticed me. What a treat! The guy most certainly had a soft side within that dark shell of himself.

“Baking relaxes me. I believe that it is a strawberry and cream cheese filling in a golden cake.” He bragged shyly, pride shimmering in his eyes. “Please enjoy my treat for you.” Taking a bite, sweet mixed with tangy. Buttery cake deepened the flavor, every part of me savoring it. Eating every single crumb, a cup of tea floated into my palms. Complimenting him with my genuine smile, his body perked up.

“Thank you for the weekly tea parties. Being who I am is rather lonely.” He gushed between sips of his tea, a gentleness coming over his body language. “How am I so lucky to have you in my life?” The lushness of Acer’s kingdom stopped abruptly at a crumbling dark gray tunnel. Crossing into the nightmare realm, ash drifted aimlessly around twisted trees. Not one solid person existed, shadows moving about the landscape. Squealing to a stop, the door creaked open. Popping to my feet, his head shook in response at me expecting him to join me.

“One step out there and I am under his control.” He warned me fairly, a map materializing in his palm. “Utilize this in my place.” Tapping the parchment a couple of times, a large inky castle rose from the rough surface. A path created itself, with various shadow monsters. Pressing my lips into a thin line, concern flashed in his eyes.

“Can I kill them or am I knocking them out?” I inquired honestly, confusion joining the guilt written all over his face. “Is it not your kingdom!” Tapping my foot incessantly, his mind had broken. Huffing with impatience, his protests fell on deaf ears as I leapt out of the car. Dirt similar to oil pastels floated up, everything reminding me of a picture in that style. Chewing on my bottom lip, killing them would be my last option. A low hum snapped me from my inner chaos of panic, a pathway drawing itself. Animosity created jagged lines, traps laying in wait for me. Summoning a ball of air, the bit of magic held up the map. Brandishing my scythe, charging in proved to be the sole option. Sprinting towards the thickening forest, ash spun around behind my back. Picking up on a dark energy, hands burst from the ground. Swinging my scythe in their direction, horror mixed with alarm at nothing affecting them. Snatching my ankles, the equivalent of sand hissed as I sank into a sea of pitch blackness. Grumbling under my breath, plans never seemed to go my damn way.

“Fuck!” I exhaled bitterly, the hole closing up over my head. Staring up at my sealed fate, flames devoured the map. Three tunnels glowed in the flames, a deep shadow devouring all the seemingly endless space. Why not add not knowing where to freaking go? Closing my eyes, rivers of energy flowed. Flitting between the three of them, malice told me to go down the center one. Opening my eyes, glowing green lanterns crackled to life in all three. Scuttling had me spinning on my heels, a dark gray blob plopped inches from me. A blob was the last creature I expected, fight or flight yanking me in different directions. Lightning crackled up my arm, the monster shrinking back. Lowering my scythe, one poke sent rings wiggling along the smooth surface. So he wasn’t like the others, a soft rubber texture feeling soft against my calloused palm. What a sweetheart! Frights sure had it coming to him for separating a familiar from their master. Was this Traumios or somebody else's?

“Is Traumios your master?” I asked with a bright smile, the blob nodding vigorously. “Help me out and I can reunite you guys! Sounds good to you, little guy?” Popping up and down, cute would describe that fellow or so I thought. Patting the top of him or her, purrs sent waves crashing through his skin. Shrinking down to the size of an apple, rubbery boings announced him hopping onto my shoulder. Petting the top of it, another purr announced his bliss. Gathering my composure, the task at hand needed to be dealt with. Sprinting into the center tunnel, a loose stone had me hitting the floor. Spikes created an iron maiden, a lump forming in my throat. Clammy sweat drenched my skin, the trap theory proving itself. So much fun, I thought anxiously within my racing mind.

“Great.” I mumbled bitterly into the cool stone beneath my cheeks, a meowing noise confusing me. “What a cutie!” Army crawling towards the next section, sand dropping onto my head had the alarm bells clanging about in my head. Heavy walls groaned down, a grunt joined me jumping to my feet. Sprinting through the trap, relief washed over me. A low hum forced me to block a sharpened pendant, sparks dancing in the air. Flipping over the top, a scoot back sent chills up my spine. Musty air bit my cheeks, the blade coming within inches of my nose. The color drained from my face, a new layer of sweat glistening on my skin. Counting between the swings, a pattern had established itself. Moving through each swing, breathing became a commodity. Waiting impatiently for the next trap, arrows clicked into place. Summoning a golden dome, arrows bounced off the surface. Sensing a bit of exhaustion, one poke restored my energy. The blob glowed for a bit, his strength lying in healing powers. How curious. Thanking him with a gentle set of pets, his action came from a good place. Well, maybe he was a he. Fuck, I didn’t know. Purring in my ear, nothing occurred. Moving on, a drawn door into a castle enticed me. Hovering my hand over the crooked handle, the door swung open. Pressing my lips into a thin line, crossing over would be stepping into his hands. Running through the door, crudely drawn stones greeted me. Testing the stairs, a couple of barrels of wine leaked what looked like ink. Solidness permitted me to push forward, a meow settling my fraying nerves. Pausing by the door into the castle, peering out the small window revealed shadowy forms bustling about. How to break in without getting noticed? Perhaps an invisibility spell, the halls clearing out for some reason. Grasping the opportunity, an eerie silence plagued me. The edges frayed, the scene melting into a drawn battlefield. Bodies of my friends dotted the drawn hills, an unimpressed expression lingering on my lips. What a disappointment compared to what Traumios trapped me in. Quaking unsettled my blob friend, its body leaping into my inner pocket. Green glowing eyes gave him away, lightning joining a gust of my own wind.

“Adorable attempt but Traumios nearly broke me.” I taunted him with every intent to throw him off, a spin of my scythe bringing it to the attack position. “Try a bit h-” Popping up behind me, a spin of my heel brought the sharp edge of my blade into his neck. Going through him, panic hid underneath my confident grin. Jumping back, something had to change. Noticing a crack in his spell, an idea came to mind. Theory spoke of this being my nightmare, the laws of dreaming could potentially help me out. Closing my eyes, images of silver roses flashed in between various smiles of my close circle. Pausing on my family, flames of hope roared to life within me. Opening my eyes, a field of silver roses danced around me. Anger brewed with frustration in his eyes, a solid seal washing over my version of his spell.

“Die! Die! Die!” He screeched while dashing towards me, a swing at the silver roses kicking up a purifying pollen. Putting my scythe away, the darn thing wouldn’t do me any good. A spot of magic should suffice, a golden dome humming to life around me. Breathing deeply a couple times, the crack of my palms coming together irritated him further.

“Power of the silver rose, cleanse what doesn’t belong here.” I chanted boldly, the pollen gathering into arrows. “Release.” Raining down upon him, permanent holes dotted his form. Grabbing at his body, the lack of healing woke something up within him. Forming a giant arrow of his own, the dark magic pierced my magical core. The spell dissolved, magic leaking out from the wound. Sinking to my knees, the battlefield returned. Salt caught my nose, another arrow pinning me down in the crouched down position. Blood dripped onto the top of my hands, jolts of pain radiating through my body. Struggling to move, a wall of blob-like material swelled from my pocket. Salt mixed with the silver pollen underneath me, scratchily drawn heart stealing my attention. Mixing my blood with the soil, a coughing fit painted the sea of blacks and grays.

“Do you really think that you can take me down like this?” I wheezed through another coughing fit, a defiant grin dancing across my lips. “Kill me like a man, damn it! Shrink down, my dear pal.” Counting his footfalls, the irregular rhythm told the tale of impatience and ill gotten gains. Slipping into my pocket, sulfur wafted up my nose. Jamming my poisoned covered hand into his chest, the mound of tissue thumped in protest.

“Never underestimate the little guy.” I growled with a twisted grin, his body twitching in my hold. “Fuck you for taking what isn’t yours. Die yourself!” Crushing his heart with the last of my energy, inky sludge cascaded through my fingers. A gust of wind blew away his crumbling body, exhaustion and fatal wounds whisking me away.

Meows and purrs woke me up, a gray cat made of my blob of a friend’s material hopped onto my chest. Claws stuck to the fresh gauze, every movement feeling like a train hit me. Traumios tripped into the room, the tea on the tray threatening to shatter onto the floor. For someone who likes to keep others calm, his demeanor could use some of that himself. Sucking in a long breath, the slow exhale returned his composure. Snuggling onto my chest, large cat ears tickled my chin. Where was my own blob pet? They are simply amazing in the best way.

“Meowsy! Be careful with our guest, my darling boy.” He ordered sternly with a touch of warmth, Meowsy’s tail stiffening. “I managed to restore your magic level with all the medicine we had left. Much to my dismay, your chest wound has merely been sealed into a stitched type of a site.” Stuttering with the last statement, guilt ate at me. Medicine needed to be present, their own not quite matching the kind I was used to.

“Might I ask what you use to heal yourselves?” I queried with a curious twinkle in my eyes, bewilderment causing him to shrink back with the tray. “Would you like to have a supply of medicine for yourself or not?” Silence meant a yes to me, his protests falling on deaf ears as I swung my feet over the edge of the bed. Sliding into my boots, a flash of my genuine smile shutting him down.

“Guide me to your supply room or am I going to have to torture the information out of you.” I requested heartily, the one chuckle jolting the muscles in my chest. “Bring the tea. We have work to do.” Following him through the neatly drawn walls, a supply of all healers’ dreams stole my breath away. Damn, did the idiot have everything. Noting the recipe book on the workbench, Traumios laughed jovially the second he set the tray down.

“Everything about you is like my mother. She had the apothecary skills of an expert doctor. Consider me your assistant.” He sang with a spin, a single tear dancing down his cheek. Meowsy hopped onto his shoulder, the two of them snuggling. Getting into the task, his aid made the hours pass way too quickly for my taste. Making medicine has always been quite fun for me, the time spent with Lottie making it all worth it. Labeling the last jar, his medical closet was full once more. Clapping my hands together, it was time to go home. A sudden embrace shocked me, Traumios refusing to let go. Embracing became a wild shaking of my shoulders, his excited words warming up my soul. Apologizing as his hands dropped to his side, my hands waved around to shut him down.

“Don’t worry about a darn thing. Friends do these types of things.” I assured him with a gentle pat on his shoulder. “As much as I cherish your company, I need to go home. Do you mind granting me that one favor?” Guiding me to a door, the neat edges had been freshly crafted into what existed. Taking in the peculiar realm, there was a certain charm about it.

“This connects us at any time. Come trouble, your family can hide here.” He promised me graciously, the offer sounding like heaven to me. “I mean it. Us allies have to help each other out.” Agreeing with a firm handshake, Meowsy licked my cheek. Ruffling his tuft of rubbery fur, his purrs stole my heart away. Opening the door, one step through brought me into my cabin. Luna and Fel smashed into me, the door crumbling back into the usual closet door. Fel jumped up and down with questions, my scythe flying out of my closet. Catching it before it hurt anyone, something caught my sharp eyes. Answering them with a big hug, Luna spun off to make dinner. A note fluttered on the handle, the secret changing the game. Sitting next to a chattering Fel, the ingredients to a potion granted me a bit of hope. At least dragon scales were plentiful, her tiny hands clinging onto my arms. Folding it up, a tuck into my pocket kept it safe. Tickling her sides, her laughter twinkled in the air. What could be better than this!