Pavouk and Gordon

Wilson went off his own way. I'm sure I'll meet him again eventually. David and I have been hiding out for the past couple days. I had to go out earlier to clear my head, and I ended up encountering this weird guy.

“Are you Daniel Ferris?” he asked me.

“Who's asking?” I asked.

“The name I've been given is Pavouk,” he said.

“What do you mean 'the name you've been given'?” I asked.

“The title given unto me by my master,” he said.

“I see,” I said. “So you're another servant sent to try and kill me, huh?”

“Not quite,” he said. “I've been sent to duel you.”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

Shadows formed around his wrist and shaped themselves in the form of a duel disk.

“I'm here to duel you,” he repeated.

“Why?” I asked. He seemed taken aback by that.

“What do you mean 'why'?” he asked.

“Why do you wanna duel me?” I asked. “I mean, I enjoy the game, but this seems a bit random. And magic cards games are an interesting plot for a tv show, but in real life it's just plain silly. So, why do you anna do this?”

“This is a demand from my master.” he said. “Now, duel me!”

“Hate to break it to you, but no,” I said. “A couple days ago, a bunch of people I was trying to protect got blown to bits by a mad man and a Dying Man shard because of me, so as you can probably guess, I'm not really in the mood for card games right now. And I don't know if you've figured this out yet, but my entire right arm is disabled. I am physically unable to play games right now.”

A chain shot from his duel disk and latched onto my right wrist. A duel disk made of darkness formed there, and tentacles sprouted from it, wrapping around my arm and finger. The tentacles started twitching forcing my arm to move.

“I'm not giving you a choice,” he said.

“You can't be serious,” I said.
“Duel me!” he demanded.

“Ugh, fine!” I said. “Just give me sec.”

I reached into my backpack and got out a deck. Not the same deck as my last duel, but a different one. I also slipped my Archangel card into the deck, just in case. I shuffled and stuck the deck into the duel disk.

“I'll go first,” he said, drawing. “I activate the continuous spell card Intrusion Hive. During each of my standby phases, instead of drawing as normal, I can select 3 Intrusion monsters from my deck, and add one of them at random to my hand. Next, I normal summon Intrusion Wasp in attack mode.”

His monster was a giant wasp with 500 attack points. It was only level 1.

“I set two cards and end my turn,” he said.

“My move,” I said, drawing.

“The effect of Intrusion Hive activates,” he said. “During my opponent's draw phase, they may choose to draw an extra card.”

“Okay then,” I said. “I'll do that, then. And I summon Wind-Up Knight in attack mode!”

A mechanical soldier appeared before me. He was level 4 with 1800 attack points.

“Next, by tributing a warrior type monster, I can special summon Turret Warrior!” I said.

This one was a level 5 warrior made of stone with turrets mounted on its shoulders. It had 1200 attack points.

“Turret Warrior gains the attack power of the monster I tributed to summon it,” I said. “That adds up to 3000! Now, attack his Wasp!”

“I activate the continuous trap card Gravity Bind!” he said. “As long I control this card, level 4 and higher monsters can't attack.”

“Damn it,” I said. “I set two cards face down and end my turn,” I said.

“I activate the effect of Intrusion Hive,” he said. “I select 3 Intrusion cards, and you select one at random.”

He held up three cards.

“I pick the one on the right,” I said.

“Very well,” he said. “That card will be added to my hand, while the others go back to my deck. Next, I activate the effect of Intrusion Wasp!”

The wasp flew forward and stung me in the chest. It hurt like fuck and I lost 300 life points. The tentacles around my arm grew tighter. It was really painful, considering my arm was already badly damaged.

“This effect will activate during each of my standby phases,” he said. “Now, I summon Intrusion Recluse.”

A very large brown recluse spider appeared on his side of the field. It was level 1 with 400 attack points.

“Now, attack his Turret Warrior!” he demanded.

His spider obeyed, and sunk its fangs into my monster's stone skin. My Turret Warrior angrily swatted his monster away. His monster landed on its spindly legs and faced me.

“Why isn't it dead?” I asked.

“The Intrusion cards are Fears,” he said. “Only another Fear can defeat them. I also use the trap card Iron Chitin! When an insect-type monster battles, I can cut the damage in half and draw a card for each 500 damage I take. I take 1300 damage, so that's 2 cards.”

He drew from his deck, and his life points went down to 6700.

“Now, Intrusion Recluse's effect activates!” he said. “Now, the monster it just battled will be destroyed!”

My Turret warrior crumbled to pieces before my very eyes.

“Now, I attack you directly with Intrusion Wasp!” he said.

I went down to 7200.

“I set a card face down and end my turn,” he said.

“I draw,” I said. “Also, using Intrusion Hive's effect, I draw again!”

Only a Fear card could beat his Intrusion cards, so I'd have to draw the Archangel as soon as I could, and thinning out my deck was the best way to make that happen.

“I summon Lightserpent!” I announced.

A glowing silver snake appeared on my field. It was level three with 1200 attack points.

“I'll have my Lightserpent attack your Wasp!” I said.

“I activate the trap card Intrusion Stinger!” he said. “Now, you'll take the same amount of damage as I do!”

We both lost 700 life points. I was down to 6500 and he was at 6000. His monster survived my attack.

“I end my turn,” I said.

“My turn,” he said. “I use Intrusion Hive's effect to select three cards. Now pick one.”

“The middle card,” I said.

“Perfect!” he said, smiling.

I immediately regretted picking that one.

“I activate Intrusion Wasp's effect to deal you 300 points of damage!” he said.

My life points dropped to 6200, and the tentacles grew even tighter.

“Now, I tribute my two Intrusion cards to tribute summon Intrusion Black Jacket!” he said.

A giant wasp covered in dark black chitin appeared, buzzing above us. It was level 7 with 2300 attack points.

“Now, I activate the equip spell Ultimate Insect Adaptation,” he said. “Due to this cards effect, My Intusion Black Jacket will be immune to effects of trap cards, so Gravity Bind won't have any effect on it. Now, I attack!”

His Black Jacket attacked my Lightserpent. I took 1100 damage, and my monster was destroyed. Then tentacles around my arm tightened even more, and I couldn't help crying out in pain.

“I set a card face down and end my turn,” he said.

“I draw twice using Hive's effect,” I said. “Then, I normal summon Wind-Up Dog!”

A mechanical dog appeared on my field. It was level 3 with 1200 attack points.

“Next, I use the effect of Wind-Up Shark!” I said. “When a Wind-Up monster I summoned, I can bring him out too.”

My dog was joined by a mechanical shark. It was level 4 with 1500 attack points.

“Once per turn, I can increase or decrease Wind-Up Shark's level by one.”

“So using that effect, you could make it level 3, so that it won't be effected by Gravity Bind,” he said. “But it won't matter. Neither of your monsters are strong enough.”

“I know,” I said. “That's why I'm increasing its level.”

“What?” he asked.

“I increase Wind-Up Shark's level to 5!” I said. “Next, I use Wind-Up Dog's effect. I can increase its level by 2 and its attack by 600, turning it into a level monster with 1800 attack. Now, with these two level 5 monsters, I build the overlay network!”

My monsters overlayed with each other, and a shadowy figure with raven-like wings and a glowing red knife appeared.

“I summon, Adreus, Keeper Of Armageddon!” I said.

My monster was a rank 5 monster with 2600 attack points.

“Since xyz monsters have ranks instead of levels, he's unaffected by Gravity Bind!” I said. “Also, I use his effect, so by detaching one of his overlay units, I can destroy a card you control, and I pick your Intrusion Black Jacket!”

His monster was destroyed.

“I activate the trap card Intrusion Swarm!” he said. “When one of my Intrusion monsters is destroyed, I can special summon 2 level 1 Intrusion cards from my deck. So I'll summon Intrusion Tick and Intrusion Mantis, both in defense position!”

His Tick had 100 defense and his Mantis had 300 defense.

“I end my turn,” I said.

“I choose to draw normally this time,” he said. “Next, I switch Intrusion Tick to attack mode. Then, I activate the effect of Intrusion Mantis to bring back Intrusion Black Jacket from my graveyard!”

His giant wasp returned to the field.

“I use Tick's effect, so by sending Gravity Bind to the graveyard, I can have it gain 700 attack points,” he said.

His Gravity Bind vanished and his Tick's attack point rose from 500 to 1200.

“Now, I activate the continuous spell card Antimatter Restrictor,” he said. “Now, xyz monsters can't attack the turn they're summoned. Also, any xyz monster without xyz materials lose half of their attack points. Now, Black Jacket, work you magic!”

His life points dropped to 5000, and a beam of light shot from his Black Jacket's stinger, striking Adreus. His remaining overlay unit vanished.

“What did you just do!?” I demanded.

“Intrusion Black Jacket's effect,” he said. “At the cost of 1000 life points, I can detach all the overlay units attached to a monster my opponent controls. And now that your monster has lost all its overlay units, its attack power is reduced by half.”

Adreus's attack power dropped to 1300.

“Now, I attack your monster with Intrusion Black Jacket!” he said. Adreus was destroyed, and my life points were reduced to 4100. “Then I attack directly with my Tick!”

My life was reduced to 2900.

“I end my turn,” he said.

“I draw 2 cards,” I said.

I still didn't have the Archangel. I'd have to keep thinning my deck.

“I summon Goblindbergh in attack mode!” I said.

A Goblin flying an airplane appeared. It was level 4 with 1400 attack and 0 defense.

“I use the trap card Copy Knight!” I said. “Since I just summoned a warrior type monster, Copy Knight can be treated as a monster with the same level. Then, I use Goblindbergh's effect, so by switching him to defense position, I can summon a level 4 or lower monster from my hand. Come on out, Ganbara Knight!”

A soldier wielding 2 shields appeared. He was level 4 with 0 attack and 1800 defense.

“I build the overlay network with Copy Knight, Ganbara Knight, and Goblindbergh!” I said. “With these 3 level 4 monsters, I xyz summon Number 10, Illumiknight!”

A skull faced knight riding a horse appeared. He had 2400 attack and defense.

“I use Illumiknight's effect!” I said. “By detaching one of his overlay units, I can discard a card and draw another one!”

I got a new card, but I still hadn't drawn the Archangel.

“I activate the spell card Xyz Energy!” I said. “By using one of Illumiknight's overlay units, I can wipe out your Black Jacket!”

“I use Tick's effect,” he said. “By tributing him, I can protect my Black Jacket.”

“I set a card face down and end my turn,” I said.

“I draw,” he said. “Now, I pay 1000 life points to use Intrusion Black Jacket's effect again.”

The overlay unit on my Illumiknight vanished, and it's attack power dropped to 1200 due to his spell card's effect.

“Now, I'll have my Black Jacket attack your monster!” he said.

“I activate the trap card Negate Attack!” I said. “Now, your attack with by stopped.”

His monster stopped in its tracks.

“Bad move,” he said.

A beam of energy shot from his Black Jacket's stinger, hitting me in the chest. I lost another 1000 life points. The tentacles tightened again, almost crushing my arm.

“What the hell was that!” I demanded.

“Whenever an attack from Black Jacket is negated, I can inflict 1000 damage to my opponent's life points,” he said. “Now, I end my turn.”

“I draw 2 cards,” I said. I finally had it. “I destroy my remaining face down card to special summon Card Breaker!”

This one was a small warrior wielding a staff that had a large fist at the end. He was level 2 with 100 attack.

“I tribute these 2 monsters to summon Archangel, Lord Of The Fallen!” I announced.

The Archangel appeared on my field.

“I use the Archangel's effect!” I said. “I can equip him with the Wind-Up Dog in my graveyard, and have him gain its effect. Now, I increase his level by 2 and his attack power by 600!”

Archangel's power rose to 3100.

“Attack!” I said.

His Black Jacket was destroyed and he was reduced to 3200.

“I use Archangel's effect to return Wind-Up Dog to my grave and equip him with a different monster,” I said. “I'll equip him with Ganbara Knight. Then I end my turn.”

“I draw,” he said. “I activate the spell card Nightmare Straight. Now, by destroying 2 continuous spell or trap cards I control, I can draw 2 cards. I destroy Intrusion Hive and Antimatter Restrictor to draw twice. Then, I summon Intrusion Gnat.”

A buzzing gnat appeared on his field. It was level 1 with 300 attack and 0 defense.

“Intrusion Gnat allows me to special summon an intrusion card from my hand by paying 500 life points, then every Intrusion card I control is switched to defense position,” he said. “I use this effect to bring out Intrusion Ant!”

His ant was level 1 with 200 defense. His life points dropped to 2700.

“When Intrusion Ant is special summoned, Both players can draw a card,” he said. We both drew. “Then, I use the spell card Swords Of Revealing Light, so for the next 3 turns, you can't attack. Then I end my turn.”

“I draw,” I said. “Then, I summon Trident Warrior in attack mode!”

A bearded warrior wielding a trident appeared. He was level 4 with 1800 defense.

“Using his effect, I can bring out a level 3 monster from my hand!” I said. “I summon Shine Knight in defense position.”

A glowing soldier appeared on my field, with 1900 defense.

“When Shine Knight is in defense position, he can be treated as a level 4 monster,” I said. “So I'll overlay him with my level 4 Trident Warrior to xyz summon Gagaga Cowboy!”

Gagaga Cowboy is... well... a cowboy. With 1500 attack and 2400 defense.

“I summon him in defense position,” I said. “And once per turn, if he's on the defensive, I can dish out 800 points of direct damage by detaching one of his overlay unit!”

The cowboy fired its guns at Pavouk, reducing his life to 1900, making us even.

He suddenly cried out in pain. Something was wrong. He started changing before my eyes. His skin turned a sickly brownish gray color, and weird armor formed on his skin. A helmet like shell grew on his head, covering his eyes, and his teeth grew into fangs. Finally, a pair of huge, bat-like wings burst from his back.

“What the hell?” I said.

“Well, this is interesting,” A voice said.

I turned around and saw a man, about my age, sitting on a rock and watching us duel. He had messy black hair with red and green highlights, and his eyes were deep green. But not a normal green. Green like slime. He had this evil look in them.

“I sent him here to test you, and I was kind of hoping he'd die,” he said. “But now I kind of hope he survives, so that I can see where this goes.”

“Who are you?” I demanded.

“Don't take your eyes off your opponent for too long,” he said.

Pavouk let out a roar and began shouting a bunch of insane gibberish at me.

“That are you trying to say?” I thought out loud.

“The language of the old ones,” the weird man said. “I don't think he can speak english anymore.”

Pavouk said something else in that weird tongue.

“My Old Speak's a bit fuzzy, but I think he wants to keep going,” the man said.

“Fine,” I said. “I set a card and end my turn.”

Pavouk aggressively drew a card, and activated it. It was Monster Reborn. His Intrusion Black Jacket rose from the graveyard. He then activated Galaxy Queen's Light. Galaxy Queen's Light let's a player select a level 7 or higher monster they control, and make every other monster they control the same level as it.

“You're making all your monsters level 7?” I asked. “It can't be... an xyz summon?”

“Looks like we're about to find out,” the weird man said.

His Black Jacket, Gnat, and Ant were pulled into a vortex, from which a new monster rose. It was a horrifying monster. It resembled a crimson and black hornet, with a lightning bolt pattern, and a head resembling a horned devil. It had 3000 attack and 2600 defense.

“What the hell is that!?” I asked.

“No clue,” the man said. “Wasn't in his deck before.”

Pavouk's life dropped from 1900 to 900, and the hornet shot a beam of energy at my Gagaga Cowboy, completely obliterating it.

“No way!” I said. “It destroyed my monster!”

“That thing seems to be a more powerful version of the Intrusion Black Jacket,” the man said. “Instead of just getting rid of your monsters overlay units, it completely destroyed it.”

The hornet flew forward, straight at the Archangel.

“I activate the trap card Mirror Force!” I said.

One of the hornet's overlay units was absorbed into its stinger, and it shot a beam of energy that tore through my Mirror Force before hitting me for 1000 damage.

“Looks like its overlay units can be used to negate traps and deal direct damage,” the man said.

The hornet continued flying at the Archangel.

“The Archangel is still equipped with Ganbara Knight!” I said. “This allows him to switch to defense position when attacked!”

The Archangel switched to defense position, and was taken out by the hornet's stinger. The hornet then pointed its stinger at me, and hit my with a beam of energy, reducing my life by 700. The tentacles squeezed tighter than ever, causing blood to drip down my arm. I collapsed in pain.

“Looks like it deals damage when it destroys a defense position monster,” the man said. “You would have been better off leaving your monster in attack mode.”

“I can see that!” I snapped angrily.

The blood flowed from my arm. I was in a shit ton of pain. But as the blood dripped from my wounds, I noticed something else coming from my wounds. This dark energy. It flowed down my arm and into my hand, forming itself into this rectangular cloud, before solidifying into a new card. A card that would help me win.

Pavouk spoke some more in that weird language.

“I think he ends his turn,” the man said.

“Good,” I said, getting to my feet and drawing. “I activate the spell card Pot Of Avarice, so by shuffling Wind-Up Shark, Goblindbergh, Ganbara Knight, Trident Warrior, and Card Breaker back into my deck, I can draw two cards. Then, I use monster reborn to bring back the Archangel!”

The Archangel reappeared on my field.

“Next, I normal summon Gagaga Magician in attack mode!” I said. “Using his effect, I change his level to 8. Now, I build the overlay network with these monsters! You can upgrade your Intrusion Black Jacket, and I can upgrade the Archangel! Come forth, Archangel Discord!”

Okay, how do I describe this new card? It looks like the four-armed Archangel I fought before crossed over the bishonen line. By that, I mean it had seven pairs of wings and four arms, but it looked more humanoid. It wore black, jagged clothing, and a torn cloak around its waist,. Its hands ended with long claws, and it wielded a pair of huge, wicked looking scythes. It had 3300 attack and 2500 defense.

“Since Archangel was used to xyz summon this card, I can automatically equip it with a monster from either of our graveyards, so I'll hook him up with the Intrusion Tick from your graveyard,” I said. “He now has Intrusion Tick's effect. And now I'll play the continuous spell card Wind-Up Factory, and by using Tick's effect, I can destroy my spell card and power up the Archangel by 700 points.”

Archangel Discord had its attack boosted to 4000.

“What good does that do?” the man asked. “His Swords Of Revealing Light are still in play.”

“I use Archangel Discord's effect!” I said. “By using an overlay unit, I can hook him up with Adreus, Keeper Of Armageddon from my graveyard! Now, Adreus's effect is his, so by detaching his final overlay unti, I can destroy the Swords Of Revealing Light!”

The swords shattered like glass.

“With those out of the way, there's nothing to stop me from attacking!” I said. “Archangel Discord! End this!”

Pavouk's life dropped to zero. He cried out in rage and flew away. The chains and tentacles binding me vanished.

“Who the hell are you?” I asked the man.

“My name is Gordon,” he said. “I'm the Star Spawn of Cthulhu.”

He summoned the Axe Of Despair in his hand.

“You!” I said. I remembered him now. The guy with the axe I had seen before.

“So you remember now,” he said. “Well, it's been interesting, but I have business to attend to. Tell Kallaway I said hello.”

He vanished after that. So, yeah, there's this creepy Gordon guy who claims he's a Star Spawn, and a mutant Pavouk who's out there some where doing god knows what. Great.

My Fault...

I failed.

I failed all of them.

I was out, running some errands for the people at the hideout. Wilson and David were accompanying me. David's been keeping an eye on me since he figured out my right arm is useless now.

We finished getting the supplies they needed and started heading back. We were just out front when the bombs went off. The entire hideout, and everyone in it, were wiped out. The whole place came down. I stood there in shock for a moment before charging in to try and find survivors. No one. No one was left.

“Did you enjoy the fireworks?” a voice said from behind me. I turned to see Bill Dawson standing among the rubble.

“You!” I said. “You did this!”

“Took a while to set up, but yes, it was me,” he said.

“Why!?” I demanded.

“Because I knew you would hate me for it,” he said. “Was I right?”

I clenched my fist, and realized it wasn't empty. I was holding the wakizashi. I have no idea how it got there, but I wasn't complaining. I gripped it tightly and charged at him. He blew a gust of ice cold mist at me. My sword burst into flames, spreading warmth through my body. I cleared the distance between us, and swung the sword. He summoned a blade made of ice and parried my attack. I kept swinging, but I couldn't get a hit in. The air kept getting colder, and I started feeling fatigued. Eventually, he managed to disarm me and grab me by the throat.

I was thrown into my subconscious, on the deck of the flying ship, where a giant woman made of solid ice was standing over me. So this was Silvermist's subconscious body.

“Where is Black Vice?” she demanded.

“Like I'd tell you!” I said.

Funny thing about my subconscious; both my arms work there. So I was in condition to fight. Which is exactly what I did. Problem was, I was fighting a cryokinetic eldritch abomination. As soon as I started moving, my feet froze in place. She summoned this giant hammer of ice and whacked with it so hard I was sent flying straight into the ship's mast. I was frozen there, unable to move. She approached me, slowly.

“I'll ask again,” she said. “Where. Is. Black Vice?”

A massive hand, with chitin-like black armor and sharp claws, appeared from behind her, and grabbed her. It was so large, it was able to grip her entire body. The hand belonged to a humanoid thing that didn't seem to have any consistent shape. With the exception of its arms, its body was constantly shifting forms. Sometimes looking masculine, sometimes feminine  One second it was muscular, then it was slim. It's right arm was gripping Silvermist tightly, while its left arm had taken the form of a large Gatling gun.

“I'm right here, Silvermist,” it said, raising its gun to the back of her head.

“Black Vice,” she said. “I've been looking forward to this.”

They began fighting. There's not really any way I could describe it, other than fast-paced and chaotic. I could barely keep up with what was going on. I tried struggling to break free of the ice, but it was too thick. I couldn't move anything except my head.

“Need a hand?” a voice asked. I looked down to see Justin standing before me.

“Justin!” I said. “Um, yeah, I could use some help here.”

Without saying a word, he drew back his fist. Dark energy accumulated in his hand, and he threw it forward, smashing into the ice and shattering it. I fell to the ground.

“Thanks, man,” I said, getting to my feet.

“No problem,” he said.

I looked up and saw that Silvermist and Black Vice were still locked in battle. They were going way to fast for me to do anything. After a little while, Silvermist pierced Black Vice throw the chest with an ice tentacle. Black Vice screamed out in pain, as its body dissolved and was absorbed into Silvermist.

“Finally,” she said. “I've been after that one for a long time.”

Silvermist disappeared after that.

“Sorry, I've gotta wake up now,” I said to Justin. “I can't let her get away.”

“Alright,” he said. “Get going.”

I woke up to see Bill walking away. I got up and ran after him, but something tackled me from the right. I still had on Black Vice's headband, so I had a pretty big blind spot. I felt claws digging into my already fucked up arm. I cried out in pain. The scream echoed louder than anything that's ever come out of my mouth. The creature backed up. I got to my feet and saw a creature clutching its ears. It looked like a naked human, but its eyes were sunken and black, its mouth was filled with pointed teeth. Where its fingers should have been were blade-like talons, dripping with blood. I ripped the headband off my face and picked up my sword. It charged at me faster than I could have imagined and slashed my left arm. I dropped the sword just as it lashed at my legs. It then vanished. I fell to the ground, in pain. David ran up to me, holding his sword in his hand and dripping blood down his chest and right arm. Wilson followed behind him.

“Where did it go?” he asked me.

“No clue,” I said. “It and Bill are both gone.”

“You think they were working together?” he asked.

“I don't know,” I said. “That thing... the Rake... it was against Bill during the whole ten plagues thing. Why would they be working together now?”

“No clue,” David said. “I'd also like to know why it just attacked us but left without finishing the job.”

“Who knows,” I said. I looked around at all the rubble and carnage. “We should get out of here, before the police show up.”

“Good idea,” David said, cutting open a rift into the Vision's domain. “Let's go.”

…

We're hiding out right now.

I can't stop think about this. Me and Black Vice were the ones Bill was after. All those people died because of me. This is all my fault.

Damn it. I have to stop him.

Sorry for the lack of updates

It's been a long time. I suppose I should explain where I've been this whole time.

After I talked with David about the address Red Daniel gave me, I stepped out for a bit. As I was walking, I saw this man running toward me. He was dressed all in black, with a headband pulled over one of his eyes. He tripped a few feet away from me. He looked injured, so I went up to check on him. As I approached him, I saw someone else moving toward me, walking a casual pace with a maniacal grin on his face. His skin was pale, with a light blue tint to it, and he was dressed in black clothing and a scarf. He was emitting this weird mist from his skin. He had changed a bit, but there was no mistaking it. It was William Dawson.

“Hello, there,” he said. “Haven't seen you in a while.”

“You again?” I asked. “Can't say I like your new look much. Don't suppose you're planning another genocide, are you?”

“Not at the moment,” he said. “Silvermist and I have a few other goals to taker care of first.”

“Silvermist?” I said. “That bitch is alive!?”

“Very much so,” Bill said. “She requires the power of the other Dying Men.”

“Is that so?” I asked.

“We've already consumed quite a few,” he said.

It was then that the injured guy acted. He grabbed me by the ankle, and I immediatlely felt it enter me. The reason why Bill and Silvermist were after the guy. He was carrying a Dying Man piece. It entered me, and for a while, I lost control. It was in command of my body, and all I could do was watch. It reached down with my right hand, and took the headband from the weak man at my feet, and put it on my own head, pulled down over my own eye.

Good, it said. It's about time I found a suitable body.

Who are you!? I asked.

I am Black Vice, it said. And now that your body is mine, I have no use for this scum!

It raised my right arm, ready to punch the man. I regained most of the control over my body then and held it back.

How are you resisting me!? It demanded. What are you!?

I'm a guy who doesn't like being possessed! I replied.

I was having trouble holding my right arm back. It had almost complete control over it. Suddenly, the Convocation's lightning began flowing through my arm. It had tapped into my powers.

I see, it said. You're a descendant of Garrot Ferris. Interesting.

Who the hell is Garrot Ferris!? I demanded.

The first Devil Killer, it said. The son of Leonard Ferris, named after the pirate captain Garrot Kelterry. I have some fond memories of that man. I've seen many of his stolen powers, and I know that the Convocation's lightning is a ranged attack.

He planned to hit the man with lightning. I had to stop him somehow. I did the only thing I could thing of at the time. Black Vice seemed to only have control over my right arm at the time, so I had to disable it. I reached into my vest and pelled my gun out of my belt. I jammed the barrel into my right shoulder and pulled the trigger. My right arm fell limply to my side, and I collapsed in pain. Probably the most painful thing I've ever done to myself.

“Well, that was an amusing sight,” Bill said, standing over me and the injured man. “I suppose you don't like your new roommate much, do you?”

He inhaled deeply. I remembered what Silvermist can do, with exhailing cold mist, and I warped through the Godsway, reappearing a few feet behind him. He let out his breath, freezing the injured guy solid. He then kicked the man, shattering him into pieces. He then turned to me.

“Why did you do that?” I asked. “He's not carrying the Dying Man anymore. Why did you kill him?”

“No particular reason,” he replied. “Just felt like it. Now, why don't you hand over Black Vice? I'll make things less painful if you do.”

“Are you forgetting who stopped your crappy plagues?” I asked. “What makes you think you can take me on?”

“Well for one thing, I possess the powers of one of the worlds greatest Dying Man shards. Also, you just disabled your main hand. I don't think you're in any condition to face me. Now, give me Black Vice!”

Don't do it, Black Vice said. If she consumes me, she'll become even stronger than she is now.As much as I like the thought of you dying, you have a point, I thought.

I raised my gun and fired. A cloud of mist rose in front of him and solidified into a wall of ice, stopping my bullet. I fired a few more times, and the wall cracked. Bill kicked the wall out from in front of him, and charged at me with an icy sword in his hand. I jumped into the Godsway and teleported to New York. I don't like running from fights, but he was right. I was in no condition to be facing him. I considered going back to David's place, but it wouldn't have been safe. Not with Black Vice inside of me.

So, I dropped off the radar, so Bill and Silvermist wouldn't find me, and I started hiding in New York. I treated my wound as best as I could on my own. I couldn't get help from anyone, because I didn't want Black Vice possessing someone else. I have to keep it contained.

A few days after my arrival in New York, I had my encounter with Wilson Powell. I was walking down an alleytway, when I heard some familiar laughter. The Wooden Girl.

“Shit,” I said. “Better find a safe place.”

Too scared to face her? Black Vice said.

“Not a good idea at the moment,” I said. “She hates my guts and would be more than happy to make my shoulder even worse.”

I hid behind a dumpster and waited. A man ran by, terrified. I heard the sound of her laughter behind him. He was running from her. I stepped out into the alley and raised my gun, pointing it directly at the Wooden Girl's face. She stopped in her tracks, and her wooden face twisted in an outraged glare.

“You!” she yelled.

“Hey, Wood Bitch,” I said. “Fancy meeting you here.”

What happened to “Not a good ideas at the moment!”, Black Vice said.

I'm not just gonna let that guy get caught, I replied.

I channeled some of the Cold Boy's power into the gun and pulled the trigger several times. Wherever the bullets hit, ice formed. She was stuck, at least for the time being. I took that chance to start running. I caught up to the other man.

“You okay?” I asked him.

“Yeah,” he said, slowing down to catch his breath. “I know you! You're the guy from my vision!”

“Vision?” I asked, stopping.

“Yeah,” he said. “It was-”

He stopped in mid sntence. I could feel them before I saw them. We had been surrounded by the Convocation. Another feeling told me that the Wooden Girl wasn't far off. Sure enough, she appeared a few feet behind us.

“Get out of here!” she commanded the birds. “These two are mine!”

They replied by squawking loudly at her.

“Then I'll kill you all as well,” she said, raising her arms.

Strings shot out. Me and the man had to duck to avoid getting stabbed by the ends of them. A great deal of the Concation flocked around her, attacking. Me and the man both got up and tried to make a break for it, but more of the Convocation were blocking our way.

“Shit,” I said under my breath. There was seemingly no way out.

Allow me, Black Vice said. Flower petals appeared out of no where, blowing around in some kind of invisible wind.

What's going on? I demanded.

I know a thing or two about Devil Killer's, it replied. I can access any of the powers you possess, even one's you don't know you have yet.

The flower petals flew through the air, slicing everything they touched, including the birds. They were making an escape path for us. Me and the other guy ran and eventually made it to a safe place.

“How did you do that?” the man asked.

“Long story,” I replied. “So who are you, and how did you manage to piss those two off?”

“Long story,” he said. “My name is Wilson Powel. I'm an ex proxy.”

“So you served Slender Man?” I asked.

“I did before I met Malkator,” he said.

“You knew Malkator?” I asked.

“It's not an experience I like to recall,” he said. He then noticed my shoulder. “You're hurt!” he said, trying to reach for it. I drew back.

“Don't touch me,” I said. “You don't want any of what I have.”

“What happened?” he asked.

“Ever seen the part of Evil Dead, when Ash's arm was possessed?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Well, imaging that, but instead of the evil power of the Necronomicon, it was a Dying Man Piece, and istead of a chainsaw, there was a gun,” I said.

“Wow,” he said. “But couldn't the Dying Man spread to the rest of your body?”

“It has some control,” I admitted. “But I'm not easily possessed, and it knows I won't hesitate to disable my other limbs if it tries to hurt anyone with my body.”

“Well, what should we do?” he asked.

“Dunno,” I said. “I'm trying to avoid conflict right now.”

“Well, I heard that there's a place nearby that serves as a shelter for runners,” he said. “Maybe we can go there.”

“I guess,” I said.

So, we went there. It's a rather large boarding house. People come and go there frequently. The manager here is a guy named Paul. He was willing to take us in, for now, at least.

It wasn't long before proxies of pretty much every Fear started showing up, trying to get to the runners who were hiding out here. I'm still not in very good condition, but I fought them anyway. I wanted to protect these people. And I have no intention of giving the Fears what they want. So, I fought. I've been protecting this place. And, as an unintended side effect, I've managed to piss off every Fear out there. I've seen some of them, watching me. Trying to break me down. But I can't lose it. Not now.

Also, one of the other versions of me is watching me. I recognize him from his weapons. The one's I saw in my dream of him. The Omnibolg. He has shorter hair than me, and he has this weird mask. He hasn't made a move yet, but I'm expecting him to at some point.

Also, David showed up recently. He's been worried about me, apparently. He thinks We should leave. But I can't. These people here are starting to rely on my to fight off the proxies. And that's exactly what I'm going to do.

I've come to realize something while I've been here. My whole life, I've done nothing productive. I've just been this boring guy, who sits on his ass all the time and occasionally helps his friend with his detective work. I had no purpose in my life. Nothing at all. But now... since all this stuff started with the Fears, I've found something. I have a purpose. I'm going to protect these people. Even if I die trying, I'll at least know that I was able to help people. I have powers, I should use them to protect this place. For as long as I can. That is my purpose. That is my reason to live.