Path of Darkness - My own story!

[Shadow9808]

Behold everyone, I have finished and placed the very first chapter of my charicter Leon Silvercross's history before he came to Bon Bon, as told by his typewriter! It's up on Furaffinity.com, and I plan to devote most of this year atempting to write about his past of fighting, love and tragidy and what made him at last come to Bon Bon seeking love!


http://www.furaffinity.net/view/983585/


I REALLY hope you guys will enjoy my story! As for everyone who can't see the story on Furaffinity, just scroll down to read each chapter! I will update this post with each new chapter, so keep your eyes open! Oh by the way, CHAPTER 3 IS UP!!! WHOOT!!!
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Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[MrWolf12]

Hmm....intriguing. I see a sort of 'Van Helsing' to add to our coterie. This should prove most interesting.

I enjoyed the style and vocab as well. Keep it up.

[Tsavo]

Any chance of posting it here? I'm not a member of that site and it wouldn't let me read it.
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Owner of the Lion's Den Pub.
Tsavo's story:
Somewhere to Help You Sleep

[Shadow9808]

[Xebulon]

I'm sorry to say that I'm having the same trouble as Tsavo, and I do have an account on FA.
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I like old jokes. With them I know when to laugh.

[Shadow9808]

Well, I don't see any harm in putting up the first chapter on this thread. Hope ou guys enjoy.


Path of Darkness
By Sean J. McDowell AKA Shadow9808 / zaneskyfire

Chapter 1
Reflecting the Dawn


It was the dim glow of dusk that illuminated the small apartment within the city lines of the hidden town known only as Bon Bon. The room was decorated with books of the occult, ranging from demons to the undead, and even explaining the natures of cults. The walls were decorated with charms of various religious and occult natures, from a cross of the church to a pentagram of paganism. Beyond them, however, was the number of weapons from many cultures. A claymore from Ireland, a Scottish double-sided war axe, a Norse war hammer, English revolvers, a triple sword set from Japan; What all the weapons had in common was the scars of years of use, unable to be hidden even by constant repair and forging. Other items took up space within the little room as well, such as an alchemy set that took up an entire table, as well as medical and surgical utensils. The owner of the mix of weapons and equipment stood gazing out the window, standing next to the typewriter on the desk beside him.

Piercing jade eyes stared at the fading sun as his large tail tapped the floor every so often. Whenever he shifted his weight, the metal frame that braced his giant foot and firmly strong leg would hiss with it’s creaking. The pain of his leg had dulled within the month to arrive, putting his mind at ease that his bones were not far from being as one once more. The kangaroo sighed deeply as he inhaled a breath of the fall air; He had opened the window hours prior to enjoy the fading weather, and to keep an alert ear to the going on in town. His gaze soon turned from the window as he looked towards his closet, and the full mirror within. He only smiled faintly at his reflection, but that paled to the pride he felt as he gazed upon what was within the racks.

Hanging on the rail was a old trench coat torn from age and use, it’s former brown leather stained a near crimson black from the years of blood that had become soaked into it from the thousands of creatures he had defeated. A leather belt hung beside the coat, lined with pouches, hip packs and notches that all held various small weapons and tools. His belt always had everything he needed in his days of work, and he could never count the times it saved his life to have exactly what he needed, when he needed it the most; Which most often ended up being every split second that the reaper held his scythe at his throat, and cackled in his face. At last, he turned to face his reflection in full. At the moment, his shirt was resting on his bed, leaving him to stand only in his fur.

He sighed with mild disappointment. It seemed that he’d still need more time for his fur to grow back and cover the scars on his chest. He was an unnaturally healthy buck at the young age of twenty-two years, beyond many of both his race and other males. His body was sculpted muscle, not a single inch of his six pack abdomen or his mighty legs touched by fat. His cedar red fur was well groomed, and shined in the pale fading light of the day. It was an odd sight for him to see his fur so clean after a bath, for he was more used to being covered in filth and blood. At the moment, his left leg was held in a firm metal brace to help mend the bones that had been broken almost a year ago.

Ah, his legs, the one pride and joy he held. While they were both still of use, he was able to leap, run and even kick with more power than most people could. He shattered many an enemy’s rib cage with his feet with a well-placed blow… His jade eyes turned melancholy as he recalled a vow he had made to her. With a heavy sigh, he walked to his desk, and illuminated several lanterns he had on the desk, the fluids that flowed within causing his desk to be illuminated by a pale glow. A smile crossed his mussel as he thought about his dear old friend and his thanks for such a kind parting gift. As he sat down, he gazed at the paper at the ready in his typewriter.

Cracking his knuckles, the buck started his dance along the keys, speaking as his words became scribed on the paper sheet. “My name is Leon Silvercross, son of the legendary hunter Xander Silvercross, heir to the Silvercross legacy and crest. I have been known by many titles over my two decades and two years of life; Enemy, monster, demon, friend, son, hero, Master, lover…” He paused a moment as he took a deep breath to steady himself as the image of his love flashed before his eyes. “As hard you might find my words to believe, dear reader, this is the tale of my life. Who I am, where I have been, the people I have met and known as both enemy and friend. And the greatest tragedy I have suffered. My words may come across as blasphemy, but what I write here is the truth my own eyes have seen.”

Stopping a moment, Leon picked up a letter he had received but two days ago. His face warmed with a smile as he read the somewhat poorly written text from his dear friend who had been by his side for over four years. Setting it down, his fingers returned to the keys once more. “My tale begins with how I meet a man who changed my life, and stuck with me through the fires of Hell to the gates of Heaven and back. My close and dear to my heart friend, Igor…”


Chapter two is already in the works, too.
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Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Foxonian]

Like the way you wrote this.Good job!

[Shadow9808]

BEHOLD!!! CHAPTER 2!!!


Path of Darkness
By Sean J. McDowell AKA Shadow9808 / zaneskyfire

Copyright Warning: Any attempt to steal Leon Silvercross or ANY of my characters shall have me track you down, tear off your leg, kick your ass with it, freeze dry it after you bleed to death and mail it to your closest relative/friend.

Chapter 2
In Shadow, Evil Festers


It was a late summer evening in the year of 1886 when Leon at last rode into the city’s limits after four days of riding from his last destination. He had received word from people in desperate need of a savior from the unholy creatures that plagued them from the ruins beneath their town’s church, many wondering how the fiends could walk upon the blessed soil under God and not be struck down by his holy fire at once. He had arrived from Italy by boat, and had to make a week’s ride from the port to the small lands in the north of Romania, to a small but humble city called Cedarcrest. The weather wasn’t very fair this time of year, battering the young buck and his horse with torrents of chilled rainfall, and as they drew closer to their destination, the rain turned hard and merciless with it’s attempt to shred his flesh with the bitter sharpness of hail.

To his good fortune, however, he had dressed for both the chill of ice and the bitterness of the sky. He wore his trench coat and belt under a much heavier layer of water proofed leather padded with wool, creating a double-sided shield that kept his own body heat inside, and the blood chilling gales outside. Much as he hated to, his feet were wrapped with thick pads of wool under layers of bandages that made his feet look like they were in need of medical attention. It wasn’t that he needed to keep his feet warm that annoyed him; It was the fact the padding would reduce the damage he could cause with a kick. His ears remained exposed to the cold from his hat, and a black scarf was pulled tight over his face, making him look like a bandit. He felt like an idiot for needing such things, but with winter far off his pelt was too thin to do the job alone.

The stallion he rode was a black beast of a horse, standing as tall as any man of its race, it’s body nothing but thundering waves of strength. The only means that made the beast of burden under him stand out from the black of the coming night was the single white blaze on it’s forehead, and the shocks of white that hung around it’s massive hooves. Leon had to marvel that the beast ran for a full three days straight without need for rest or water; A trait that he admired, that even in a animal less than the people around him, he could find the same will to go on that burned in him. The hail at last gave way to a forest of snow covered cedar trees, no doubt the very source of the city’s namesake. With the passing of the hail, Leon dared to glance at the sky from under the hat that crowned his head, his ears jutting out on each side, turning to every noise beyond what was normal for a forest at night.

Like his horse, Leon’s breath warmed the chilled air into a fog, his scarf keeping what cold attempted to invade held at bay by the warmed cloth. Snowflakes drifted down from the moon lit sky in a dance, every flake with it own pattern reflecting the light as they danced towards the ground. It was certainly a sight of tranquil beauty, to watch the icy flakes drift to and fro under the moonlight in the middle of a forest that only thawed a few days in spring and summer. Slowing his horse so it could walk, the buck let his own mind drift into peace, allowing nature’s music and power draw him in. “It’s been years since I saw the snow like this. I’m sure you would enjoy seeing it yourself if you were well, Dad.” His thoughts came back to reality as he saw the town sign on the side of the road.

“Seems like we’re close. Heh, not very often I’m given a chance to relax before duty.” Cedarcrest had obviously seen far better days. The city was well known for its high quality lumber and ore, and for being a well-built city that ran smoothly up in the mountains. What greeted the buck was far less than the greatness he had seen before in cities before, for what must have at one time been a grand place to live was now a burned waste, many of the once beautiful buildings destroyed and leaving ash to mar the pure white of the snow, the rubble blocking a number of roads as well. No matter where he looked from the town entrance, the city had obvious signs of destruction, and because of the rancid smell in the air, death was rampant as well in the roads.

Stopping his horse by a trough so it could drink, Leon leaped from it’s back with the grace of a cat, his large feet causing the aged and fire weakened stones to crack like ice with his landing. Looking around, Leon’s jade orbs scanned the city for any signs of people, and of equal importance, signs of why they needed help. The damage was too great to be caused over a long period of time. Walking to the ruins of what must have once been a bakery, he nimbly evaded every patch of ice on the road with a second nature. Once he reached one of the flame-charred walls, he gave the interior a through glance. The oven was mostly intact, having been cast from steel instead of stone, as was the chimney and most of the sink. What drew his attention, however, were the remains of a barrel; And an icy spot tinted faintly with crimson.

“The building had clearly been the victim of a bomb, and by the extent of the damage, it wasn’t one made to be unnoticed. It had been little more than a wooden keg, filled with gunpowder and set to fuse. The goal was clearly not to just kill the baker and his family alone; A bomb of that size is used to draw attention from everyone around the blast.” The typewriter rang out with a melodious ring as the paper reached the opposite side, causing Leon to pause as his tail pushed it back to the other side so he might resume. He smiled as he stood a moment, and walked to his small kitchen. As he opened his cupboard to find some coffee, his tail snatched his pot from the counter behind him. “Some times being born with a prehensile tail can be a great blessing than having it broken and obtaining new dexterity as a result.”

Opening the can of his coffee grounds, the buck’s face turned into a frown. What had been nearly full a few days ago was now down to just enough to provide the caffeine filled fluid for the night. He planed to be up late again, but for the fifth time since arriving in Bon Bon, it wasn’t to remain alert for any hazard to the town. Or himself. He had his suspicions, having seen a gentleman or two walk by with the mark of the vampire on their throat, but if it was a matter of danger, they would be dead or bowing beside it’s throne; Not living their lives as if the bite never happened. Dumping the grounds into the steam-powered pot, another of Igor’s inventions, he set it to boil as he returned to his typewriter. He still had much to scribe before he would test his leg again.

“After I investigated the bakery, I scouted a number of the other buildings and found much of the same. The constable’s, the mayor’s, the blacksmith… Every building that had a vital impact on the economy of the city had been destroyed, and the people who worked there killed by the bombs. The places that weren’t destroyed were ether abandoned or had been broken in. The places that had been forcefully entered all had signs of a conflict, which tipped me off these people were taken against their will; And it wasn’t much of a fight on the part of those taken. I suppose I mean to say they had no chance to resist. It wasn’t until I bother to check the inn that I at last found survivors. Not that they were too friendly about outsiders…”

The inn door opened slowly as Leon pushed with his might to get it to budge from the piles of snow that piled just outside it, and the ice that had gotten into the hinges. Once he had at last entered, he forced the door shut with his shoulder. Turning around, the buck found himself the center of many a cold glare. There was but seven people in the entry hall and bar, but Leon’s ears informed him there was others both upstairs and below in the cellar. Leon’s eyes examined each of the people that eyed him. At the table drinking mugs of cider was three gentlemen; A large bear, who was no doubt one of the town’s miners from the small spots of soot on his clothes. Beside him was seated a rat, his fur slightly charred and what was left of his constable’s uniform in equally poor shape.

The third member seated with them was a young raccoon male, about half the age of his peers, and no doubt in his early twenties. From the pins that rested in his pocket, the young man was obviously a tailor by trade. So far, he was the only one not to be casting a glare at him; Instead, his eyes were full of heartache, and he turned back to his mug shortly after. The only woman in the room was a leopard barmaid, her once spring green gown coated in dirt. Her hazel eyes stared at him with a touch of fear, before she rushed back to the bar, her scarlet hair flowing behind her like water. Leon’s eyes turned sharply at the echo of a cough, his eyes coming to an elderly man on the other side of the room, seated by himself at a table.

A gray goat was his only company, his pale body clothed by the robes of God. Finally, Leon turned to face the only remaining person in the bar; The bartender himself was middle-aged warthog, dressed in a simple brown tunic that stood out on his black body. Undoing the clasps on his outer coat, Leon took off his outer layer and his scarf, before he hung them on the coat rack by the door, before he made his way to the bar itself. “It’s been over two weeks since we’ve seen anyone from outside the city, stranger. Let alone someone who is so young.” With Leon at the bar, the man of the house had both his expression and his mood grow soft and welcoming. “So, what brings you to what’s left of our dying city? If your here for the season, then I dare warn you might not leave. What will you have? I’ve got rum, both strong and mild, and some of the best cider in the region.”

Reaching under his coat, Leon slipped his hand into the purse he had attached to his belt. Withdrawing his clutched hand, he placed twenty gold coins on the counter. His lips rose in a smirk as he saw the bartender’s eyes widen at the sight of the gold, when he no doubt charged only silver and copper. “I’ll have a mug of your cider. And if you can tell me anything about what’s going on in this town, then consider the rest worth your time.” The bartender took but three of the gold as he grabbed a mug and opened the tap under the bar. “I can’t offer you info, stranger, but I can advise to avoid the castle in the mountains. The place used to be owned by some mad man who played with the laws of the Lord, and far as we care, he paid for it in full.” Leon chuckled as he grabbed the mug and brought it to his lips, before he started to drink the warm beverage.

As he drank, the goat at last spoke up, clearly nervous of the buck’s appearance, from his dirty red fur to the dark stains on his coat. “If I may interject, Sir, what has happened here is we are being tested by God, to weed the faithful from the sinners. The creatures that have come from the church, they take any they find and drag them back to the catacombs. They destroyed our homes, lured the sinners into the open, before they took them. They-“ The preacher jumped as the kangaroo slammed his mug down on the bar. “God? Hah! You truly think that God would unleash blight on innocent people? Do you think he has time to answer every single prayer that’s made? Far as I’ve seen, he’s a very busy guy, and he can’t be bothered with the prattling of every mortal he’s made. Begging your pardon, Father, but I don’t give a shit what God does. I just know I’m here to wipe scum like this off the Earth. So don’t give me any of your holy bullshit.”

Turning to look over his shoulder, Leon locked eyes with the quivering pastor, his eyes burning into the man’s skull. “If these things were a matter that can be dealt with using faith alone, then they wouldn’t be pouring out of your church doors and dragging people back in. A week ago, I got word from your mayor begging for help. I’m your help.” The goat grew silent as he stared at the young man who spoke with such force and blasphemy. Before he could speak up and bring down one of his speeches, however, the raccoon spoke up. “It all started nearly two weeks ago.” The rat turned to his companion the moment he started. “Damn it, Jeff, let it rest! He’s just some punk here to try and beg for money for when he saves us! He’ll be dead in a few-“ A knife split the wood of the table before the rat could finish speaking, ale dripping down between the boards. Remaining silent, the large brown bear stared at the blade that had cleanly pierced the rat’s mug before finding the table as it’s victim.

The rat’s mouth gave but a single twitch before he followed everyone’s gaze to the buck’s extended arm and open hand. Leon’s eyes were now focused on the constable, his glare compared to that of a firm faced statue; Unmoving, focused, and centered on a single direction. “Don’t you ever claim that a member of the Silvercross clan would ever dare to demand money over lives or duty. If you people feel like rewarding me for saving you, so be it; Decide your price, and pay me after the deed. I have no need of value over responding to help. If it wasn’t for my father’s failing health, he would be here in my stead. But you have me. So ether shut your mouth and tell me what I need to know, or I’ll be on my way and you can fend for yourselves.” The rat gulped hard as he raised his hands in defeat. Jeff, as he was called, took a deep breath, and after he looked calm from the shock, he resumed his explanation as Leon relaxed, mug in hand. This was clearly going to be a long story…

The whistle of the coffee pot broke the silence of his room. “Ah, it’s about time that’s brewed! I need a good drink right now before I get down to how that mess started.” As he stood, the sun vanished behind the mountains outside. Night was coming, and he was in for a long tale…
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Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Tsavo]

Hey thanks for posting these here.
Great read. Can't wait to see where it goes.
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Owner of the Lion's Den Pub.
Tsavo's story:
Somewhere to Help You Sleep

[Xebulon]

Definitely interesting. I look forward to reading the next chapter.
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I like old jokes. With them I know when to laugh.

[MrWolf12]

Another great read, my friend.

Your 'hook' is very effective at pulling the reader into the story.

[Shadow9808]

Chapter 3 is right below, folks!
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Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Shadow9808]

Chapter 3! Enjoy!


Path of Darkness
By Sean J. McDowell AKA Shadow9808 / zaneskyfire

Copyright Warning: Any attempt to steal Leon Silvercross or ANY of my characters shall have me track you down, tear off your leg, kick your ass with it, freeze dry it after you bleed to death and mail it to your closest relative/friend.

Chapter 3
Enlightened Tragedy

“As I said, everything began and went down hill almost two weeks ago, Mr. Silvercross. The former owner of the castle up in the mountains had returned after having left for the entire winter season, and almost all of spring. He and that monster of his had a large crate, but it wasn’t made of wood like any you see every day; I dare say it made a chill run down my spine to see that accursed box was made of stone, and had marks of the devil etched into it’s sides.” Jeff took a moment to drink from his mug as Leon stroked his chin. “If you were versed in any ancient writings, then you might have been able to provide a clue based on that alone. I know hundreds of monsters that can be constrained with pure stone, metal or wood alone, but to require a sealing spell as well… No, it’s too early to assume. Please continue. Barkeep, another mug please.”

As the barkeep returned Leon’s mug to the tap, Jeff slowly nodded as he turned his chair so he could now face the hunter directly. “Well, the owner of the castle claims to be a doctor, tampering with the laws of nature with bizarre ideas like harnessing lightning and using it instead of steam or flame. I dare say he once considered raising the dead. Nobody around here liked him, and during the long periods of time he would leave, we would feel safe to not look over our shoulders every single day, just to be sure he wasn’t looking at us to find a ‘volunteer’ for his twisted tests. And during the times we didn’t see him, we always saw that hunched freak that followed him like a lost puppy. It was about four days after he took that crate to his home that the whole thing was encased in ice, like the skies had at last decided to free us from his taint on the town. If only we bothered to investigate sooner…”

Everyone in the bar had their gaze turn down in guilt and sorrow. Even if he was drinking, the buck’s jade eyes paid close attention to everyone, as they turned regretful, all save the elderly squirrel seated with the pastor. His fur was a chestnut brown, and the silver in his fur showed he had aged quite gracefully into an old man. Thus far, he was the only one who was silent about the ordeal, and Leon felt a hint of suspicion… Until the old man lightly snored. The buck shook his head as a smile crossed his face. The old man hadn’t stirred in the least since he came in. His ears turned towards Jeff as the raccoon resumed speaking. “We always knew the doctor tried to play god all the time. But the fifth day of his return, he was here in town, ranting about a monster that killed the servants crazy enough to work for him besides the misshapen freak that lives with him.”

Jeff’s hand griped the handle of his mug, almost like he was trying to make the cast metal bend to his anger. “We didn’t believe him at all. Dear God, why didn’t we believe him? A day later, he vanished. And that day of prayer, the church floor… It was torn open like old wood, the stones thrown aside like snow, and the most hideous thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life stood before me. Hoofed feet, white fur in torn patches of flesh, massive claws, and a mouth filled with fangs… The thing started to kill anyone near it, starting with the entire band. But that wasn’t enough for it. While everyone was running… It… It…” Jeff broke down into sobs, the miner patting his back with his giant hand. “The beast took Jeff’s sister alive with it, back under the Earth. It returned that same night, and took all it killed back under too. We all worry for the lass’s safety.”

At last Leon’s mug found rest on the bar, his hand removed from its handle. “Well, is that all you have to tell me? From the sounds of the mayor’s letter, there isn’t just one creature plaguing you. A Wendigo, as you make it sound to be, wouldn’t be taking corpses and only one live woman. While they hail from the north across the sea, and are powerful cannibal spirits, a Wendigo only feeds on the still beating heart of a live victim, and above all lack the cunning to use gunpowder or set explosives. Furthermore, such a creature can only come and go during a blizzard that they create with their very presence. Above all else, they tend to only target a single victim, as they are summoned by a ritual to tear out and eat the heart of a shaman’s enemy. Also, because they are spirits, they lack the ability to remain corporal for more than the time it takes to rip out a single heart. No, what we have here is something similar. What other information can you offer me, Mister…”

The bear puffed up his chest proudly in response of being spoken to. “Ivan. Ivan Benton. Well, Mr. Silvercross, I can assure you that not long after the church was attacked, it was but a matter of days before me and the other miners fell victim too. The mines of this region run all over the mountain. Some paths go up, other go down. We mine for coal and ores in the mine, and on rare occasions we are blessed with a gem stone vein. But, we dare not go in anymore. The beast in the church was just the start. Two days after, my crew and I were assaulted by monsters like that one, but smaller, and much more fierce. They had claws and fangs of ice, red eyes that glowed in the black depths of the mines… They killed almost half of us before we reached the outside. The few of us who did survive are here on the upper floor, trying to recover before gangrene.” The bear raised his own mug to his lips before he drank the entire cup dry, the bar maiden darting over to replace his empty cut with one that was filled, shortly before she again fled to the bartender’s side.

“If anything has me worried, the little ones stole all the bombs we had. I’m sure you saw what use they were put to. And we had far more than they used…” Leon nodded with each new statement of information. With each new detail he heard, his mind attempted to apply it to something he had seen, fought or encountered in the past. At last, he stood and started his way to the door, causing the pastor to stand up and rush over. “Wait, where are you headed at this hour?! It’s almost nightfall, and those THINGS will be out in the streets again! If you go out now, you’ll be walking right into the hands of Satan’s –“ The pastor was again silenced, this time by the buck’s iron tight grip on his face. “Keep talking about Satan or God and I’ll rip out your teeth. These things sound dangerous all right, but everything, alive or undead, has a weakness. And if they have a weakness, I can kill it. Barkeep, what’s the best way to reach the castle?” As he released the pastor, the elderly man’s voice spoke up.

“Anyone as brave as you at your age is ether a damn fool, or someone who understands exactly what he has to lose.” The old man laughed a moment as he shook his head at the buck. “If you be wanting to go up there, me boy, then just follow the path between the market and the barber. The way might be thick with snow, and those things might be coming out to prowl, but I think you’re the kind to manage. Tell Igor I said hello if you see him, wills ya? And don’t worry, you’ll know him when you see him.” Leon nodded to the old man as he put his over coat and scarf on, before he exited the inn. “I like that kid. He’s got a lot of spunk.” The rat shook his head as he at last pulled the knife from his mug. How in the Hell did he get a plain eating knife to… “Yea, you would like an oddball like that, Winston. I still don’t trust him. If he gets killed, we’ll see who was right.”

Jeff and Ivan said nothing as they returned to their former chat, as the bartender comforted the barmaid in the back. The pastor, however, glared at the door with his yellow eyes. “Damned fool… You’ll burn in Hell yet.” Turning around on his heel, the preacher made his way to the stairs to the basement. “That hunter is going to spoil everything I worked for! But not if he disappears first…” The goat’s mouth grew into a smirk, shortly before he burst into laughter as he opened one of the giant barrels, and walked into the dark tunnel hidden inside. “But I must work quickly, and prepare for him. If he knew what I do, he could bring my efforts to make these simpering fools bow to me as a savior come crashing down around me! Still, at least I have my card in the hole, right dear?” Has he continued his insane laughter, a young raccoon cowered away from her prison bars, her amber eyes full of fear and only a tiny spark of hope someone would save her shining in her tears…

The ride up to the castle was one Leon was growing tired of. Because of the building’s elevation and location, the frozen winds streamed right down into the ravine he and his horse trudged through. For the fourth time in the past half hour, the buck slapped his tail onto his saddle, shattering the coat of ice that amassed under the fur. “Note to self. Next time I get a job from a frozen waste of a location, refuse until winter. Damn cold, damn ice, damn winds…” His complaining continued for almost ten minutes, and if he could look up from under his hat, his only shield for his eyes from the strong gales, he would have noticed that in one of the highest towers on the castle, someone was looking out from the layer of ice that froze the shutters together.

At last, he reached the doors of the castle, and to his greater relief, the winds were being shielded by the mass of stone and ice. Not bothering with a knock, Leon raised his leg, and after ensuring his entire foot was even with the doors, thrust forward. The doors were smashed into the inner walls, the ice that used to hold them shut shattered and spread all over the entry hall. Leading his horse inside, the buck moved quickly to close them, and once more shut out the cold. As soon as he was sure the doors wouldn’t freeze shut and trap him inside, he turned to look at his so-called haven. The one thing that commanded his attention right away was the dragon shaped mantle of a giant fireplace that took up the entire space between the stairs on both sides. The second thing he took note of was that the giant fire within seemed to make the entire foyer warm as spring.

Taking off his coat and scarf, he draped them on a metal rack before the roaring blaze, the items kept out of the range of any embers, and yet still close enough to the heat to be dried. His clothing no longer an issue, Leon allowed his eyes to explore. Who ever owned the castle didn’t care at all about making the entry look nice. The entire hall was filled with both empty boxes of various sizes, as well as large numbers of broken glass and discarded metal. His first impression of the owner was that he was a slob who didn’t care at all about how his home looked, just that he had a place to keep his trash. Looking at the walls now, instead of drapes and coats of arms like he would expect, Leon’s eyes instead found entire networks of pipes, all leading away from the fireplace, while others seemed to plunge into the stone of the floor under him. “The guy might be a slob, but these pipes are certainly inventive.”

Higher above, a large hand brought a match to the first of three candles resting in a candleholder’s golden points. As the match was discarded into the fireplace of the room, a hunched and deformed shadow danced over a portrait of a well-groomed rat, dressed in a lab coat and his pocket filled with vials and pens. “It would appear there is a guest in the foyer! I must tend to them at once. It wouldn’t stand to be an unwelcoming host. It wouldn’t do the doctor’s memory right, it just wouldn’t.” While the large hand griped the candle holder, a much more normal one gripped the door handle and pulled it open, the creaking of the wood against stone instantly drawing Leon’s attention. “Sounds like I’m not as alone as I thought I was.” Remaining silent but alert, Leon’s ears followed every echoing footstep that echoed from the stairs, until all grew silent, save the roar of the fire in front of him.

“Hello there, Sir. How might I help you?” Leon turned in the split of a heartbeat, his fists raised and his feet ready to lash out at the one who had snuck up on him. What greeted his eyes, however was a misshapen badger holding a three-pronged candlestick and a welcoming bow? The badger’s face looked as if it had been shaped from clay; His left eye all but bulged from his head, while his right appeared quite normal. His hands and feet seemed much the same, save his deformed hand was pronounced by large and sharp claws, and the poor man had a pronounced hump on his back, forcing him to walk in a hunch. Looking up to Leon’s face, the badger’s gray eyes stared at him like a servant does a guest. Deeper within, however, was the worry of rejection by this young man.

“My name is Igor, and I regret to inform you that the Master of the castle has passed away recently. If you would care to stay a while, however, I would be most delighted to have company.” Igor’s voice far from matched the state of his grotesque form, sounding quite welcoming and pleasant, like that of a man from high society’s ranks. Lowering his fists, Leon removed his hat a moment to run his fingers through the hidden brown locks. “Umm, my apologies. When I heard you up the stairs, I wasn’t expecting you to suddenly appear behind me. I’m not very good about not attacking anyone that sneaks up on me.” Igor waved his hand at the buck as he shook his head. “Oh no, Sir, it’s quite alright. I wouldn’t mind at all if you hit me. I’m rather used to it from the townsfolk…”

Leon’s face became wracked with guilt as an embarrassed blush crossed his cheeks. “Oh, I um… Sorry. Oh, a man named Winston wanted me to pass on his greetings. And how the Hell did you sneak up on me, anyway?” Igor smiled as he nodded, the poor hunchback already beginning to feel at ease with the young man who came to his home. “Winston, you say? Ah, he’s so kind to me; Sharing his fresh bread he buys every day for his supper with me. He’s the only one among them who won’t scream upon seeing me, let alone start throwing stones. As for how I went about sneaking up on you, Sir? I didn’t mean to do so. I simply used the elevator the doctor built to come down faster.”

“Igor was both a well educated and big hearted man to be living in a castle alone. I still regret that even I felt pity for how he was born to this world, for when you overcome the flaws of your birth, pity becomes out of place in your life. No, he devotedly carried on the previous works of his Master, Doctor Ludwig Von Strogen, an expert in the field of alchemy. Most alchemists I had encountered in my travels all had the insane idea of turning lead into solid gold. But no, Dr. Strogen believed alchemy could be used to create all kinds of useful compounds, from something as simple as gunpowder to something as complex as a steam powered golem. Granted, Igor did point out he had a few insane goals as well, like trying to create the perfect cup of tea and perfecting a round disk of dough with tomato sauce with cheese on top baked in an oven. I think Igor called it a ‘pizza’ or something…”

Again Leon’s lips took a sip of the coffee in his cup, before he placed it back onto its dish. Removing the filled sheet of paper, his eyes ran over each line to ensure his spelling was right before he set it aside and grabbed another clean sheet and fed it into the typewriter. While he was at it, he opened the two inkwells the contraption ran on, and once he felt sure it wouldn’t run out of ink anytime soon, he closed them back up and resumed. “Strangely enough, Igor wasn’t the doctor’s simple assistant, fetching items he needed and being of little more use; No, he was the doctor’s right hand, taking active part in every equation and experiment as the man’s very equal! I dare admit, I lost track of the time as Igor proudly showed and then explained all his works to me. I was astounded to meet someone with so vast a intellect, and how he used that to over come his deformed body!”

“And that is how I came up with the concept that perhaps a current can be used to supply a much cleaner source of energy than making steam by burning wood or coal. And you know what the most interesting thing about it all is? It can be done with a potato!” Leon’s jaw hung open as his eyes just stared at the lantern before him shine without oil and flame. “Igor… That’s… It’s brilliant. I must honestly say, I am speechless over everything you’ve told me. And you say these are all the things you and the doctor discovered?” Igor’s smile was as bright as his spirit as he nodded eagerly. It was then he turned sad. “Brilliant as all this is, the Master is gone, and I can’t use many of what I’ve built. It’s both an inventor’s gift and his curse to be able to build things to better aid everyday life or combat, but what use is it all to one without the skill or the brawn for the task?”

Leon’s ears drooped then, before he at long last recalled why he had come. “Igor, the townsfolk are being killed left and right by monsters that swarm from under the earth. I came here hoping to find help in discovering just what they are, and how they can kill so swiftly, and I feel you’re the only man who can aid me. Granted I’d need a body of someone killed by the primary beast, and not the weaker servants who kill by its direction. I know that sounds like disgracing the dead, but as a man of science, I’m sure you can understand just how important it is to discover what force of the occult I’m dealing with so I can stop it and save what’s left, and that the only way that can be done is if I can study a corpse. Please, Igor, I’m pleading for your help, in the name of the Silvercross-“

Igor’s head snapped upwards in the moment he heard the name, before his full attention found Leon. “Silvercross?! YOU’RE of the Silvercross line?!” Leon nodded, not certain what the sudden outburst was about. “Sir! The Master was building these things for your family’s use! Sir, if I can assist you in any way, I shall do it proudly! I’ll follow you to the gates of Hell and Heaven if that was your wish, but please! I beg of you, allow me to be of use! I even have the Master’s body in the tower, kept preserved by the cold!” Leon slapped his hands onto Igor’s shoulders his gaze firm and determined. “Igor, you’re my kind of man. You are loyal, intelligent, and committed to your cause. Fetch the doctor’s body. With your help, we just might find the answer to saving everyone from damnation in ice.”


What will Leon and Igor discover from the body of Igor's former master? How is the priest involved? And just what the Hell is a 'pizza'? Find out in Chapter 4!
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Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Shadow9808]

Enjoy chapter 3, as numoro 4 is on the way!
_________________
Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Shadow9808]

Just a simple bump, guys.
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Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[MrWolf12]

I like it! Ah, Igor....portrayed in so many ways...and this is one of the good ones!

Excellent work.

[Shadow9808]

Chapter 4 is almost complete, folks!
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Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Shadow9808]

BEHOLD!!! THE GLORY OF CHAPTER 4!!! MWA HA HA HA HA!!!


Path of Darkness
By Sean J. McDowell AKA Shadow9808 / zaneskyfire

Copyright Warning: Any attempt to steal Leon Silvercross or ANY of my characters shall have me track you down, tear off your leg, kick your ass with it, freeze dry it after you bleed to death and mail it to your closest relative/friend.

Chapter 4
Decent into Deception

“I must confess, when Igor carried the deceased doctor’s body in with just one arm, my judgment of his strength was proven quite wrong. Every time I thought I knew what Igor’s limits were, he would surprise me and show me what he was truly capable of with his actions. He was stronger and wiser than any man I had yet to meet in my life, and to top it off, he knew all about my father, whom the late doctor had once crossed paths with, and even joined him on a task while he was in London, rooting out a vampire nest. The doctor had proven invaluable to my father, and I must say, I felt a hint of anger that my father wouldn’t share such a tale with me. My elder and father he may be, I wasn’t happy he wouldn’t admit he needed help from others. Still, as Igor moved to place the doctor’s body onto an examination table, I felt my eyes gazed from invention to device, all built for my father in his youth. At his current age, they wouldn’t fit, but if I were to try them on…”

Again the buck stopped typing long enough to gaze at his bookshelves; while one held books, as it should, the other had a myriad of bizarre tools and killing implements, each one designed differently than the others. “They all found their use to me in battle at one point in time or another, and Igor always made sure to adjust them as I grew. But that is for another time in my story. I dare say that because I was young and still new to the ways the unnatural could alter a poor soul’s body in death, a chill ran along my spine when I at last saw the man’s body; Not from the cold, mind you, but from a ill thing that leads to many a man ending up having his or her life robbed from her in the blink of an eye. Fear. Much as my father attempted to help me get over such by teaching me how to study a victim’s body, it never helped me get over the cold stroke of fear that always struck when I saw a body in a state that it shouldn’t be in death. At least my fear never lasted long…”

What lay before the kangaroo and badger was the doctor’s corpse, still dressed in his white lab coat. It was no longer clean, however, as it was stained with the blood that had come from the number of wounds on his body, each one like a saw had pierced his flesh, and someone had the gall to remove it the way one cut down a tree, dragging each of the blade’s teeth through vein and muscle alike. His right arm was gone, torn from its socket as if it wasn’t held in place, and the flesh around the area ripped open like paper. What was truly ghastly about the body was there was a gaping hole over the heart; the bones cracked like glass from the fang like indentions, and the very organ itself bearing the same marks. What made the sight so bizarre, however, was the doctor’s entire body was stiff, and a thin layer of ice coated his flesh. His wounds all bared crimson icicles, as if his very blood had frozen solid in his veins where it had formerly gushed freely like a dam that had been broken.

For the life of him, Leon was trapped between shock and grief, for here was a man who had given his life to try and ease the burden of others, and his only reward was to be butchered in merciless blood. “Igor, is this really…?” The badger said nothing for a while, as he stared at the corpse with a drop of water forming in the corner of his malformed eye. “Master… He found me as a babe in the snow, abandoned by me own parents as a demon, a scourge against God. He took me in to his home, he raised and educated me, and he treated me as if I was family. He was a father to me, Mr. Silvercross, and now some beast from the frozen abyss has taken him from me. Maybe it was God’s will that I be alone…” A growl was Leon’s only reply before he at last chose his words. Regret them he might later on, he knew it was the only thing he could say to a man who lost the only person in the world that ever cared about him.

“If it’s God’s will for you to be alone, then someone needs to give him a good, hard kick between his legs. Besides, you found someone who cared about you in the doctor. You can’t say your all alone if you’ve met someone who made you feel as if you are worth something, because you’ll be insulting his memory. Besides, you are of worth.” Taking off his hat and coat, Leon set them far away from the doctor’s body, and grabbed the pack he had retrieved from his horse a half hour ago. Walking back to Igor’s side, he took a placed a blood stained cloth mask out of one of the bag’s side pouches, and after placing it over his nose and mouth, he opened the sack to expose a entire doctor’s set. “Right now, I need your help in learning all I can from the doctor’s body, and then finding and taking down what killed him. Now you can stand there and mope, or you can assist me in cutting up his body in the name of science. What will it be? And before I forget, call me Leon. I would rather you feel like we are on even terms.”

The operation went on for about two hours, the two men working as one to open the doctor’s frozen body and examine his frozen innards. It was the strangest thing the kangaroo had ever seen in his life; Unlike a vampire victim, who would have their organs shriveled up from the blood being drawn out of the body, the doctor’s organs were intact and frozen solid. Not a single part inside the doctor was spared from the frost; Even his very bones had become brittle and frail from the ice that came from the joints, and when Igor helped him remove and break open his femur, the entire bone split like glass as his frozen marrow slid onto the table. Understandably, while Igor had at last taken the doctor’s body out to bury, Leon’s nose was stuck in the many books that the doctor kept in his library, and study, each of the four walls a tower of books.

The buck was reclined in what had been the doctor’s favorite reading chair, having only rested there from Igor’s insistence. The doctor had a huge collection, and to Leon’s gratitude, many of them were related to the area and the city’s history. Apparently, the mines that the city was founded on was formerly a vast catacomb system linked to a old temple linked to a powerful creature who was banished from the heavens to live out eternity trapped in eternal frost. It was to be the creature’s eternal punishment… But even in it’s imprisonment, the beast was more than able to sway the hearts of men who had weak wills and had dark desires lurking in their hearts. All it would take to be set free and create an army to turn the world into a frozen waste is to spill the blood of a child upon the alter it was sealed within…

Leon’s eyes looked up from the tomb as Igor entered the room, carrying a tray with a teapot, some teacups, and a few tea biscuits, with some sandwiches on the side. “I feared this research might take you all night, Sir, so I felt it would be proper to make some tea and edibles to pass the night. It’s a task I always saw done for the doctor, so it is wonderful to again be able to do it for a guest.” As Igor set the tray down and began pouring the tea, Leon smiled and closed the book. “That’s very thoughtful of you, Igor. Thank you. I must say, I think the doctor has given us a clue in death, both from his body AND his books.” As he took a tea cup and food from Igor, the hunchback sad down into another chair that faced the buck, taking care to grab his cup’s handle with his large claws. “Do you think you’ve found a breakthrough? What did you learn from Master’s books?”

One of the biscuits vanished into Leon’s mouth before he sipped at the tea. “Green tea, I assume? It’s a very nice choice of tea, Igor. Anyway, yes, I feel I may at last have an idea of what we are dealing with. I think it’s best to begin with the examination of the late doctor’s body. Judging of the nature of his wounds, whatever attacked him did so with brutality in mind. If it were as simple as a wild animal attack, he would indeed bear a number of claw marks. But it takes a sadistic mind to actively tear off the arm by twisting it in place till it tore free. As for his frozen insides, this creature wasn’t interested in feeding on the doctor’s blood or flesh. If it had, then his body would be missing pounds of flesh, or his organs would have been dried up.”

Igor nibbled on one of the sandwiches as his eyes focused not on Leon, but on his words and the level of thought that the buck had put into it. “No, for the doctor to end up frozen in death, it wouldn’t be caused internally until after at least a month had passed by. The state of his bones is all the proof I needed to see that something else caused that internal freezing. No, he was frozen during the attack, which leads me to suspect that the creature wasn’t trying to eat his heart. No, it was after his body heat.” Igor almost spit out the tea in his mouth, having been caught off guard by the statement. “Body heat?! What would it consume body heat for?!” The buck took another sip before he placed his cup down.

“It’s simple, Igor. The creature you and the doctor had retrieved was far from the cause of this madness. From the doctor’s logs, you brought back a creature know as a Froster, a quite harmless creature that lives in the north. At their worst, they are playful pranksters due to their love of throwing snowballs at travelers. In fact, their primary diet is tree bark and snow. They have a level of intelligence, yes, but it’s comparable to a child. When faced with danger, they turn timid and run for cover. I think the priest threw me off the real trail when he told me you two had brought a Froster here… No, what killed the doctor was a malevolent beast with teeth and claws made to tear and saw apart flesh. What we are dealing with is a killer, not a prankster.” The buck leaned back in his seat, putting some support on his back. Leaning forward for too long had begun to cause his lower back to hurt.

“But this isn’t the kind of beast that would work alone. No, things of this power and strength require minions to do all the work for it. In most cities, everyone is lead by a mayor who was elected to guide them. And in the wild, animal packs are lead by the strongest among them, there by earning the title of Alpha, or leader. In the case of a pride of lions, the single male has his pride of females do all the hunting for him. What we are dealing with her is something akin to a pride; A powerful Alpha who has laid low to avoid being seen as often as it could, and a entire pack of summoned servants to create as much bloodshed as they could with their cunning; Hence why the creatures stole the bombs the miners used, and used them to blow up the key people in the city. Take out a vital brick in a wall, and the entire thing will fall. With the mayor dead, the people panic. The constable killed, law becomes chaos. With the baker dead, a key source of food is lost.”

Igor’s eyes shifted from deep thought to worry, then to confusion, followed shortly by mild anger, and then back to deep thought, as if the poor hunchback couldn’t make up his mind as to how he would react to the information Leon had gleaned from some books and a simple examination. “What do you plan to do now that you know your enemy, Sir?” Leon took the time to empty his cup before he responded, standing to grab his coat and hat from the doctor’s coat rack. “I plan to go down there and kill every last one of the unnatural basterds before they kill anyone else. Enough blood has already been spilt from these innocent people, and it all started with the blood of a child. This is going to stop, and I plan to be its end.”

As the buck made his way towards the door, Igor slurped the last of his tea before he all but jumped to his feet. “You can’t go in the front, Sir! That would be suicide! Maybe you should take the lift from the castle basement instead; It’s not as far in as you might like, but it will get you in unnoticed and give you the advantage of surprise. Besides, I think you should take a few things I finished after the Master passed on. I think you’ll find them of both great use and to your liking, Sir.” The buck said nothing as he opened the door and turned towards the stairs. To Igor’s relief, he was planning to go up to the lab again. “Well, then hurry up. You’ve made me curious, so lets see what you’ve got; before I loss my interest.”

About half an hour later, Igor at last stepped out of a vault that was hidden in the lab by a false wall of wood, which had been painted over to match the brickwork. In moments, Leon was looking over three items; A gauntlet shaped like a glove with a metal disc on the arm guard, a thick metal pole as long as a pen, and glass ball that somehow had a bizarre looking red fluid sealed inside it. Normally the buck could understand if the sphere had a bottle’s lips, but the entire thing was smooth all over, and lacked any kind of seam for how it could have been filled in the first place. As he looked at the items, Leon’s left ear laid flat from the side his head to express his disappointment in the items. “Okay, Igor. I give up. What use are a stick, a ball and a metal glove going to be down there?”

With a cunning smile on his lips, Igor grabbed the globe in his clawed hand, and then shook it rapidly. In moments, Leon shielded his eyes from the glow that was now beaming forth from the orb. “What the Hell?!” Igor smiled at the now glowing item clutched in his claws. “Bright, isn’t it? Master called the stuff ‘Sun Water’, because if it’s stimulated enough, it can light up darkness like the sun. It should making finding your way down there much easier than a torch or lamp, since both could be put out by the cold or winds.” As he set the orb back on the table, Leon saw the light dim, and then fade, as the fluid returned to its previous crimson state. “Okay, I’ll admit that seeing where I’m going will help. And I guess a torch isn’t a good idea since it’ll go out if melting ice falls on it…”

Igor next picked up the bizarre pole, which Leon only now saw had a split down the center. “This is a fun one. If you are good at fighting with a pole arm...” the badger grasped both sides of the pole in his hands, and with a twist, the once small stick extended on both sides into a solid six-inch pole! “This is the result of Master’s alchemy works. He made a metal compound that will extend and harden with firm pressure…” Igor let his grip ease a little, and almost grinned as Leon saw the two pole ends grow soft and retract into the shaft. “And grow soft and constrict when eased up on. You’ll find there is a lot more to this than a pole, Sir; Master put great lengths into making this, ‘stick’ as you called it, become a number of tools you may need.”

As he put the shaft down, Igor at last picked up the metal glove with its small disc. “Master was about to test this one before his demise, but duty called him away. This right here is his life’s work, Sir. A perfect unity of magic and science, created for the Silvercross family to put to good use against evil. Shall we try it out?” Leon gently took the glove from Igor’s hands, marveling at how lightweight it was. So light, in fact, he swore it was made of feathers instead of metal. Raising his right arm, the buck slid his hand inside… And almost jumped as he felt clamps grip his arm and fingers, holding the thing to his arm! “Damn it, Igor! Warn me the next time something is going to take it upon itself to grip my body like a crab!” As he pointed his finger at the badger, Leon could have sworn he heard a faint click as his pinky touched his palm…

The events that followed happened in less than a second, as the small disc on the back of the glove rose from where it was set, and with a rapid spin, extended into a shield large enough to block the buck’s entire torso, and stopped as small blades extended from the rim, like a giant saw blade. And yet, even with this new addition to the glove, Leon still felt a lack of weight on his arm. But the shield alone, crafted from a thick plate of metal, looked as if it should be almost fifty stones in weight alone! “Like I said, the Master made this for your family by adding a bit of magic to this weapon. It contains a wind spirit inside that shield, and because of that, it’s not only lightweight, but also it can be launched and returned of it’s own will. Try touching your index finger to your palm.”

The hunter nodded as he did as he was told, and his eyes slowly grew wide on his face as the shield started to spin on it’s own, the small blades becoming nothing but a blur as the weapon would speed up as his grip grew harder, or slower as he relaxed. “I wouldn’t suggest thrusting your arm forward at anything you don’t wished harm, Sir. If you did, it might do worse than a nick on the cheek, if you catch my meaning. Anyway, I’m sure as the spirit grows used to you and likes you more, you’ll be able to find a lot more uses for this than to just defend and attack. “The Silvercross are good at that”, Master told me as we made this.” As the buck relaxed his hand, the shield spun in reverse, until it was tiny as before and reset itself in its proper place. The buck’s mouth grew into a grin at the marvel on his arm.

“Igor, of everything you’ve shown me, this alone has got to be the most creative. I think you’d make an excellent partner in my line of work. But time isn’t on our side to talk about a partnership. Where is the alternate entrance to the mines?” Leon wasted no time taking the orb and pole and rushing from the room. It wasn’t until he left that Igor at last snapped out of his daze, turning on his massive foot to stare at the door, a tear welling up in his malformed eye. “He… He said I’d be a good partner. Master was right! There truly are others who care about who I am!” As the hunchback rushed out after Leon, he never noticed the change that had overcome the portrait of the Doctor. While the painting reflected a sour, serious and stern look of a man who cared only about his work before, it had some how changed by the accord of something else, the rat’s once solemn face pulled into a bright and knowing grin, as laughter echoed from the dried paint…

Even in death, the good Doctor was watching over his loyal son.


Next time, on Path of Darkness! Leon decends into the dark, and the carnage of the story begins... Stay tuned!
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Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Crimson]

Wow most enjoyable. Wish i could write like that lol
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Crimson's Construction.
Bettering Bon Bon one building at a time.

[MrWolf12]

Very impressive,yet again, my friend.

[LabrnMystic]

Cats man! I'll have to take some extra time out just to read and catch up on all this. ^^;

From what I've got so far, it looks like we have, yet another wonderful writer in our midst. ^_^
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The suspense is killing me. I hope it will last.

[Shadow9808]

Thanks for the suport, Labrn. your praise makes my birthday suck just a little less... Chapter 5 will be along sooner or later...
_________________
Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Xebulon]

If it makes you feel any better Shadow, I wish I could crank out chapters like that. I've been working on my story for so long that I'm starting to think it'll never get written. Heh, lately I've gotten so distracted with all the background "fluff" that I haven't even written a sentence in the last month or so.
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I like old jokes. With them I know when to laugh.

[Shadow9808]

That does help cheer me up, Xebulon. As for Chapter 5, it's already 25% done, so it should be out some time this week. And as promised, the action finaly starts as Leon ventures into the mines to seek the source of the city's problems. I just hope you guys enjoy it, as this is my first shot at writeing about combat...
_________________
Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Shadow9808]

Just an update, Chapter 5 might be along longer than I hoped. I'm continueing to write when inspiration strikes, so don't give up on me yet!
_________________
Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Shadow9808]

Chapter 5 is here at last!

Path of Darkness
By Sean J. McDowell AKA Shadow9808 / zaneskyfire

Copyright Warning: Any attempt to steal Leon Silvercross or ANY of my characters shall have me track you down, tear off your leg, kick your ass with it, freeze dry it after you bleed to death and mail it to your closest relative/friend.

Chapter 5
Among the Crystal’s Light


A wooden cover opened into a dark shaft of stone and ice, frigid and dry air flowing out of the opening. Moments later, Igor and Leon both gazed down into the shaft, its sides smooth from the air’s flow. Far below, they saw glowing crystals among shards of ice, providing illumination for the tunnel they could see down below. “So this is the other way into the mines you were talking about? How exactly am I supposed to get down there? Jump and break my legs in the fall?” The badger said nothing as he pulled a leaver on the wall, releasing the locks on a pulley over their heads, a platform being lowered down from above on a heavy chain. Its shape was cut to fit the tunnel perfectly, as if it was planed in advance just for this purpose. The buck stared at it a moment before again looking to Igor. “You did ask, Sir.”

Within moments, Leon was halfway down the tunnel, the cold causing a chill to run from his spine to his tail. He was nervous of facing his enemy in the frozen depths. The primal instinct that still lurked in his heart dreaded the thought of being buried alive under stone and ice, sealed inside a tomb of his own making, to rot in this cold Hell. He griped the chain harder; almost as if he was trying to grip his fear and make it face him head on. He felt fear, yes. But he would overcome it with everything he had. A monster they built their city over, that had remained dormant for years, was slaughtering these people, and now it had awoken and hungered for them. They needed a hero who could face it and not suffer a grim fate, not a coward who was scared of the unknown.

If he was going to end up buried alive, then by the will of the universe, he would bury that son of a bitch with him. At last, the platform touched the cave floor, and Leon waved to Igor let him to know he was ready to get his task under way. Worry was etched into the badger’s face, but he nodded, and began to raise the lift after the buck stepped off. Moments later, the last of the torch light he left above in the warm castle was gone, leaving the buck to stand among shards of ice and glowing crystals. The shards of green seemed to beam with a pale light, barely illuminating the tunnel he stood in; but it was enough. At once, the hunter set to work taking things from the many sacks on his belt, and attaching them together.

Bullets came from one pouch and were loaded into the revolver her kept in his front left pouch. For a brief moment, he almost wished he had been born a girl; At least they had a natural pouch they could hide something in. He couldn’t begin to count how many times his mother pulled out a bludgeon or gun and promptly hit or shot his father. Granted the bullets she used were blanks, his father always complained about how a blank hurts like Hell. He shook his head as he pushed the good memories of his family from his thoughts. No, if he were born a girl, he wouldn’t have been born with the physical might his family was legendary for. He promptly placed the gun into a notch in his coat.

He removed several bits and pieces next, and within a mater of moments, had reconstructed his grandfather’s wrist mounted crossbow. He locked the weapon into place on his left arm, making sure the weapon’s arming and firing triggers wouldn’t interfere with more required dexterity. He placed a small box onto the weapon’s back then, and made sure the string loaded a bolt from the slot in the box’s bottom before it collapsed, allowing the weapon to remain hidden in his coat sleeve. Again he tested the items Igor had given him, and smiled as each responded to each test with flying colors. What he was interested in, however, was what Igor was talking about with his bladed shield. Fortunately, collapsed timbers blocked his path.

In a fluid motion that mimicked a river’s smooth flow, Leon drew back his arm, extended the shield, and thrust his arm forward as if he was punching. To his shock, the weapon came free of his arm, a barely visible silver thread linking the shield to his glove trailing out behind the disc. The spinning blade barely filled the air with a low hum as it flew towards the thick timbers, shortly before it’s spinning teeth tore into the wood like it was just a sheet of paper, cutting all the way through in a matter of two heartbeats. As the buck lowered his arm, the silver thread pulled tight, cutting into the wood as the disc was stopped in midair, hovering in place, until the thread started to draw it back, causing the blade to hack it’s way back through the rest of the timber on it’s return flight.

Rather than continue towards the buck, as he feared it would slice him in half, the blade turned in midair, and flew right back to where it rested on Leon’s arm to begin, the thread all but gone. The timbers collapsed into a pile of neatly sliced wood, exposing the rest of the tunnel and more glowing emerald crystals. The buck stared at the destroyed timber, then the shield, and once more the timber. Very slowly, a smile crept onto his face, his eyes still wide with amazement at the weapon’s handy work. “Igor wasn’t kidding about this thing being dangerous! I like you already!” The bladed shield seemed to pulse faintly at his praise; clearly, the spirit within was happy to be acknowledged for its effort to serve.

Retracting his weapon, the buck advanced into the frozen cavern, unaware that eyes followed his movements from the cracks in the walls… Eventually, the buck learned the cavern was more dangerous than he originally believed. What used to be mine cart tracks and dug out pathways had become slick, icy slopes that he slipped on more than once, and twice nearly caused him to plummet to his death miles below. The only thing that saved him time and again was the shield on his arm, which had no trouble at all sinking its metal fangs into the ice, and serving as an effective means to slowly climb up and down the sheer ice walls that blocked his way, and the metal pole that Igor provided as it would mold itself into a grappling hook that would always find a stable support to grip.

Just as he began to fear being lost in the frozen maze of stone and ice, luck responded in full swing. At the moment, the buck stood still, his eyes shining as bright as the crystals that surrounded him. He had clearly found the center of all the mining, a vast cavern filled with rails, mine carts, tools and equipment, all illuminated by crystals of every shade of the rainbow. Leon found himself at a loss of words as he stared at the shining display before him, the ice serving to aid the glimmering beauty, as the walls and ground seemed to sparkle like a giant prism. “This is amazing! It’s so beautiful in here… Father, if only you were here to see this too! Wait a second… Why don’t I bring it to him?”

Leaping down from his perch, the buck made sure his feet found one of the frozen rails, allowing him to glide down the slope and gracefully step off when he reached the bottom. “The question is, how am I going to get-“ He stopped himself short, his eyes turning to his shield. Five minutes later, the buck placed a glowing blue shard of the crystals into the sack he had on his belt, making certain it would rest easy with the other six shards he had collected from the rainbow mine. He tested how they would affect his weight, and smiled that he couldn’t feel them at all. His smile was short lived as a sinister growl echoed off the walls to his ears, which rose in alert to the sound. He wasn’t as alone as he first thought.

His feet left the ground in a back flip as claws made contact where he was before, the hunter sliding back only a few inches as he landed and glared at his foe. The creature was much like the folks at the inn described, but they had been quite vague about how truly sickening it was to look at. The beast was covered in white fur from head to toe, save the mangled patches that had been torn up by infighting, exposing the monster’s crimson muscle tissue. It’s paws were huge, each digit more of a claw than a complete toe, a dull gray bearing chips and scars, the cracks filled with dried blood. A long tail trailed behind the thing, the tip ending in a sharp barb made of bone; judging by how the point was curved, it was made to serve as a hook instead of a stinger.

It’s body was hunched so it could move it’s thick bulk by walking on all fours instead of two legs, the hind legs strangely equal in size to the front. Clearly, the beast was built so it could lunge and swipe at a victim at the same time. The face was nothing short of a demon’s; the muzzle of its mouth was filled with sharp fangs, all meant to tear flesh without chewing. To make up for the lack of molars, the beast’s back most fangs seamed to move on their own, no doubt to pull torn flesh into it’s mouth to swallow whole, with large canines crowning the edge of the front to grip prey and hold it still for the rest of the teeth to do its job. Just above the thing’s muzzle, a single red eye was set into the center of its head, the iris a sickly olive green, and a snake like pupil that pulsed an eerie yellow.

The creature’s breath was rapid; the bulk of its chest throbbing rapidly with it’s every breath, constantly fogging the air with clouds of warmed air. In fact, with each breath it took, the hunter noticed the air was growing colder. Obviously, the thing consumed meat not for food, but to extract the warmth from the meal. He was face to face with the doctor’s killer. In fact, the tattered remains of a lab coat sleeve hung from the creature’s fangs. Leon moved slowly as the beast stood there, making certain it wouldn’t strike until he was ready; The last thing he needed was the thing to tear him apart because it was startled or alerted to danger before the buck could even retaliate. “So, you’re the basterd who’s killing everyone, huh? As ugly as your face is, I think your just one of the lackeys who does the dirty work for the big boss.”

The buck keep his eyes set on the beast. He knew looking away, or even blinking at this very moment was all that kept him from the Reaper’s clutches. His hand slipped into the pouch closest to the right side of his tail’s base; the one he stored his distraction tools in. “Even so, you took the life of a man who was everything to someone. And it’s time to pay the price.” The beast crouched low to the ground, before emitting a roar that echoed throughout the frozen chamber. Leon’s ears made only a slight twitch as the creature was answered by thousands of replies. As more of the hideous creatures seemed to pour from the tunnels, the monster lunged at it’s intended prey.

As it took off into the air, it’s muscles propelling it from the ice, Leon’s hand shot out from behind him, throwing a small glass bomb right at it, not flinching at all over the lit fuse, or that the creature was seconds from sinking it’s teeth into him. Instead, he tilted hi hat over his eyes, moments before the glass bomb exploded, filling the entire reflective chamber with the brightness of the sun, a revolver in one hand and his bladed shield on the other… “And now the fun begins.” Far deeper into the mine, the priest looked up as the ground quaked, ice falling onto the altar he was praying before. His yellow eyes trembled in fear as he looked behind him at the stone slab that rested atop the etched temple he was atop, where the young raccoon maiden thrashed in her binds that held her in place.

“Did those damned fools set off more explosives inside the mine?! Damn it, they will bring down the entire mine if they keep this up!” The goat shook his head, his ears and beard swinging with the turning of his head. “Oh well, good servants are so hard to dig up. Oh please stop that struggling, Robin. It won’t do you any good in the short or long run.” Standing up, the priest brushed off his robe before he walked over to the poor girl, who stared at him with her frightened amber orbs. “Father, why are you doing this? Why did you kill everyone, and why did you kidnap me? You used to be such a kind man…” The priest said nothing as he slapped the poor girl, blood trickling from her bruised cheek.

“You ignorant little bitch. I played every last one of you damn cows from the start! Do you really think I was sincere about leading you sheep to salvation? Ha! Ever since I took up the cloth, it’s been ‘Help this poor soul’ this, or ‘Give to those in need’ that, or even ‘Forgive me Father, I have sinned!’ I have grown SICK of the weak! SICK, DAMN YOU!!!” The enraged goat grabbed the girl by her jaw, forcing her to stare into his eyes and enraged face. “You people are a damn plague! You look to God for your salvation; you look to the church when you can’t care for yourselves! Everyone of you are like an infected scum that taint this fucking world, and I’ve had to hear you damn bitching about it for YEARS!!!”

The man’s look took on one of insanity as he let go of Robin’s face. “But that’s all going to change. Ever since I found that tablet buried in the church, I’ve had visions from God himself! He has chosen me to clean the world of all filth! And I have already set things in motion to do so.” The priest walked back to the altar as Robin found her voice again, the pieces at last falling into place for her. “The children who went missing… The monsters that attacked everyone… You killed them?! You monster! How could you do that to CHILDREN?!!” The priest only laughed as he grabbed as sacrificial knife from the stone, before he waved it above his head like he was conducting a band.

“My dear, that was God’s will! He desired that I feed those children to him to aid him in his coming to cleanse the world! I assure you, their worthless lives found meaning and value. Thanks to them, all is just about ready for his grand return! Soon, he’ll clean the sinners from what’s left of this pitiful ruin, and then move on to all of Europe! And from there, the world! HA HA HA!!!” Robin turned away from the madman, unable to stand his words and mad speech any longer. “Please, good Lord, please send an angel to save me from this monster…” The priest paused for a moment as Robin saw the highest tunnel emit a blinding flash. While the madman waved it off, she gazed at the opening with wide eyes. Could it be…?

Inside the cavern of crystal, Leon grunted as his arm thrust into another of the one-eyed demon’s mouths, before he pulled the trigger of his revolver, causing the monster head to burst into a gory shower as the bullet exited the barrel. As he pulled his hand free of the now lifeless jaws, his right arm stopped another of the beasts in mid air by raising his shield, the creature rebounding off the spinning metal. The beast wasn’t allowed to touch the ground before the buck’s foot lashed out and struck it in the ribs, it’s chest caving in as the bones were shattered by the impact, sending it flying back into more that had gathered, knocking them all down. He wasn’t done with them yet, however.

He was prompt in throwing a stick of dynamite into the toppled pile, blasting the monsters to bits before they had a chance to rise. Leon was virtually unscarred so far in the battle; thanks to the flash powder bomb he had thrown when the beasts had first arrived. What had originally been over a horde of at least fifty had been sliced, blasted and gunned down to a mere fifteen, and the buck was clearly winning. His clothes were stained with the crimson of his foes; the blood splatters making him look like some kind of serial killer than a man. His eyes blazed with the heat of battle, fueled by the corpses that now turned the ice pink from the blood that froze there.

He knew that for these things to land a hit would spell certain doom. One that lunged from his rear caused him to step to the side, ramming his spinning death disc into it’s side as it passed, carving it open and causing more crimson to fly onto his clothes. His movements were far from rigid, like a machine; he flowed with the fight like battle was but instinct to him, reacting to his enemies’ near fatal attacks moments before a strike was landed, and returned in kind with a fatal attack of his own. The fight raged for but a few minutes longer, until the buck stood alone once more, surrounded by death and carnage. As he gazed at the piles of flesh, a laugh found it’s way from his mouth as he briefly relished the carnage.

It wasn’t one that held any kind of satisfaction or humor, however; it was a laugh of relief. Beasts that could have killed him with only a single strike had out numbered him, and yet he had come out of the fight unharmed. His nostrils flared as he regained his breath, taking timed to reload his gun and clean his shield before he started to advance over the rapidly freezing monsters. “Just my kind of luck these things had really sharp eyes thanks to being subterranean. Didn’t expect a flash bomb to last THAT long on a freak before. Even so, I have the small fry out of my way. Now I need to grill the big fish.” As he walked, Leon’s stomach growled, causing him to pat it. “Heh, it’s a wonder that fighting makes me hungry. At least I make sure to have a nice meal afterwards.”

The typewriter stopped as the buck took the filled sheet of his history and set it beside the device with the rest of the completed sheets. Looking out at the sky, he sighed at the moon’s height. It was much too late to continue, and he could feel his eyes starting to close on their own. “Better call it a night, Leon. Won’t do any good to keep writing if I fall asleep on the keys.” Standing up, the buck stretched before he shut off the lantern and walked to his bed and lay down. He gazed at the ceiling above until he drifted off, passing into a peaceful slumber for the night. His dreams weren’t quite as pleasant as he would prefer, causing him to toss and turn as he slumbered.

When the sun at last shined into the buck’s home, he was stirred not by a alarm, but by the impact of the floor! He grumbled a moment as he stood, taking mind of his healing leg. With a loud yawn, he made his way back to the desk he sat at the night before. He was compelled to finish the chapter before he’d leave his home and get something to eat; until his stomach groaned with hunger. His eye narrowed in annoyance as he glared at his toned belly. “You just won’t shut up until I get something to eat, will you? All right, you win. I guess a morning walk could do me some good for my leg, too.” Standing, the buck walked to his dresser and removed some clothing to wear.

He kept his attire simple, preferring a simple white shirt with short sleeves, a pair of worn short sleeve pants to mind his leg, and of course his belt. He chose not to grab his hat this morning, and made his way to the door. “Best be ready for some flirting while I’m out.”


I have chosen to split it in half for the time being, as I have yet to decide who Leon will encounter in his walk at the start of the next chapter. To quote Banzai just for the Hell of doing it, "PLACE YOUR BETS NOW!!!"
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Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Shadow9808]

Chapter 6 is underway and going strong folks, so expect it by next weekend!
_________________
Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Shadow9808]

Wow! Almost 3,000 views! Thanks so much for the suport, guys!
_________________
Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Shadow9808]

Over 3,000 views?!!! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! And here is Chapter 6!


Path of Darkness
By Sean J. McDowell AKA Shadow9808 / zaneskyfire

Copyright Warning: Any attempt to steal Leon Silvercross or ANY of my characters shall have me track you down, tear off your leg, kick your ass with it, freeze dry it after you bleed to death and mail it to your closest relative/friend.

Chapter 6
Heir to Legacy


It wasn’t until mid morning that Leon returned home, his leg sore and aching both from pain and the metal brace that gave it support. He had pushed himself too far again, and now he was suffering the stinging ache of pain once again. As soon as his door was shut and sealed by the number of locks, both magical and mundane, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Jesus, what is WITH those women?! Yesterday it was three, and today it was five! It’s like they flirt with any guy that walks by! Have they no respect for an injured man’s pride?” Shaking his head, the young man limped to his desk, and sat down before his typewriter once more. He knew he’d need to leave to get more coffee later, once the market was open, but for now he was content to continue.

“Perhaps it was fate that I had survived the onslaught of the demon’s minions. Perhaps it was thanks to instinct taking over logic during the battle. Maybe Lady Luck rolled the dice in my favor. Frankly I didn’t give a damn how I got through that fight without a scratch. However, I knew I couldn’t be distracted by how hungry the fight had made me. I had only defeated the workforce, the lesser minions of the primary enemy; the true foe was just ahead, and all my research about it would serve just as a small scale of what I was up against. This was a demon, after all. The undead are restricted by the results of their death, and monsters can be killed if you know the trick. But a demon is something totally different… And dangerous.”

Leon stopped as he heard a woman’s panicked voice cried out from one of the tunnels. The following cry for help made him run towards the source, every second a split moment in time that couldn’t be wasted, lest a life be lost. As the voice grew louder, the buck slowed down until he was staring down at the stone temple altar below. “Damn, if only I could see closer… Wait! Maybe I can!” Removing the metal pole Igor gave him from his belt, Leon twisted and bent the shifting metal until it had become a spyglass. Placing the item to his eye, the buck took in what he saw. At first he noticed a raccoon maiden chained to a blood stained alter, clearly fighting to free herself from the chains that held her.

His sight shifted the moment he heard laughter, his jade eyes turning dark as he saw the priest from before, now dressed in a blood stained robe, it’s white satin forever tainted by the crimson that covered it. Clutched in his hand was a ceremonial knife, its silver edge dulled by dried blood and rust from the frozen air. As the spyglass reverted to it’s previous form, Leon felt his blood boil with his rising temper. “How dare he… Oh, I swear I’ll see him roast in Hell even if I have to drag his ass down into the fires myself! I told Jeff I’d do what I can, and if that’s his sister, then she is off limits!” Snapping his wrist, the pole once again shifted its tip into a sharp point that buried into the ice, a cord connecting the two.

“And now, my dear Robin, it is time for you to find salvation as well! Your blood shall join the children in God, and he shall set us all free!” The goat raised the blade over his head as his face glowed with sadistic glee. “NOW GOD SHALL CLEAN THIS WORLD OF-“ A gunshot rang out as the bullet tore the blade free of it’s hilt, before it hit the ground and slid away. The priest froze in shock and turned to look behind him, before he turned around to face the large feet that kicked him in the shoulders, sending him flying backwards into the altar, the stone cracking under his weight. Leon landed next to Robin, and with a snap of his wrist, his grappling hook retracted. “Sorry, but she has a worried brother!”

Robin’s amber eyes stared in shock at what had happened, and lost her voice as she saw her savior’s face, and the blood that stained his clothes. He was younger than her, yet he was very attractive, and she couldn’t speak as he sliced her bindings apart with a spinning shield; Her prayers were answered not by just any angel. He was an angel of vengeance, here to punish the priest for his sins! As soon as her arms were free, she griped the young man in a hug. “Oh thank you for answering my prayer and descending to my rescue, oh noble Angel!” For a moment, Leon’s face turned a deeper red than his fur, having never been embraced by any girl beyond his mother. “Umm, you ARE Jeff’s sister, right?”

The priest growled as he stood, his yellow eyes narrowed in fury at his attacker. “Damn you, you fool! How DARE you interfere with the world’s salvation at the hands of God! You blasphemes fool, you have no right to-“ The madman was silenced as the bullet tore through his jaw, splitting the bone in half, rendering him unable to ever speak again. As he fell to it’s knees, grasping at his now useless jaw and screaming in pain, Leon lowered his smoking gun. “I gave him fair warning I’d smash his jaw if he tried preaching at me. Guess he didn’t get the message. Now then, young lady, this is the point where you run for cover, cause things are about to become VERY messy.”

As the priest’s blood hit the stone, Robin nodded and ran to the steps leading off the platform. Leon never turned from the priest’s body, watching as the crimson life fluid flowed into a groove in the stone, leading to a small hole in the center. As the blood seeped in, the stone started to vibrate, as a low growl echoed into the cavern, the very ice on the walls shaking from the force the sound carried. “Congratulations are in order, Father. Your about to meet your ‘God’ face to face!” Leon extended his shield as the stone cracked under the priest, before it was blasted apart in a shower of stone and sand, the bleeding fool being tossed to one side. An ice clawed hand griped the stone, before it pulled its body from its tomb.

The thing was a nightmare given flesh and blood, and was far more intimidating than the illustration in the tome had hoped to record. The demon was massive, to be sure, as large as a small barn, and covered in icicles made of it’s own frozen blood, jutting from what was no doubt the very wounds that allowed it to be imprisoned in the first place. White fur coated the beast’s bulk, and claws made of sharp and jagged ice tipped each of its six legs. The creature had a barbed tail like it’s lesser servants, save the tip was rigged like a saw. Its use was clearly to cause pain rather than hold prey like its underlings. The creature’s face was a nightmare as well, and it almost made the buck lose his nerve and give into his growing fear.

The monster’s mouth looked like a triad of leech mouths, sharp saw like fangs filling it’s repulsive maw, and above that rested its three eyes, arranged like a triangle of glowing red and yellow hate. Two tusks of barbed bones hung at the sides of the demon’s mouth, the rotting flesh of past victims still preserved by the deep cold it had been trapped within. Hidden behind a pile of broken mine carts, Robin did all she could to hold back her scream at the sight of the monster that had risen to do battle with the guardian angel who had saved her from joining it’s list of victims. The priest stared in terror at the monster he had believed was God, struggling to crawl away as blood flowed from his shattered jaw.

He was not fated to escape, however, as the demon turned it’s eyes from Leon to the wounded man. In a flash, it’s tail stabbed the crawling man in the back, and just as quickly threw him to the grinding fangs of it’s mouth, blood gushing in a mist of death as his flesh was ripped apart and consumed. In but a matter of moments, nothing remained of the insane man. “You may be a demon, Crontos, but your taste is to be admired.” The creature turned to face Leon again with it’s three eyes, before it’s voice, low and rough like a earthquake and sharp as a knife on a blackboard, echoed forth from it’s unmoving maw. “You know my name, Mortal? Clearly you are here to feed me your flesh so I may grow more powerful.”

The buck shook his head as he drowned his fear in his commitment to his cause. “I’ve read up on you, Crontos, and I have no plans on letting you get to the surface where you’ll consume all life. In fact, I’m here to finish what the wise and brave men who gave their lives to seal you away started! Crontos of the Frost, I am Leon Silvercross! Prepare to die and face the Eternal Death!” Crontos laughed at the buck’s words, the ice on the walls beginning to crack under the stress of the booming voice. “Surely you jest! Those fools could only seal me away! No mortal can kill me! Are you so eager to hurry up and die that you’d just come here to make empty threats before I eat you?”

The demon’s laugh came to a slow halt as its eyes gazed into Leon’s. Apparently, the foolish mortal really did believe he could kill a demon. “Humph, apparently you really do think you stand a faint hope of facing me in battle. A pity for you that I shall wake you from your dreams of victory as I tear you apart!” Leon said nothing as he shifted his stance so he would remain firm where he stood, and would not be knocked off balance. “You gonna keep shooting your mouth off and let me kill you, or do you plan to try and stand a chance? Cause your starting to bore me!” With the speed of a wild cat, Leon’s shield was air born faster than the demon could see it come free of his arm.

It’s three eyes widened in shock at the things speed, and roared in pain and anger as the spinning weapon neatly slashed his front most left leg, before turning in mid air to sever one of it’s center legs from it’s body. Just as the blade was returning, the monster inhaled and launched a white beam from its mouth, the ground erupting into jagged ice as it passed. The hunter didn’t wait for his weapon to return before he took to the air, the beam sailing under him. The buck winced at the sudden numbness in the soles of his feet, and knew he didn’t need to turn to see how the wall behind where he stood had become a frozen death trap, not unlike an iron maiden’s interior.

The buck lashed out with his pole, the hook that crowned its end flying forth on its metal cord. His target, however, wasn’t the demon. The metal tip struck his shield in midair, causing the spinning disc to once again hurl towards the beast. This time it found it’s place in the thing’s back, and raced forward into its flesh, carving it open and shattering the frozen blood that would have been in the buck’s way as he landed right on the beast’s back. Crontos screamed in pain as the whirling disc slashed at his flesh as if it was water, and grunted in fury as the hunter landed on his back. “How dare you make a fool out of me! I will shatter you into a thousand pieces so small, not even ants will see your remains!”

The buck retracted and raised his shield just in time to have it absorb the force of Crontos’s tail. Even though the sharp ridges couldn’t cut the metal, it did send the warrior flying from his back, and slide back several feet across the icy stone. Using his momentum, the buck shifted his weight to his tail, and sprang to his feet just inches from the edge. “You talk a lot of trash, ugly!” As the beast turned to face Leon, a bullet pierced one of his eyes, the fleshy orb popping open like a water sack that was filled beyond what it could hold. The creature screamed in pain as he brought two of his claws to his eyes, attempting to remove the bullet but without success. “But from what I see, you can’t back it up! And you know why?”

The buck raised his left arm; the crossbow hidden there extended its body, the bolt loaded and ready. However, Leon planed to put this battle to an end; He was almost out of time. With a small stroke along the back of the weapon, a small flint and steel lit the tiny fuse imbedded into the bolt. “Because when they sealed you away, they made this temple so it would suck away all your power! And your immunity to flames!” As soon as Crontos lowered his claws, he broke into a frenzied charge at the buck, not aware of the bolt that stabbed right into the back of the bullet, pushing bother further in. As soon as the monster was close enough, the hunter rolled to the side, the monster sailing past him, and off the platform.

At that moment, the fuse reached the powder inside the bolt, and in a flash, the monster’s head was blasted apart in a shower of ice, bone and fur, the rest of its body becoming engulfed in flame. Calmly, Leon turned to look down at the burning remains of his enemy. “That reminds me, my great, great, great grandfather was one of the men who sealed you away. Guess I should have told you that.” Walking to the side of the platform, Leon’s shield collapsed back into the gauntlet, before the buck calmly slid down the side, and stopped just next to a wide-eyed Robin. “Sorry for the mess, miss, but I think it’s time I get you back some place warm, wouldn’t you agree?”

The woman said nothing as she nodded, not quite sure just what to say to the man, no… He was no man. No mortal man could ever stand up to a demon from Hell and survive the encounter! He truly WAS an angel, sent from above to help her! She took Leon’s hand when he offered it, and in moments she was in his arms, blushing. “Just try not to scream or panic while I get you out of here. We’ve got a lot of climbing to do, and it’ll be much easier if I carry you.” The raccoon only blushed as she quietly nodded in response, before the buck jumped right back to the cavern he had come to her rescue from. ‘He must be keeping his wings from my eyes so I won’t be blinded by his majesty…’

The townsfolk all felt the massive tremor, and ran to the mine entrance as a whole. They stopped short however, when they saw the deformed badger that had helped the mad doctor bring this Hell on them was seen sitting on a tree stump, staring at the mine with worry heavy in both his eyes and on his shoulders. Ivan snarled as he saw the little mutant, anger rising in him. “Hey, what are you doing here, monster? Get back to your damn castle!” Igor said nothing as he turned to the people, who all took a step back from seeing his face. “I’m not leaving this spot. Not until Leon returns alive. I’m of no use to him down there, but that won’t stop me from waiting to see him come back.”

The people all seemed to grow angry, and maybe even throw sticks and stones at the creature again, until they saw Jeff walking towards the hunchback. The rat almost said something, until Winston walked forward as well. Jeff stood a few feet away from the deformed man, while the elderly one grabbed a bucket, and without any care for how the others felt, sat next to him. “Sounds like you made a friend, Igor. Why else would you risk getting hurt again just to come all the way here?” The badger said nothing as he continued to stare at the mine entrance. Finally, Jeff bothered to find his nerve and speak. “Do… Do you really think he’ll come back? That maybe my sister is alive?”

Igor gently rubbed his hand with his large, deformed claw. “I know that he’ll come back, cause he said he would. A Silvercross is a man who will go right up to the Devil, spit in his eye, and tell him to do his worst, and come away from it untouched. I have total faith in him.” Winston laughed a moment, while patting the badger’s shoulder. “I’m certain he’ll be alright if you feel that much about him, Igor! Youngsters like him know how to raise Hell and put an end to it no problem! Still, just this once, I-” The barmaid suddenly had absolute shock fill her eyes, as she pointed and screamed. “LOOK!!!” Everyone’s eyes turned to the shaft, expecting the monsters to be coming back to kill them all…

Instead, the very same young man who boasted in the bar stepped into the pale sunlight, carrying Robin in his arms. Jeff’s face broke into a smile at the sight of his sister, and after Leon set her down, the two embraced each other, crying with joy at seeing each other again. Winston was smiling through his shock, as he slowly stood up. “I’ll be damned… He really did it.” Everyone erupted into cheers as Igor ran to the buck, and hugged his waist. “Master, your alive! I knew you’d come back safe and sound!” Leon just grinned at his friend and patted his back. “All thanks to you, my friend! You underestimated how useful the tools you gave me were, and I STILL can’t believe what they can do!”

“Robin, your alright, by the Gods, your alright!” Jeff’s sister pulled back a little from Jeff’s hug, before she turned to face Leon. “It’s all thanks to this angel who was sent to save me! He killed the demon, right before my eyes!” Before he knew what was happening, the villagers had lifted Leon in their arms, cheering in joy and praise. The buck could only laugh at their happiness, as his eyes turned skyward. ‘Father, I’ve done it! I’ve saved these people in your stead, and proven myself worthy of the Silvercross name! I can hardly wait to tell you about it at home…’
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Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240

[Shadow9808]

Just a bump to keep this on page 1, and Chapter 7 is underway.
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Path of Darkness Chapter 12 is up! Read it here: http://forums.pleasurebonbon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5240