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Here is that Caine x Tenna comic I promised to share. But no kiss! Sorry guys, but I only promised to draw them kissing if Caine won that last round, but Caine didn't won. Tenna did. I gotta keep my word. But hey! There is always the next Tumblr Sexyman contest, next year! Haha! Enjoy!
Tumblr post and contest by @mimosa-sexypeople-contests-2026
Thanks for putting the contest together in the first place! It got me inspired and got me drawing all these cool drawings. It was fun.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
This content includes mature and dark themes such as suicide topics and mention of violence and abuse.
Readers discretion is adviced
Farmer follies belongs to @alterworldstudios
“Breaking news!
A well-known bar with the name of “Taste of Fire” was set on fire this noon. Officers had not yet reported the causes of the arson. The case is still under investigation. More details soon.
On related news, nearby it involved a fight between two residents,the owner of this bar and, according to the recordings and witnesses, the former owner of the “Stain dreams” Studio, Advisor mouse.
At this moment, the officers are interrogating the owner for more information in the case.
We ask these questions: what provoked this fire in the first place? What started this fight? And,most importantly,our lovable Mr. Advisor mouse had turned into a dark side?
Will we trap him? We will keep you updated-”
The television turned off abruptly, leaving traces of the reflection of a female mouse, who stared at the screen with a disgusted and frightened expression. No words she could spell but a silent gasp of air, simple but sharp, echoing in the small living room. The room was just as grey as the world outside, with many paintings hanging on its walls, a small couch in front of the television, along a crystal table placed in the middle of them. Without the television’s almost blueish light, the room returned to darkness, only it being chased away by the light from the squared window at her left.
The mouse, who called herself Counselor, looked at the photo of their marriage right on the crystal table, for this opportunity,she no longer recognized her own husband. Taking the photo towards her did not help but to put it down to not show more of his smile, having her in his arms on a joyous day.
She stood away from the TV, wishing that the news were false like many times before, only selling any type of evil rumor just to cause fear and distress in this poor world.
“I can't hold this anymore… please, forgive me, Advisor”
She used to be happy with her husband. No argument was a terrible dark spot to wish to escape, as they can always solve it. But things changed and they fought many times until silence could keep their throats silent. She was staying in an old rented house, the cheapest she had found, saving all her things to wait for the stay to be temporary. But now, she was considering never meeting her beloved again, not after watching something that even felt forbidden.
His violence looked so familiar, so furious as thunder to hurt, even if he did not mean it. The action left the damage already to be difficult to heal, or at least physically, the news did not share what sharp things he had also said.
She went to clear her head. Even if the note lacked information,she felt the chance to actually believe it.
The Counselor walked towards the window and looked at the sky,grey and rainy slowly ready to get darker,the melancholic ambient embraced her towards her bones, as the fog covered everything as a blanket of despair.
It was Thursday, a day she came to hate with the remembrance of a terrible tragedy, where in black she dressed to cry on the wooden and dark grey coffin with silent shouting to it.
“Why?” She recited “Why did you do it?”
The image was clear, with the weather being just the same: Foggy and rainy. Even if the coffin was empty, she felt it was very heavy to carry, before burying it to never see it again. All her friends were there to join her tears, all except one who got stuck in malicious denial. No matter how much they tried to open his eyes, he always avoided accepting the truth, and she would not blame him. She understood.
“How could someone like her do such a thing?”
Questions and more questions filling her mind to drown her, stabbing her heart with no answers or hints, a Thursday was when she learned and everything fell apart to a confusing abyss she will never get out.
She let tears stream down her precious face, being washed away with her glove of silk without much care.
The phone rang to interrupt her thoughts, not too loud but enough to make her turn her head around towards the source of the sounds, the telephone near the TV. waiting for her to pick it. Dry-eyed, she stepped away from the window and grabbed the phone to her ear.
“...Hello?” She started and waited for the other person's answer.
“Good afternoon,Ms. Counselor” a heavy but soft voice whispered in familiarity “How are you doing?”
“I'm doing fine, thanks” Counselor replied based on sacred courtesy, “What is the reason for your call? May I ask?”
The other took a deep breath before answering.
“Oh, I just want to talk to you. I would do it here but the phone call is getting very expensive for me for such a large message. So I ask to you if it's on your chance to come to the bar we always go”
The petition sounded weird but she knows who is on the phone, a friend so kind but sometimes cold and harsh. She would think about what he wanted to talk to her about. It would be very important if he is calling her like this, or maybe he is being consumed by boredom and wishes to pass the time.
She considered it for a while until finally having to agree.
“Very well! I will be waiting for you right there” the other answered “Be careful wherever you walk and arrive safe,Ciao”
With that, the call ended almost abruptly.
Wearing a dark and long frock coat, a classic beret and an umbrella, she prepared to face the empty streets. Making sure everything was locked in her home, she closed the door and started to walk with delicacy towards her destiny, not without at least looking at her home before: It has bricked walls with an interesting pattern which drew a grey,broken heart on it, a simple ceiling and some plants around, stairs to climb towards the wooden door. It was very simple but safer.
The streets were long and repetitive but it could never be lacking at least a bit of difference between them, some windows were open, others with flowers and plants, others were broken and others joined by stamps on their glass surface. Only sometimes a lost soul would appear on her path to exchange a “Good afternoon”, giving her the remembrance that she is not alone in this world, even if other times she feels she is.
Nobody has visited her, no friends there to talk to, only he has the dentist who wants to talk to her today. But she also knew that's what she wanted. If they knew where she was staying, she may have to deal with her husband again if they happened to tell him the truth. Counselor saddened with the thought that she does not trust them, neither near friends she could make for the same reason, she must be kept hidden in solitude for Lotus knows how long. But she must be grateful for having at least one to trust, and maybe her new life was not so bad after all. Alone with her thoughts and no one hurting her anymore.
The blocky patterned path was fun to watch as she passed across an old garden she loved to play as a child with its slides and swings. A popcorn stall was placed there where sometimes there could be candy cotton one or about toys. Looking to her right she expected to see a flower stall she came to get used to, finding this being closed with the familiar sign of “Out for lunch” hanging up the stall.
She decided to quit watching with detail her surroundings, quickening her pace. She arrived at the street where she was supposed to find the bar, and there it was. The familiarity was shaking, remembering the latest news was making her halt about any possible repetition and she wondered why it was not closed after the incident and the owner 's supposed interrogation. Those were her questions until he saw the familiar figure from the one who arranged to chat with her in this place, with no option she came inside hoping this could be quick since this building could close any time.
“My dear Counselor!” he greeted while placing the chair on the other side of the table “Have a seat, it's a pleasure to see you”
His only presence was eerie, tall, with a big smile and eyes hidden under a black boater hat, a grey coat and a tail almost taking the whole set as it was surrounding their table so she wouldn't escape. The beastly mouse was gentle but still intimidating, allowing herself to rest on the chair, she saved the umbrella under the table. She took a quick look around, there was no one but a bartender and a sleeping, poor guy on one of the tables.
“Good afternoon, Mister” she spoke politely “How are you doing?”
“I'm doing wonderfully well, thank you very much” he spoke with a calm but gruff voice, the Counselor only nodded.
“Well, what do you want to talk to me about?” She asked with a hint of nervousness
“It is nothing tragic, it's very simple, but first…” the dentist suddenly grabbed a remote control and turned on the television placed at a corner of the room, near the barkeeper table.
“Uh,sir! You can't do that” the bartender interrupted their meeting nervously
“Shut up, I'm no stranger!” He said with a more aggressive tone, making the small and defenseless bartender to keep quiet.
“Okay, how are your friends?” The dentist asked while changing channels of the black and white television
“Oh… My sir, why would you ask me that?” Counselor interrogate him again
“It's good for the soul to talk, I'm all ears and I'm curious since I was very busy the whole week” he said once dropping the remote, playing a channel about reports
“I see…” the Counselor tapped her finger on the table with doubt “Mr. Dentist, you know that I… have been away too. I haven't seen the Advisor for a long while and I don't have the heart to face the others. They could spoil my location”
The dentist digested the explanation, nodding from it.
“I apologize for my ignorance, my dear” he spoke softly “How is your new home by the way?”
“You are forgiven” the mouse nodded as she looked down “It 's… cozy,yes. Silent and small but I don't complain…”
“Very well-”
“On newer updates, the authorities have been called for a resident who had fallen into a hole in Pencil C. Street, according to an anonymous person. We will keep you informed about this…”
“Oh, they finally found it” the Dentist chuckled after hearing the television's report
“Huh, excuse me?” The mouse glanced at the television with confusion by the interruption
“Oh, it's nothing. Just a little accident over a street I know”
“...Is… everything alright?” the mouse spoke with worry rising
“For me yes… but for you...” the dentist took a deep breath as an idea popped to his mind “Have you watched the recent news? Do you know where your husband is?”
The mouse flinched by the question, she spoke in a whisper so no one else could hear “He is a monster I prefer to never see again, especially now”
“Ms. Counselor, I beg you to forgive me, but you may have to see him soon”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“The person who fell to that hole… was him”
She felt her world pausing with that revelation, her fists gripped towards the surface of the table and she looked at the tall smiling dentist with disbelief
“What? Are you sure?” she asked with trembling voice
“Of course, I was the one to report the accident” he nodded
“How…? What are you doing here? Should you not be giving details about that?” The mouse gasped with more confusion. She knew that the dentist sometimes does strange things, he Is spontaneous that it gives her a scare time to time
“I don't want to face the officers,they are very paranoid, so I take this place as shelter”
“...Really? But this place should be closing soon after that incident”
“Of course, that's why I wanted a talk here, it's possible that this may be our last time here due of this place closing forever”
“Why are you telling me this just now?!”
“Because I did not want you to worry about it, you are dealing too much right now”
“What? Is this place going to close? It can't be, I'm going to lose my job!” the bartender cried in the background and the mouse did not notice, she was having mixed feelings.
“Why will you say that I may have to see him again?”
“If they rescue him and heal him, they will be looking for any familiar to visit them or gain information. Or worse, Mr. Advisor would ask them to find you” the dentist explained but still not losing his smile “I could not leave him there trapped in the pit to be forgotten, so I asked help-”
“But you know everything he did to me” the mouse interrupted him “And also to that officer and owner, was it not better to… leave him there?”
“My dear, he is still my friend in grief…”
That was a simple answer from the dentist and it was logical due to their history together and yet, she felt betrayed.
“Which side are you on?” She asked softly on anger and sadness edge to the friend who most trusted to
“There are no sides here, there are just-” interrupted once again, the mouse stood up and took the umbrella “You can't hide forever, you should know that”
The mouse glanced at the dentist again, with that constant smile she could not read him.
“I know, but…” she stuttered
“You are scared…” he interrupted, the answer was just so simple but it was true “Scared of what would happen, if they will believe your version or face his hurtful wrath again. So afraid that you did not ask for help three months ago”
The mouse listened, quiet but frozen like a statue
“Then what should I do? Do you know…?”
The dentist kept silent, staring at her and she assumed he did not have an answer, and she would not blame him
“Goodbye, Mr. Dentist…”
“Her death was not your fault…” the dentist said one last time “If he dares shout that to you… don't listen”
“You can't escape… you should not”
“Aren't you going to pay for her seat,mister?” the bartender spoke, breaking the dentist's patience towards him
“Shut up,you runt!”
“Gulp-”
The dentist looked at his friend, opened her umbrella and left without her looking back at him. He felt bad for her as she disappeared from the fog, wishing for her to get home safe. He could have taken her back for himself , but she would quickly refuse the offer as she walks alone in a dangerous world. And he was again alone at the table, he desired to have a longer talk but he could not do anything about it, so he ordered a glass of water from the bartender, giving him a tip.
“Smile, little fella” he said while he looked back at the television, watching the new segments before the bar could close.
“On next news, despite the controversy of the “Taste of Fire bar”, the “Carousel Theater” will stay open for the following shows. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon today we will cover one of these theatrical acts with Ms.Carol. Stay tuned, folks!”
“Of course you will keep following this incident of Mr. Cycled in other places” he said with a sigh “Well, how to blame them if the gossip is good”
He waited until the advisor could be brought to a hospital and he could get back home without any question to him, and he recalled the burning bar. He expected that, whatever Mr. Cycled gets in jail or he is set free, he will ask more about his situation and his plan of a certain plush heart.
Meanwhile, for Ms. Counselor she was left devastated, walking quickly towards her home. She stood away from the cameras and tried to search from paths that did not have them. Passing to different alleys to still be hiding. I should not, she said to herself but she could not stop if her future is drawing uncertain.
“Advisor…?”
She heard and halted, the voice she recognized and looked around slowly in growing anxiety, the white feathers were covering many bottles like terrible dust, dirty and empty. His glance was lost and his hands were shivering.
“I'm going to see my Dovey! Did you know?” he said, clacking in delirium while the Counselor was left in shock at seeing him in a terrible state.
This content includes mature and dark themes such as suicide topics, self harm, depression, mention of abuse and violence.
Readers discretion is adviced
Special thanks to the owner of Farmer Follies @alterworldstudios for helping me write this chapter
“The town is emptier than before…”
Dressing a hat with a rose on it as an accessory and an empty stare,a tailless mouse walked around, whistling a song which every note faded away to be forgotten forever. The rain falling like a drum company with the melody.
“Maybe even more than yesterday…”
He spoke to himself with a voice so low. He was deep in his thoughts, not paying attention to his surroundings. At any moment he could bump into a cold and harsh wall if his eyes weren't fixated on the road.
“It's my hell to pay…”
“Scram! By any means, it was your fault she desisted from life!”
Those horrid words he shouted were mercyless, they slipped from his tongue as arrows hitting the pure heart of a fawn, except that this fawn was his own dear wife.
They have been married for years and now she is gone, gone to escape his harm to her, his arrows to her heart, without a trace that she was still alive or maybe not anymore.
The guilt gnawed at his being and so he called himself weak, cursing the fact he had looked everywhere with an apology waiting to be spelled, being spared and he never found her.
“Where are you? Where are you?” It was driving him to insanity, it has been three months and he never lost hope of seeing her again, to hear about her again. That day had not arrived yet but today was different when he soon heard screaming coming from the Taste of Fire street.
“How could this happen?! This is impossible!”
The mouse saw how dying fire was consuming the building in front of him as smoke filled the air, a bar he was familiar with. He used to go there to pass the time with his friends, drinking like there was no tomorrow and sharing silly stories together despite his dislike to come in the first place, that home-like piece being disintegrated to be just rubble,ash and memories felt heavy to his heart. And he was not the only one, a group of people was witnessing the tragedy with him, some calling for help and others only watching in silence.
“Was this accidental or someone did this on purpose?” A voice rang in the crowd
“Who knows? Maybe the cameras here will tell us” other answered pointing everywhere
“Dear Lotus, this is tragic!” another voice spoke almost in tears
“Welp, at least it was not the Wilted Rose bar, I never liked this one,” another said indifferently.
He did not pay attention to the people’s words and theories, he stayed like a statue until someone approached him, someone he was familiar with.
“I believe this is for your interest,Advisor” He said to the shorter mouse as he took him towards a certain place, closer to the incident,at the ground there was a burden axe which was stained in blood “This belonged to your friend…Am I wrong?”
The mouse took a closer look towards the tool and saw a signature on it which only the fools could confuse.
“Logger…”
As the destroyed bar became a crime scene with the investigation starting up, Advisor sat on the sidewalk curb, far from the building but still close enough to keep watching its fire dying along the bar. The officers pulled a transparent bag and saved inside it the poor,abandoned and small axe of her friend to be used as material to investigate the case.
He was shocked, the present felt like a bad dream which he wished to wake up now. His wife was missing and now one of his friends is assumed to have died inside one of his favorite places. No explanations yet, nothing, just sudden flames taking everything as greedy thieves snatching what they thought worthless.
As he sat still, the taller rodent approached, sitting next to him.
“Bread for the pain?” He asked, offering a slice of a simple bread to the Advisor. He shook his head annoyed,refusing it without looking at the rodent.
“Not to dare,Mr. Cycled…”
“I understand…”
The Advisor had known Mr. Cycled for a long time. Sometimes sharing talks which he rarely enjoyed. A rodent like him but taller, always dressing fancy with a smoking pipe on hand. His smirk bothered him greatly, he always looked nonchalant and derisive, brushing off his requests when he offered them. It was just irritating him, but sometimes he would share signs of care and empathy, which confused him even more. Sometimes he would not know what to think of him.
He owned this poor bar which was destroyed just today, as well another one at the other side of the streets he never came to visit and that was the one he spends more time checking in. And not having enough with that, Mr. Cycled was busy on a project which he did not really remember what it was exactly. Something to do with theater, he recalled.
With that short time for himself,this bar was left to another rat to take care of it. A rat who he started to wonder where he could be, he supposed he also died because of the fire and he could care less if it was the case.
Mr. Crystal's eye was not better than Cycled's, he would keep staring at his wife with eyes full of lust whenever they came closer to his cheap bar, or insult one of his friends from behind their backs. He never liked him, and he would find that to be the only good news today for him if he was gone today.
He should not be glad about someone's death, but he almost was.
A long silence came after until Advisor took the word with a sight.
“You should supervise better your places” he said coldly
“Pardon me?” The rodent replied
“This accident could have been prevented if you used to keep a closer look to your workers” Advisor spoke with anger rising.
“I’m afraid I do not have idea on what you are talking about, accidents can happen to anyone”
The mouse scratched his head in disproval
“Yes, to those who are not careful like you,the owner of these bars, that should be basic!”
“Sir, You are implying I caused this arson”
“It's because you did!”
The mouse stood up stomping at the floor with great strength as the other mister jumped from his seat, caught off guard by the mouse's fury
“You knew Mr. Crystal eyeball was an incompetent allie,he lacks empathy towards others!
I warned you to be careful, now look how this ended!”
“Advisor-”
“You knew he had a dark history behind and you chose to ignore!”
The owner started to recoil
“Advisor, I believe you are-”
“Silent! I don't wanna hear more of your dirty excuses!” The mouse hold a rock from the ground as he approached to him
“All I want from you is to pay for your imprudence in jail!”
Before he could do something, an officer pulled him back
“Halt there,mister”
That was the last thing the officer said before being knocked out by the furious mouse by hitting them with the rock right on their head.
The scene seemed to pause after the officer fell to the ground unconscious,their face ruined in blood and deformed,the rock had broken his skull,the people watched in horror, looking at the mouse in genuine worry and shock. Advisor, realizing what he just did, he gasped and watched his hands, it had remains of the blood dropped from the poor soul he just hit, then looked towards Cycled.
“So… that's why your wife disappeared from you…” the tall rodent spoke softly with a wide smile and Advisor,not having any other choice as he was overflowing with panic, ran away to not be seen anymore.
“Poor mouse, so lost you are, you can't escape your destiny”
The mouse ran,ran as fast his legs could go, he could hear the rest of the officers command to chase him, he was now someone who broke the laws recklessly. Again messing up.
“I’m sorry, I'm sorry” he said with lack of air “I'm so sorry!”
A pursuit happened on the long streets, Advisor made an effort to hide until getting his back next to a wall in an alleyway, making the officers run to another place, managing to escape and catch his breath. He looked at his hands, his gloves, this trembling non stop, still with hints of blood.
“Why? This again? I did not mean it…”
His eyes were white, even looked like they were glowing in the darkness, his vision started to blur as his breathing grew harder. The memories of that night haunted him again. Her words and his own to cut right in his soul to bleed along with her.
“Dear,please, calm down…” she said with panic increasing her heart while he approached her, pushing the chair away
“No! I don't want to hear any of it! Do you think this is easy for me?! Selfish woman! Did you really have to leave her?!!” he did not watch his words and he did not care, he grabbed her with no more than just unjustified anger at her
“N-No, I did not…”
“It does not matter anymore! YOU killed her!!” he slapped her with a terrible strength, enough to make her almost fall to the ground, she looked at him eyes full of shock and fear while supporting on the door
“LEAVE! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU, COUNSELOR!!”
He did not remember what happened next. He just remembers walking the house alone and his wife hiding without him bothering to look for her. The next day, she disappeared where he realized his mistake.
He was angry, stressed from the work as he tried to avoid thinking about his loss, along with his own fury from being ignored before, he knew something was happening but he should also admit he was not very confident about it, and he cursed himself for that.
His wife just wanted to help him and he snapped at her, what could have been a relief, he twisted to end up losing her in the massive streets. And he knows he is the one to blame for that. He hurt her, she did not deserve it, how dare him hurt a kind soul.
He thought he was found and tried to run away again, just to trip and hit his head. He waited for the harsh voice from those who used to fight for the law but instead, only an uncomfortable silence he heard.
When he opened his eyes and focused his vision, all he saw was a small man.
He was not wearing the police uniform, he could be just a common city resident with a large coat to protect himself from the rain along with his big hat as an umbrella.The hat was the thing which caught his attention, having a dark sun on it and also a broken,white heart as adorning pins. He could swear he had seen that heart pin before, but could not put a firm finger on where. The small man stood there,seeming bewildered by his presence.
He sat, rubbing the back from his head from the hit he got.
“Excuse me, good morning. I did not see you there”
The other stared at him to feet and ears, he seemed surprised, like he recognized him. That made him gulp down loudly, he worried that the news was just as quick to be running on the TV shops to tell about his crime. Or the newspapers being quick as a thunder to be spreading his escapism.
He got up unsteadily and dusted himself off, turning around he was about to walk away quickly “I must go… have a nice day”
“Wait-”
Not caring about his steps or the other man's words, he did not avoid bumping into a vending machine of candy. Comically falling from the heavy hit on his head, leaving him to see stars and birds.
“Advisor, right?”
He shook his head and composed himself when he heard the name
“Yeah… look, I don't want to hurt you, I'm busy and you should be as well, so better-”
“Your duck friend wants to see you”
“H-Huh?”
“Horrible, horrible dream, Advisor!”
“Wait,where are my manners?” The small man fixed his bowtie “Name’s Puppeteer, a pleasure to meet you. My request was very taken out of the void, right? Worry not! You can trust me!”
The surprise on his eyes disappeared and turned to be a more welcoming and chirpy glare, the mouse did not know what to say
“I'm curious though,What puts you so at the edge to be running like that?” the puppeteer said as he offered his hand to help the Advisor to get up.
The Advisor looked at the ground, the question was weird if it came from someone who heard the news. Surely that would be well known, unless he did not know a thing yet. He thought about what to say.
“Uh… I was…” he glanced at the vending machine, giving him an idea for a small lie “I needed to get a snack before getting back to work! The hurry got me so I ended up tripping to you… really sorry for that”
The puppeteer watched him for a time, digesting his answer like if he was trying to make it have sense, he feared.
“Really? And your little trembling strand from back there was part of it?”
And that question proved his worry to be true, he wondered if the kid saw the officers as well
“U-Uh… well, that…uh…” he swallowed as he looked away again “Not on your business!"
“Alright, alright… It's fine” he answered calmly with hands moving a way to another “What matters is that I found you, your Duck friend begged me to go search for you”
The mouse stayed silent,he supposed he was talking about his feathery,old friend. And that felt wrong.
The duck asked someone he did not know to look for him. It sounded out of place. He would go to search for him himself or call his phone, even though he would have the same answer. He would be cutting the conversation to leave, and he may do that again as he dislikes the idea of seeing him again.
“My man, don't stay sitten like that” his thoughts were interrupted by the puppeteer's voice, stretching his hand towards him once again. The mouse only stood up without grabbing his hand, to hide from him what dirt was on them.
“Look, I'm sorry for my friend to put you in this trouble but I…I really don't have the time” the mouse spoke, trying to compose himself while hiding his hands behind his back.
The puppeteer's face shifted with his eyes casting slight disappointment but his smile not faltering.
“Welp, I tried” he only said that while shuddering, he stepped aside with the motion of letting him make his way towards the vending machine. The vending machine looked old but with some candies inside, chocolate bars, chips, cookies and fruit drops. He approached and pulled just 20 cents from his pocket.
“Your friend really wanted to see you but… guess his wish won't come true…” the puppeteer spoke a bit dramatically but with slight disdain in his voice.
The mouse was surprised with that reaction, he expected him to try to convince him or begin a stranger discussion. His life could also have been in danger, or even the duck's one.
But the lad seemed that the favor was the last of his cares. And that he could consider a relief, he would get to walk away with no problem, but first buy a bag of candies to keep his lie true. And he did it quickly, not paying attention to what number he took or how many coins he gave. He only wanted to get out of there.
What he got was a small chocolate bar, slightly dusty but who was he to judge the miserable quality it was cursed with. Anything goes.
“Okay,I better be going” the Advisor spoke with his tone dry showing “Nice talk we had”
The puppeteer stared at the chocolate bar, then at the Advisor
“Indeed,my dear. I shall admit I would have liked to continue more” he said taking a bow “Say, before our paths get separated, you should really consider visiting your friend duck. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow won't be waiting for you”
The advisor was about to walk away when the puppeteer spit that, he turned around and the puppeteer glared at him with a smile with hands on his back.
“W-Why would you be telling me that?” The Advisor asked dryly “Are you saying you did something to him?”
“Oh, don't get the wrong idea” he shook his head with a calm demeanor but the question itself did make the lad tremble slightly “I'm just saying like a friend,to always check up on them. Don't want to waste such an opportunity, right?”
The advisor did not hear that last part of the other’s words, his eyes suddenly focused towards the alleyway’s entrance. Outside a man in uniform seemed to give instructions towards the other three as they seemed to be discussing something his ears barely heard, he knew well who they were and not judging by their faded echoes, he guessed they were still searching for him.His eyes grew wide, flicking to white when he realized two of them headed closer to them, searching in the dark alleyway they were.
“Uh,hello! Hello! Grey earth calling for a mousy advisor!” The puppeteer chirped, waving his hand to catch his attention “You are gonna arrive late to work if you don't wake up-”
“You are right! Let's go” the rodent answered with a whisper and grabbed the puppeteer's arm to hide next to the vending machine, shutting the other's mouth to keep quiet.
The cops, as expected, heard those voices, so they began to search inexhaustibly to find the source. The mouse dug himself behind the vending machine with a trembling puppeteer on his grasp, he knew grabbing him like that was driving him unease, and he was struggling to get free in a way that sounded desperate. But he could not let him go, he needed answers from him.
With an idea lighting his brain on the cartoons he liked to watch as a little rodent, he grabbed the chocolate bar he bought and threw it towards the alleyway's entrance, making noise due to hitting on a small trash can. The officers went to investigate the can, enough distraction for the mouse to run away towards the exit in silence, the sunlight blessing his fur from escaping along the soft drops of rain.
The town was quiet when he was far enough from the cops, embracing once again the loneliness from before. Or at least he thought so, every noise was just a warning they were close from them. And now he has another worry to focus on as well. Dang it, he swore to himself.
“Hey now! Hey! Release my arm, release me at once!!!” With his mouth free, the puppeteer started to yell “You’re acting as though something is coming at us at all fronts! What was that?”
Advisor chuckled out of pure nervousness
“Haha- Ignore it!! Funny to ask! Ignore it, focus on this task!” He spoke as they reduced their speed to begin just walking but still quick “Tell me,just tell me, that bird buddy, what had he told you behind?”
They ducked behind a building, so tall with windows closed into darkness, next to a street which appeared more abandoned than the alley they were in. It looked like no one had remembered to clean it as some garbage filled the ground and holes destroyed its firm form. No one seemed to live there or at least, not to be watching the poor state of the streets.
“Aha, Why will I be telling you if you are dragging me like a worthless toy?!” The puppeteer exclaimed “Speaking on rhymes are we? Not even that will make me give you that joy!”
As he struggled to get free, the Advisor shook him a bit
“Oh don’t worry, this you won’t rue!” He spoke with his tone shifted to be more demanding “Now speak, come now, hurry along!
I don’t have time, I don't have long!”
“Well! Well, I met him in an alley, simple as that! Gave me a little task
It wasn’t too much to ask
Simply asked for me to find his friends, and gave me money, drinks to spend-”
“Shhhh” They halted for a moment, he motioned with a finger into the puppeteer's lips,cops rushed by, but did not notice them for his luck.
“Money you say?” he said in a whisper “How much, a bag?”
The puppeteer struggled to break from the mouse's grip, their surroundings growing quiet with the water drops falling from the sky. The Advisor decided to slowly release him
“Sorry! Didn’t mean to gag!”
The first thing the puppeteer did once free was grip his coat and recoil two or three steps back
“W-What’s wrong with you?! Do you also want to-?” he spoke with a hint of panic and disgust before stopping himself with a deep breath. The mouse could notice a hissing noise coming from him, a strange detail for him because of his natural physique. Either way, the message was clear to his ears.
“I apologize, I apologize for what I made you go through” that's all he could say
“What's the rush? Why are we running this way and that?” He exclaimed moving his hands in an expressive way
“Focus on the question, that’s where the answers are at!!” The advisor spoke while shaking his head,taking a step ahead.
The puppeteer hissed taking a step backwards
“F-Fine, a bag, yes,of course, with a bottle as a guide
So I went from the alley from where he’d hide
I went to a bar on the outskirts of town”
“A bar? A bar?” The mouse spoke in disbelief ”That way down, so low?”
“I suppose for the favor he grew to bow”
Advisor was left thinking, he thought about the Taste of Fire bar as the most possible choice for him to come. It was strange, why would the duck send someone to take wine for him, and with the news that this bar has been destroyed with him to witness. He wondered if this puppeteer had something to do with the arson.
“What time of the clock and calendar were you on this duty?” he asked, keeping the song “Don't dare spit a lie, heaven shall punish you for such snooty!”
“...Today,morning, why do you ask?” The puppeteer answered with a voice slightly trembling “For something a visit I called for you to not mask!”
A wrong move for him since the mouse noticed, he could be convinced now.
“Were you behind it going up in flames-?!” he yelled suddenly
“Oh, no, I did not, I could say his name-” the puppeteer slightly jumped by that answer
“THEN WHO?! Who is it, who do you know?!” The mouse cried desperately “Tell me now before I leave you in the snow!!”
The puppeteer gulped as he grew farther from the mouse
“A-A logger, a dog with a grouchy tone” he spoke as his nervousness raised “A cigarette he took and set the fire to grown”
“What? WHAT? HOW? SO THAT'S HOW IT IS?!’ The mouse exclaimed “YOU MUST HAVE FILLED HIS CUP TOO MUCH OR YOU MUST BE KIDDING ME?!”
The puppeteer flinched with clenched teeth by the noise.
“I-I could swear he did, and watch it with my very eyes
Allow me to tell you he also spared my life!”
“Spared your life?! SPARED YOUR LIFE?!
DID HE OR DID YOU KILL HIM WITH AWFUL STRIFE?!”
“Now, why would you conclude I stabbed him with a deadly knife?!”
The mouse took a moment to process what he heard, his breathing was loud for the puppeteer to listen. He avoided eye contact, facing to the other side
“And why would he dare to let the firelights glow?” He spoke trying to calm down “It was his home, why would he destroy-?”
“If you ask me, I don't know the answer for that drastic turn” the puppeteer only said that as he felt his heart drop to the ground
“And he was consumed by the flames, with no way to escape!” The Advisor continued “Was the blame so strong that he desired to not try anymore?”
The puppeteer did not answer back, he was just as confused with the memory playing and he was the one who actually made him fall on ink. He glanced at his hands, shaking slightly, he felt them dirty, stain on blood despite looking clean. And he was confused, his heart was heavy.
The mouse thought to himself, nothing made sense or this lad was just lying to him, he did not know. He let silence take over like a song fading away, the rain still dropping as he could not hear the sirens from the officers anymore.
“And you survived the rampage, right?” He asked
“He spared me, yes…” a simple reply the other casted
The mouse gave a loud sight and turned around to face the puppeteer, his look mixed with disbelief but also exhaustion.
“... Look me in the eye” he said “Why would he spare you?”
The puppeteer hummed the question, taking a step backwards.
“He-! uh…” and he paused his reply. The urge to answer that he did not know was very valid for him, but he did know.The drop of confusion filled his core to freeze on his words and halt.
“He just trusted me…” he mumbled
“Trusted you?!” The mouse raised his voice “Why would he trust you?”
“Well! Ehem!” The puppeteer cleared his throat and looked away, a simple act which made the mouse slightly irritated. “He asked me to take care of his duckling friend! And-!”
The mouse kept waiting when he seemed to not want to share more
“What happened before that? A fight? An argument?” He interrupted the lad, he thought that knowing what happened before might just give him easier the answer
“Oh… that…” the other answered nervously “Well, definitely, a fun fight between the dog and the owner”
The mouse only nodded
“He… murdered… the rat” he almost spelled that in a whisper and the mouse flinched with surprise, trying to breathe to keep calm.
“...Really? He killed Mr. Crystal eye…?” He spoke with the same tone as the puppeteer
“Uh huh…” he looked at the ground, remembering the event when the dog violently stabbed the rat with a sharp axe. Those eyes of rage,eyes because of what he had seen before. He clutched his coat together while so.
“Hm… then he burned the place…” the mouse whispered
“Certainly” the puppeteer answered back
“And he told you about the duck, letting himself be consumed by fire, Is that being so?”
The puppeteer nodded, but his eyes weren't good liars, the mouse noticed and that made him question, of course,he knew this puppeteer won't be telling the full story like that. That would be not normal, not fitting this world.
“Well, enough,” He said, lifting his hands. “I think I heard enough, puppeteer…”
The mouse walked in circles, his hand supporting his head, shaking like trying to clear his brain fog. He kept looking at the puppeteer from time to time, every time flinching by his sight falling to him. Nervous and suspicious.
The puppeteer wished to run away from the scene, leave the town even or hide from everyone. A simple stroll seemed to always put him in trouble and the feelings from the past mayhem still were fresh to his bones. He tried to keep a steady and firm posture until the mouse seemed to be less shaky.
“Will you tell me what we were running around like that?” The mouse slowly turned his head to him “I mean, I answered all your questions, would it not be fair to keep the deal?”
The mouse stayed silent, looking away, the same nervousness he judged back then now sweating from him. Saying the truth would be risky.
“Oh,ho, please…” he chuckled with still a hint of lack of confidence. “If you dare lie, I would not mind. Or at least… not now”
The mouse stared at him, looking at his eyes, dark eyes he would feel untrustworthy.
“It is only fair if you tell me the whole story” he spoke coldly
“But will you believe me?” The puppeteer spoke while crossing arms “Or will you not confess when I do?”
“Oh, let Lotus punish us then for following this land’s rules” the mouse spoke almost dramatically “It was never a deal, not a hand shake. But… maybe…”
And with a fast move, he grabbed puppeteer's wrist, hanging him at the wall of a lonely building
“Just tell me! Something to brush off from my mind” he spoke harshly “You may call me lunatic, maybe this isolation got to my brain that I'm just imagining things! But, answer me this question…”
Taking a deep breath as he felt the puppeteer pulling, trying to break free
“Is it true that he died by the fiery flames of his own arson?”
Looking eye to eye, he seemed to not have any escape, if he could read him like that, maybe there was no point to try to lie
“I… um-” he spoke, his heart dropping and he feared, hissing he whispered “The flames did kill him but later… a bullet hit his head before that could happen… who aimed that gun you ask?”
The mouse eyed that answer and waited until he finished,even though he was guessing, the puppeteer let out a small laugh looking at him like he read his mind.
“Oh, why should I tell you? You already know…”
The mouse threw him towards the ground and he got up quickly
“Ah,ha,ha! Of course,OF COURSE! I'm so dumb to not trust my gut feelings,huh?” The mouse chuckled maniacally “Foolish doubts! We shall be on hand!”
The mouse stepped in front of the shaky puppeteer as he looked at him with defensive glanced, he spoke
“The members of justice my ears fear to hear, now knowing this you should be the one to get captured by them!”
Among the dark street left forgotten, the puppeteer stepped back from the mouse
“Oh, why would they be following you first? What did you do?” The puppeteer let his voice echoed, as he tripped with each step
“What did I do?! I will confess! My hand slipped and they are going for me!” The mouse answered “Come on, I can hear them near! Stay here, don't run from your crimes!”
“Ugh, disgraced hypocrite, You were just running from the law a bit ago” the puppeteer replied with a strained smile and loud voice “You even carried me along,now, for me I should not run? The blame falls on me, are you not guilty as well?”
The mouse halted with that said.
“Yes! I ended his misery, but where were his friends to stop him from the terrible decision? Where were you looking for them? At least a call or a simple letter delivery?”
He added, at first he sounded snarky but the more he talked, his tone changed to sound… upset?
“Why would he ask me to give him death? Did he think that when you all learn about his crime, all of you will neglect his support? To hate him? To say you had never known him?
Why would the duck ask more and more poisonous juice to drink when he has you? His “friend“? His “family“?”
Advisor’s ears twitched with the rain drops touching them,he did not want to listen to what lies he could say as he approached to him a little more, the puppeteer kept still, firm, moving his hands a way and that but not too much as before, he continued:
“Or maybe I am wrong…maybe he was wrong on calling for you if you won’t even dare to show your face to him. Even the Logger asked me to be there for him because he has no one else who can just listen!
What will happen to him tomorrow? Will he be staying there to wait for you? Will he end just like the canine…?”
The mouse did not answer back this time, the idea of letting him go was just as unbearable. He took a step forward, brushing off everything he said until…
“If he did not ask for it, I would have let him alive…” he said, a little shaky and automatic, like if he did not think twice before saying something that even him could not digest well.
The cops would not believe him anyways if he brought this lad to them, he looked at his hands, the blood had been washed over from the rain but still some spots were there to stain his name. He recoiled when his words started to hit in a way he could not explain.
Puppeteer saw on him a dark gaze, trembling and doubtful, It was his chance to escape and take revenge later. But he stared at him for a great moment, the mouse walking away to hit softly the bricked wall from the nearest building with an empty stare, looking down to his feet.
The lad turned around to walk in silence without thinking until having to stop from almost falling into an open sewer tape in the abandoned street. Wet and dirty.
He turned his head towards the mouse, still there and not moving, he doubted to just leave.
Advisor's fists clutched with eyes so white, eyes the puppeteer saw its static from how his gaze blurred, he grew worried, not sure if it was just his imagination, his tense posture and his lack of air. Feeling intimidated for an inferior being once more.
“Your fault…”
The mouse heard like a voice out of the void, a ringing noise hitting his ears to be almost painful, leaving him out of breath too.
“No, it is not like that…” the mouse thought to himself, watching the puppeteer avoid his gaze and walk away. He did not know what to do, he was bewildered with everything happening at once. It felt overwhelming,his patience breaking, the wish of this to end already gnawing in his chest, almost breaking to tears.
“You broke this family…”
It was pathetic, a soul so fragile falling into insanity with guilt, head tilted down like if he were listening to the voices of heaven to judge him. How he could feel his heart ache and the puppeteer wrapping into familiarity to be into a tragic gossip.
He thought about his words, how true this could be, but he snapped suddenly from his thinking fog to look at him, vanishing as a mirage without a word, without him getting the time to stop him, like he was just a ghost who confessed his sins, the ones which ended with his friend.
He looked at the sky, letting the rain drops wash his sinner body along with his tears, cursing himself for letting the guilty ones go just because of his lack of control. But he never had control, right?
“Advisor… Do you believe that waking up in heaven would be one of the most beautiful things one could go through?”
He was still furious, and he could just try to run after the lad who killed his friend and hit his head towards a wall until breaking his skull too. However, he was also exhausted and he could imagine that he might regret later like he did with the poor officer and his own wife. Just giving in his anger and resentment.
With the thought of his beloved, he remembered that she was still missing but now he was not sure if he really wanted to hear about her, not after what he did and the possible reports it will have from the radio and the television, even if this might spread false statements. And about the Duck, he just wished the lad did not do something to him.
“Will he be staying there to wait for you?”
He began to walk,on his way to find the same open sewer tape, the same one which the puppeteer avoided from, so abandoned and rotten, he had the desire to jump to it, hiding from the world and die there. But sounded cowardly, very cowardly.
That was when he remembered the other’s words,to stop to think about them, why would he be saying all that to him? Was it really a technique to let him doubt and escape? It worked but was it actually genuine? is this really his fault in a way-?
“Mr. Advisor?”
The voice suddenly hit his ears and got startled by it, took a wrong step and he fell to the dark pit, not having a clear image on who had called him and how did they even get there. Falling and falling until meeting the cold ground from a thud that left him laid in a dark,deep place.
The person who called him, watching the accident they caused,ran away towards their lonely home nearby, calling for any help with the phone of their office.
This content includes mature and dark themes such as suicide topics, self harm, vulgar language, sexual abuse, moderate violence, and use of weapons,drugs and alcohol.
Readers discretion is adviced
Farmer follies belongs to @alterworldstudios
The rain fell from the sky still soft and quiet, some outside with umbrellas, others taking their homes as shelter. The puppeteer walked looking around with hands inside two of his many coat pockets, the town unfamiliar and grey.
The houses were silent, some with lights on, he passed through the streets and then a bridge he took his time to look down. Watching a small park below himself, the smell of flowers was soothing, the small trees taking place and a pair of lonesome people with umbrellas, sitting at the fountain with their stare, looking as if they were lost.
He could smell the wet dirt from the ground near pines,along with the aroma of the cotton candy from a cart. This last seemed to be the only less sad thing to witness. The place was just as grey and in solitude, despite not being completely alone on his walk at the bridge, he felt himself still too cold inside a place colorless and melancholic. He wondered if the city looked less depressing when the clouds stopped crying.
He glanced at the bottle he was given, knowing the bar was near when posters with the same name gave the directions to him, just in time he was about to admit he got lost himself. And so, he remembered when he looked at his clawless hand, his form vulnerable and small. Not being able to just burn the city and stay comforted by its flames.
He trembled slightly, cursed to be staying with this body which can only harm with simpler actions like this favor, he gulped as he shook himself with the goal of returning to normal when he figured it out. He hoped.
“A bit of fun won't hurt,” he said, smiling slightly.
Standing in front of him, the lights of the building called to him, the letters of “Taste of Fire” were the sign that he found his destiny for that duck. A rather small building with a structure of brick and wood with its windows being covered on curtains to not really show from inside except the door with the sign which said “Open for service” on it.The puppeteer could only think how warm could feel inside, the cold from the outside was chilling to his bones, not painful yet but it was distracting.
Without waiting any second, he opened the door and came in to get the drinks. Just as soon as he was investigating the surroundings, he was suddenly snapped down to a table by a pair of thin but strong hands.
“Oh no,you won't,little rat!”
A tall rodent held the small man towards the table with great grip, preventing him from moving.
“I finally got you, you dirty thief!” The rat yelled again “You will pay for your sins from me!”
The puppeteer was held by his neck, feeling how the tall mouse choked him, he saw the rage in his eyes, even if one of them was a fake one, made of glass like the bottles he tried to gain. The look was less than nice to see as his eye seemed to be looking in another direction but him.
“Your filthy hands won't steal anything more from here! This ENDS right here!”
“S-Sir… hah, you are so mistaken, I-I believe I'm no thief” the puppeteer spoke with the air he still had to say “I have… never taken anything from here”.
Saying the truth was no use,he could supposed, and he may end up right as the rat threw him towards the wooden floor without care
“Don’t play innocent!! It won't work!” He reached his hand quickly towards the small pockets, grabbing the empty vessel “This is proof enough,fucking liar!!”
“W-wait-”
“SILENCE!”
The tall rodent squeezed the puppeteer's throat even more as he shattered the glass at the most nearest chair with his knee on the smaller man's body where he could not move.
“You own me, little one! I'm never wrong…”
With a cold grip, he slowly approached a piece of the broken bottles’s crystals towards the puppeteer's wrists, grabbing his arm merciless
“No… you won't-”
Before the rat could cut more towards the puppeteer's flesh, they were interrupted when an axe was thrown towards the bricked wall between them, almost touching the rodent’s nose, making the two glanced towards who dared stop them.
At the corner sat a taller and sturdy dog with a cigarette, tapping his fingers on a glass of liquor as impatiently, looking at them.
“That is how you take care of your guests?
It’s rude to walk away a meeting like this, Glass-eyeball”
The bar had a very tidy look, bottles from different sizes were placed at the many cupboards, simple tables around with their timber chairs and the counter as a larger table where it's awaited to have the owner ready for the order. A radio rested near the window,turned off and left to pick up dust. The puppeteer returned his gaze towards the two men as he was now sitting next to the dog. He did not expect his mission to be harder than this, going for a pair of bottles sounded easy. And yet, he stayed, disliking the idea to leave so soon.
“Name is Logger” the dog spoke calmly with his breathing releasing smoke
“Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you!” He was trying to hide how startled he actually was.Even so, he shook the canine’s hand with a strained smile.
The dog pulled his hand and took a look of the recent wound made by the rodent, the small man tried to not wince about the pain
“Hmmm… you surely deserve this, don't you?” The dog spoke as he pressed his cigarette towards the cut, burning him as his way to say hello
“Oh-Oh, I- I don't lie if I say i never put a foot on this lovely place-” the puppeteer spoke as he took his hand away “What a way to greet,eh?”
“A thief like you does not deserve a warm welcome!” the rat spoke behind them “No one steals from my property”
“It Is not your property if we speak to root” the dog talked back
“What?”
“Your boss won't let you go away with that lack of decent security, accusing anyone who walks near, he should be the one to punish you from letting a shameless bandit take his products, blaming someone who may be innocent, how does that look to you?” the dog spoke while the other squished his fists, wishing to punch him
“Shut up! I know how to do my job!”
“Of course…”
“My fellows, talking to the thief is way less better than just killing him already” the puppeteer raised his voice once sitting at another table, away from the two “I must thank your kindness,oh, your mercy is so heartwarming. I could pay for the loss even if it is not my responsibility at all”
He grabbed a pile of cards which were placed at the table.
“What about a game of three?”
The hat adorned with a pair of white feathers which the dog was wearing reminded the puppeteer of the duck and the bag with coins he gave him, as the dog and mouse were arguing, he spotted a pile of cards in the next table, an idea litting his head. A bet he could make to pay his supposed sins and wine to take. He sat and spread the 42 cards with the other two sitting next to each other.
“Well, fine, Let's play your dirty tricks” the tall rodent said, grabbing seven cards “Who knows? Maybe i could win and make you pay with your blood-”
“If I don't, you should let me go and hand me five bottles, you take all this, no tricks” he said as he put the bag of coins to the table
“Hmm,what about you,pooch?” The rat glanced to Logger as he took his cards
“... I will set this bar on fire” the dog said coldly
“What a way to interrupt” the rodent grumbled and stood up to take the phone “Give me a minute”
The dog visibly pressed on the cigarette so tight that he broke It as the annoyance was consuming him more
“Well, betting our lives, aren't we? And I just want some juice to take” the puppeteer spoke in a theatrically as he waited patiently
“Says the one who requested it” the dog spoke while searching for a new cigarette on his coat “This man is no one to trust, who knows what cheating he will use to end your existence for once!”
“Ah,please…” the former Wyvern scoffed “You actually would not like to try”
“I could just to make you pay for such gluttony you have”
“Lovely,my dear, so eager for blood, what is your deal?”
“It 's… nothing, why would you return to this place if you know what is better for you?”
“For the last time I did NOT steal anything, besides it's not for me, it's for a friend of mine!”
“That's just a cheap excuse-”
He took a quick glance towards the bag, recognizing one of its marks as one a friend of his would wear in a purse, a white heart, and he pulled the puppeteer's wounded arm with anger rising.
“Where did you find this?!”
“ow… From the friend I was talking about,I never stole it-” he replied confident but shaky from cause of the sudden pull
“A white feathered bird, duck with a plain hat, simple shirt and bowtie?”
“Now my friend, saying that is not really safe-”
“Why would he trust you to get these nasty drinks!” the logger paused, looking around, hoping the rat did not hear him. He sighed.
“Well, of course he would be doing this to himself” he let himself fall back to the chair “Oh,he should be wondering on the what if's and if we’s”
“Worry not, my dear, he Is not saying stuff like that let me say” the puppeteer answered while he pulled away his arms
“Then what thing he would be doing?”
“Asking me to get him more drinks?”
“It does not make sense, he normally just comes for a stretch and not send someone else to do it”
“Hmm, I do not know, I just followed his orders”
“And why would you do that?”
“Can I not do a favor for a friend?”
The dog thought two times in disbelief with a cigarette on lips, a favor for a friend, a friend he has not seen in a while, he did not know if to believe this dwarf or not. But there was a way to prove it he could use
“Would you take me to him?” He asked “If you are his new friend who has not happened to introduce you to me, guess I shall give it a test”
“Oh?” The other looked up in surprise. He did not know if that would be a good idea, he barely knew any of them, and the encounter could not end up very well with how this duck is staying “Well-”
“Alright,you nasty animals! I have the time counted” the rat interrupted as he sat with them and grabbed his pile of cards and a glass of whisky “No more chit-chat and let's play for head rolls”
“You tell me more when the game is finished… but don't kill anyone” the puppeteer whispered to Logger and he found himself having to accept despite his own desperate heart.
The game started a couple of seconds ago,the dog offered the rodent to start first as his courtesy. He nodded and gave two from his cards to him. Continuing the game.
"Do you have any Q's... uh... what was your name again?"
"Puppeteer, don't forget!” he replied graciously again handling the Q card
"Yeah,that! Cute stagename… Now…Logger,any... Five 's..." The rodent started again
Logger responded with the phrase
“Go fish".
This game was one of the rat's favourites, always enjoying playing with his most relevant customers to pass the night. It always seemed that luck was by his side every single play and round,and not only this card game, could be any,from a deep and complicated one to a simpler one like today's. Remembering the times he had lost, along with a small theory he had a while ago,Logger visibly trembled on irritation,in a way that the man and the mouse could see.
"Do you have any Eight's?" he continued looking at the smaller of the group
"Go fish!” The puppeteer answered,his talk masking his inexperience playing casino games with a confident sound, he needed this if he wanted to get away with the task. For the rat, he was trusting in all his whole he can win once more a bet like many times ago.
"Any letter J's, Mister mouse?" The puppeteer took his turn, glancing at his pile and admiring the card's design, trying to appear nonchalant.
"Please,call me Mr.Owner,Card-boy... and go fish" the owner of the bar replied arrogantly, gulping down a cup of alcohol. Following the game's rules,the little man took a card from the fishing area, slightly offended by the nickname.
"Six books on the counter"
The puppeteer could not help himself but to notice the tall rat stealing glances towards him, staring at him in a strange way where it was making him uncomfortable. A new second passing, he was staring for a longer time. He tried his best to ignore it, thinking it was just looking to distract him, but the way his eyes looked to him up and down… he was not sure what to think
For the dog side was not looking any better, as the game kept going,the air felt less and less relaxing on the dog's side with his rage increasing. The cards were fewer and the owner was the one who had a pile of four cards beneath his name, he was winning like he was expecting.
"Any Two's,Logger?" the small one’s voice snapped the dog's foggy brain, making him look at his cards and hand two.
The boy added another book. He had four miserables groups,not enough, but he was not there to give up already.
"Any K's... Mr.Owner?" the Card-boy proceeded
"Go fish" he answered, the same reply which had already sickened the dog out. How much he desired to just grab this arrogant rat and throw him out the window,but he should not lose patience, and he continued, again and again, until there were only three cards at the imaginary fishing spot.
"Give me a Nine's card,Card-boy" as an order,the boy gave him two cards "Another book, seven with it,luck is grinning to me!"
The rodent spoke with a grin, looking with sass towards the Logger.
The dog took a deep breath with that unpleasant view. The thin rat was cackling as he served another glass of the chaotic liquid, spilling time to time a bit onto the table. Into the smaller man.
"Any J's, Logger?" the mouse continued while gulping down the cup of alcohol, confidently.
"Go fish" the dog replied dryly and from the center,a J card was pulled by him,two last to go fishing.
"Now... any A's, little boy?"
The rat seemed glad the lad were just next to him, he twirled one of his hair strands without him having a chance to avoid it with the card on hand
"Eight books"
The puppeteer smiled forcedly as he stared at his cards, he was losing but won't end up being sliced in two by a pathetic rodent, he was starting to plan how to escape, focused more on that rather than the game itself. He was ill at ease with this rat looking at him like he were a piece of meat to be devoured, he would ask but probably that won't end up as well when he already tried to convince them he was not here to rob anything.
Logger on the other hand, looked as uneasy as him, staring furiously at the owner like if he were a secret traitor, someone insolent to not be trusted. He knew he was right on that simple talk, he noticed his strange gaze towards the other guest, this being suspicious and how he reeked of alcohol was not making the situation feel lighter. Could be because he was drunk now when he started to fiddle with the puppeteer's bowtie, making him flinch with genuine surprise but seeming also to be comfortless with him too close.This won't end well, he thought.
He simply waited and yet, annoyed by him losing again to a simple game too, the situation looking terrible and awkward.
With the blink of an eye. He handed him the last card the mouse needed without him actually realizing.
"The game has ended,I win!"
The owner smirked with nine books in front of him "That was a swell game" said while supporting himself with both arms back at the chair "And... you both know the prize"
The logger stayed still like a frozen statue at his corner from the beginning
"You should have known better that luck isn't always by your side" the rat stood up and walked dangerously towards the puppeteer with eyes so hungry, holding his chin “This bar is mine and no one messes with it”
“Ooh,what a tragic ending for the little ol’ me!” The puppeteer spoke dramatically, trying to ignore how much he reeked of alcohol, returning a smile “What can be awaited for me?”
Something sticking out of place from the mouse's pockets. The Logger saw what he always wanted to see.
"Well,I feel generous today,my boss will give me a raise at the end of the day so…" the rodent chuckled before continuing “Let's make this worth enough!”
The scene was stopped when their ears picked a sound, looking down they realized that a pair of cards fell from the owner's pockets.
Noticing the dog stare and the puppeteer genuine surprise.The rat chuckled nervously when he learned from the slip.
“Ehe,whoops- you know what? Fuck it-!”
The glass-eyed rodent was brutally knocked down by the dog towards the table, just when he was about to take a glass to hit someone, the Logger supposed to hit the puppeteer.
"Now,now,hold on! You can't get like this just for a game, you know? Logger-" the other chuckled but was interrupted when a gun was threatening him to lose his head forever
"Hey, Logger! Wait!" He pleaded for his mercy to stop "Come on, we're friends! Forgive me, alright? We can always start again and no cheats… besides, would not be wonderful to get rid of such hateful thieves"
But his words didn't reach the raging dog's ears this time, instead,he only listened to the weapon's click,ready to shoot.
The puppeteer was already prepared to snap his enemy away but someone doing it for him was not expecting,he walked backwards with careful step as he grabbed a pair of bottles
“Hmm, which one is good…?”
"Come on, Loggy,You wouldn't like to be guilty about someone's death, right?" The owner rat spoke a he slowly, with his hand, reached the empty bottle before the Logger could notice
"Not again... Right,pal?"
As that,he grabbed it and kicked the Logger out, managing to free himself. With the dog down, he hit him with the bottle on his head and pushed him towards the wall. He stayed stunned by the hit, collapsing to unconsciousness. The thin rat looked at the puppeteer who seemed to halt his attempt to take a vessel when he heard the glass crash.
“Oh,well,look at that!”
The owner approached to the puppeteer with this last one stepping back
“My,my, you just killed your friend in cold blood?” he said, trying to hide his own nervousness “What a way to go!”
“He deserves it. Now it's your turn!” the rodent answered with the broken bottle on hand
“I have not stolen anything. I could swear one million of times and you still won't believe me” the puppeteer repeated uselessly
“Because it is certainly you are lying”
“Was it not better to just make me pay the damage with silver and not my blood?”
“Aw, come on! Like that would be fun enough!”
The rat laughed maniacally once the puppeteer hit the wall without any chance to escape at all
“Just paying the amount it costs does not fix the damage made. You made me lose a pair of customers, you made damage to the property and my image of a safe place. Who knows what will you do if I let you go? Steal more? Burn my house? I'm not allowing that. Besides, It's already late to consider doing that”
The rat held the man against the wall again, face smashed into the hard wall of wood, making him smell its wet but natural scent, he yelped with the push.
“You sound so much like Ol’ Loggy, always pointing to the better things I could have done, always crying with the ifs! Pathetic fantasies”
The puppeteer pulled the rat’s arm as an attempt to push him to the wall too but instead only caused him to fall towards the wooden floor with face up and a giant hand from the owner to halt him from getting up, almost grabbing into his stomach.
“Aha, I love when they try to fight… but is quite annoying too” he said while closing his palm slightly, the recent touch made the puppeteer flinch finding himself trapped
“Well, now that I have you on my mercy. Let me tell you that… you have a pretty face right there” the puppeteer tried to move,only for the grip to be changed not to his stomach but to be lower, other hand touching his face, grabbing his chin towards him “Aw, come on. It's just a lil’ compliment”
“T-Thank you. What a way to praise me,huh?” The puppeteer said trembling while smiling.He searched everywhere and other to find a way to escape, the other started to touch down to his legs.
“You are welcome. Better be grateful for something nice coming from me, right?” The rat said as his other hand grew closer to the puppeteer's vest, he grew surprised by how this seemed to have a faded purplish color, but he brushed it off, having more interest in something else as he would ignore his hatless self with a pair of peaks on his head, he did not care. “What if we don't start with unbuttoning your vest~?”
“Stay away! Your dirty hands get off me!”
The lad yelled, kicking the rodent away without much success to run away far enough. He was snatched from his coat, pushed towards the wall to then find his own mouth shut
“Be a good boy and stop resisting! Or that lil’ cut on your hand was not proof enough of what I could do to you?!” He growled and started to take off the other's vest. Grabbing him firmly.
“I'm sure it's just the alcohol kicking in to me” he excused himself “But I always wondered how it would feel like to fuck a man. A lady, a precious creature, has her own things. But what about you?”
The puppeteer gave a muffled scream when he felt his hand slowly get on his bowtie to be removed.
“Don't be upset. You remind me of her” he said to his ear “Such a gorgeous woman…. She used to be mine…my life… my butterfly!”
He lifted the smaller man to lay on the table in an aggressive way, he started to get rid of the buttons of his under white shirt
“Don't you get it?! She was meant to be my girl! But of course… life is not always fair as I stay in this dumpster of a bar!” he said almost breaking into pathetic tears of rage
“Touching a woman like this. Gross, no doubt she would run away-” the puppeteer spoke slightly disoriented about his head being hit.
“Oh, shut up, Card-boy. You do not even know any of that!” the owner grumbled with his hand touching his bare chest, he yelped to be shut again “When I finish with you. I should throw you away in the garbage like I intended before! Of course, before I took a better look at you…”
The hand passed slowly to a lower position on him, the touch was careless and unpleasant. It made him shiver and closed his eyes powerless when the rat was passing his hands on his belt.
Bending down to the table, he squished the fabric of his short pants
“Just look at you. Oh, you have no chance to be believed” he snarled, moving to the waist “Take this as your lesson for stealing my stuff… or would you enjoy it? Eh, no matter. I won this game after all”
The puppeteer felt the air lacking, being difficult to breathe, he gave another look to his surroundings and stared behind his aggressor with his eyes starting to wide. The rat was caught off guard with that sudden change in his gaze and he brushed it off to take the belt out.
“Come on, sleep,dear” he said with hand pushing down more to the puppeteer's face “When you aren't struggling, it's much easier-”
The rodent was suddenly pulled with a stick of wood from an axe on his neck, he took his hands out from the small man to try to take the axe away from whoever was trying to stop him
“W-What? Who?!” He tried to speak, being choked by their strength. It was the Logger, growling like a wolf with his head bleeding out from the glass he got hit.
“Disgusting parasite of two feet”
The puppeteer lay down on the table shuddering, covering himself with his unbuttoned white shirt and vest while he was trying to take his breath back. He looked up to see the two animals fighting, with the dog having advantage despite his wound. He looked angry, his expressive pupils being small dots along the dark of his gaze. More angry than he already was during their card game. He looked past them and saw the Logger's small gun lying on the floor.
He got down from the table, he felt dizzy and walking through the wooden floor was just as hard as walking on ice, crouching he grew closer to the weapon until grabbing it like it were his. What appeared to be a ball hitting his way, startled him intensively.Looking back, the rat struggled to breathe and the dog stayed firm to the wall until throwing him to the floor. And he started to stab him, not caring where his axe was smashing: To the head, to the chest, to the arms, to the legs. Until losing his limbs and his ugly face were unrecognizable and ruined. Until his voice stopped screaming and he was covered in blood.
The Logger looked at the puppeteer, the sight made him cover himself with his unbuttoned white shirt and aim the gun at him.
He tried to speak but found himself not being able to spell a word, his hands twitching as a shame feeling was flooding his heart along with the surprise of this owner's life turning off slowly,out of sudden.
The Logger stayed still, looking down at him without other words but his heavy breathing, then looked away,both watching down at the rat's body melting away to a black,liquid texture, into ink, dark ink which reminded the color of the duck's own drinks and he banished with just a puddle of ink surviving under the table.
“See you in hell… My dear friend…”
"This world would be better without cheaters like you… if only you just chose to play nicely"
The puppeteer looked down, to see what hit him back then, only to be startled by the glass eye, jumping back to the wall with its sight looking at him.
“Those eyes of a... ” the Logger walked close and grabbed the eyeball, his grip tight enough to break it into pieces. He was dirty with the blood of the rat's part on his clothes, his stare still furious until looking at the puppeteer.
The lad quickly buttoned his shirt along the vest with trembling hands. The vulnerability he felt was humiliating but he was more focused on leaving and Logger's own wound. Logger did not say anything, he took his gaze away from the other, knowing it was making him uncomfortable.
The puppeteer would take his coat and unconsciously hold it together to hide everything, he was not sure what to say, the shock was just too much from what he managed to hear while waking up. A violent scene in front of him. The owner was more horrible than he thought, if only he knew… if only…
“I deeply apologize… I should have not let my guard down… you would not be this hurt” he said quietly, with a hint of sadness and pain from his own wound, getting another cigarette for himself to be ignoring the hurt
“Ah, it's fine, he did not do anything…” he responded almost automatically, fixing his belt “And you don't look any better, that thing on your head will keep bleeding out”
“But… he almost… agh, I'm sorry!” Logger grumbled, saving his distance from him. He believed that getting close would make it worse “You are probably right… but it's nothing I could not bear. There's nothing that compares to how this nasty rat almost-”
“I'm fine, I'm fine!” he exhaled, he was not really sure he was. He had never felt so vulnerable, on the mercy of someone else, someone grabbing him like he were just a doll when he used to be stronger, he hated feeling like such and he felt glad for this rat to be gone. And yet not satisfied if he was given a punishment of just death.
Their voices echoed in the room, feeling empty as their gaze with them apart,the puppeteer held the gun and looked back at the Logger in silence.
“If only I did not fall unconscious, I could have saved you sooner” the dog mumbled, mostly to himself but loud enough for the puppeteer to hear “If only we did not accept that game, this would have not happened, If only I was there for Duck, you would not be here… If only we could have saved her… maybe…”
He wondered and wondered, he could not stop it, even if he did not watch the whole scene, he felt terrible and guilty for the puppeteer. All this because of a bottle of wine, he thought, just wine.
He heard the clinking sound of glasses, when he turned around, he saw the puppeteer returning to choose the bottles of alcohol.
“You know this is bad for everyone, right? Gets to your head and poisons it” The logger said with sharp tone
“Certainly but a deal is a deal” that's all he said, he kept his coat grabbed and his hat again on his head with the cut relief of having everything put on, the gun inside his pockets “But well, that ended up a mess,yes. My,my, you really take a game seriously. You need to calm down on that. Better take the best things from it, that's all we have. Now, Is there water here?”
He spoke after composing his posture to be firm again, his voice like before but still seemed shaky. The Logger decided to not press into that, knowing that he was also guilty about the mayhem.
“... The water is right in that water jug on your left”
“Oh? Thank you,my dear…”
He took a glass and drank a pair. The Logger supposed he did it to ease his own heart scare, he was surprised at how calm he was but it was possible that it was just his way to deal with something as stressful as the situation they got into, a temporal mask. The dog started to think, he had a friend who used to join him too to visit this bar, he mostly did it reluctantly since he had a complicated relationship to the owner, he seemed to hate him, cursing him on whispers, sharing him things he would assure this repugnant rat did in the past and sometimes he would tell him to stop visiting this kind of taverns. He should have listened, although he hasn't seen that friend in a long time, he should have listened to his warnings.
“He always knew…” he thought to himself “I was very dumb to not believe him until now”
“Do you want to see our duck pal after cleaning yourself?” The puppeteer suddenly asked and Logger gave a wide eyed look to him from the surprise, interrupting his train of wonders.
And he stayed silent, looking away, glancing time to time at the spot the rat's body melted to disappear along the axe stuck on the floor and then towards the smaller man, with eyes having a spark of fear but also friendly. The duck friend who always joined him and his playtimes, he remembered the past talk about him asking this puppeteer himself to get the drinks. He started a battle inside his head.
On one hand he wanted to see his friend again, see how he is and if he was not following bad paths caused by the grief he was dealing with. But on the other hand he was ashamed, he did not want to present himself like this, like he did not just kill someone he was friends with, not that close but still on good terms. He would not believe his reasons though, not believe what he was about to do as they never believed their own hard-working buddy before. And he may not forgive him from his absence the past few days, if he only weren't such a coward to face them.
“I prefer not… not like this…” he said “I should have not done this to begin with…”
The puppeteer looked at them with a curious glare but changed a slow nod. He stood up with legs shaking slightly after getting the bottles he thought looked nicer.
“It will start to hurt you later” the Logger spoke softly “Puppeteer…right? I think you should leave this bar now”
The puppeteer gave a confused look with that statement “Hurt later?” He repeated the words “Leave this bar?”
“Welp, that's not a bad idea! But your crime is fresh. Are you thinking of going on separating paths as you take care of this?”
The Logger thought with the cigarette burning his gloves, its smoke he stared for a while and with a sight, he got an idea.
Suddenly, he handed the small man a necklace with a heart adorned on It
“Take this to Duck… and tell him… I'm really sorry” he said with a serious but also shabby tone
“Huh? Well, I can do that, no problem” he said, glancing at the collar on his soft hand “But why are you giving me this-?”
Before he could finish,the Logger turned a match set on fire and dropped it into the cards recently played, the flames growing bigger each second
“Leave this bar now, this place is better gone with him” he said demanding
“Huh? Uh…” the puppeteer watched as the fire increased,burning everything on its way with eagerness to consume “What about you?”
“Hand me the gun, please” the Logger spoke with a strange calm on his voice, letting his cigarette fall to the ground
“The gun?” The puppeteer repeated and pulled out the weapon from his pocket, he doubted.
“Will you pull the trigger on me when I hand it to you?” he thought
“... It's okay… then shoot me” the dog suddenly requested
“What? But…” he caught himself being waver, something that felt strange, he would not have doubts to kill the glass-eyed rodent or any other creature like he was planning with the duck,but with this dog, he doubted. He saved me, he thought, he should have not but he did, why?
The fire kept moving like a snake towards the cupboards and curtains, the place would fall apart if he stayed longer and the Logger stayed still, waiting for the puppeteer to shoot a bullet to his head.
“But first… promise me something” he suddenly spoke, snapping the puppeteer from his doubt.
“Y-Yeah? and what could that be?” The puppeteer stuttered, looking at him in his eyes, not full of rage but… calmness.
“Help Duck buddy…I know you are kind. Do what I could not do for him… Terrible my soul for not being anyone’s hero”
Those words flew to his ears. The promise sounded easy but also impossible to do. And he lifted the gun towards the dog, trembling. He did not move, not even flinched, he only smiled and closed his eyes.
“I can amend my damage to my friends… with my death…”
Bang!
The bar collapsed like an empire in just one day, being consumed by fire as its original name rang,smoke around and ashes to the ground with the bitter taste of what It used to be. The rain was not enough to shut off the powerful flames as the house surrendered to be banished like the eternal time. To be forgotten with the years passing.
A silhouette appeared getting farther and farther from it, shaky and ignoring his injuries,he managed to escape the fiery flames, howling on a symphony of nothing.
As he embraced the cold from the outside once again with the droplets washing his face,the puppeteer pulled from his pockets the necklace,there was placed a small picture with three figures,two being familiar with the faces he met, the other he had no idea who could he be,they looked so blissfully happy,it was a glance to the past before he even arrived to this strange, colorless world. It felt nostalgic,dismal and with no sense if they looked happy. What happened to their smiles? He asked himself, what happened to them?
He then reached again and took a light object, one of the bottles he gained just for the duck, liquid swirling and everything he did just to get it. At the shine of the crystal bottle and its substance,he stopped, looking at it with empty eyes.
“Idiot… all of us were sharks haunting the fish…”
His hands trembled, clean on the surface but its actions were making them dirty in blood. And he felt…
“No… I don't regret…” he said to himself “Terrible world this Is! Better be burnt to ashes with their crimes!”
He fixed his coat and he realized he was hiding part of his body. Maybe to not be tempted anymore, he won't be there to save him.
“You were… not that bad” he thought “And I snatched your life like it did not mean anything…”
On his way again on the streets, he walked carefully, crossing the bridge to find the same pine and cotton candy smell. He felt his heart heavy with confusion and he stopped to look down with hands hanging on the bridge’s wall,next to a light pole. Sighing of resignation when he admitted that he regretted slightly about shooting a bullet to the Logger's sick head, something new from his former self,a dangerous devil of merciless fire.
I had worked on this project for a good while now, related to the Farmer Follies story by my friend @alterworldstudios .
It's awaited for the future of the continuation of this project on the main time this message is written.
**Warning of following sensitive content**
+ 16 recommendation
Inclusion of mature and dark content not suited for some readers such as depression, suicide and self harm topics, drug, alcohol and weapon use, SA, trauma,and moderate violence.
Readers discretion is adviced
Thank you for you attention, have a wonderful day
The puppeteer aims to destroy everything and erase the world he considers too cruel and cold. He already destroyed parts of Heaven and Hell during the events of Final Stand, only to be stopped by a magic spell. After being freed years later from his crystal prison in a more vulnerable and harmless form, he has no intention of abandoning his plan.
During his journey, he will encounter many beings from Inkwell City, from the most docile to the most ruthless. He will have to confront them and escape the melancholic city.
Will he manage to regain his original form and destroy the inhabitants of this lost town, or will he fail and be condemned to remain trapped among them?
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
This content includes mature and dark content such as suicide topics, self harm, mention of violence and scenes not suiting for some readers.
Readers discretion is adviced
Farmer follies belongs to @alterworldstudios
“Do you think this bow looks good on me?” he said while trying to fix it in front of the mirror.
The room was small but still felt big as the clock was ticking without stopping.
“Of course! It's the perfect size” the lad helping dusting off his clothes said with undoubtful honesty
“W-What about my clothes? Any wrinkles?” he said glancing down at him
“Nope!”
“Any mustard on my-”
“Composer, You are ready!” the lad stood up, giving him a smirk
“Sorry,sorry… it's just… I'm a bit nervous…” the other admitted
“It's fine, if I was the one getting married, of course I would be trembling like jelly!”
“Hey!” he scoffed while he was now getting drag outside to the public
“Ha,ha, come on, Pal! Just take my hand and we shall see the future of the mother of your children!”
The halls felt long and the crowd was less than helpful to be comforting. But the feeling he kind of liked it.In a very low voice, he spoke shy.
“... Rapper boy…”
“Hm?”
“... Thank you…”
“For the memories”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ground shook as a massive giant fell to the dirt, sliced in two like a miserable piece of bread. And it went, to others and others.
“Midnight! Stop!” A tall, masked being with big mouse ears yelled, uselessly trying to stop him “Midnight! That 's enough!”
A sword was thrown almost to her arm but it managed to hit just the trunk of a tree. Making her freeze, she rushed to her left as worry and anger filled her heart.
“Don’t do that again!” she said, glancing down at him, all she saw was the dark stare from his eyes. Like he was judging her. A small man wearing a hat adorned with a moon at its center and a feather to its left side, he was using a collar with a moon and two stars as his favourite accessory, long pants and folded sleeves to be showing dark bandages on his arms to cover his many scars.
“Where were you all this time?” Midnight aimed to her and she cut off her walk towards him, not know what to say
“I was… “ for the first time she was doubting, even considered to lie despite being hypocritical. Her son never lied to her, he could not respond to some questions as he kept his mouth shut but never got to lie to her or raise a false testament.
“You need to get back to your home, it's getting late-” she said firmly
“That does not answer my question! Where. Were. you.?” He interrupted and that broke the Judge’s patient
“Never speak to me like that, young boy! When I tell you to leave, you LEAVE! Out of my sight!” She spoke with anger, almost shaking the icy flowers from the trees. Midnight left a squeaky sound from him and walked away. Arguing with her won't be good to him and he would lose anyways.
In silence he crossed her with head lowered as she observed every single move from him.
As he was getting far, the Judge's posture lost its firm, almost curving. Her breathing turning into a sight as her grip towards her spear grew tighter
“... I'm sorry… you really will not like the answer if I tell you…”
And she walked away towards the forest’s lake, watching how the ice was melting to be water again the more he was near home.
The night was starting to fall while rain was still constant. The trees whispered to him with their leaves dancing with the wind blowing so quiet. The animals hiding, others getting ready to dream, some starting to sing a song only nature could understand. Despite their apparent joy, the first felt still empty.
The grass beneath his feet was just as grey as the sky, obscure and cold and so, ice was starting to form on it to melt away soon any step he took.
Another round of training going for the strike he grew determined to fulfill, targets being taken and moves practiced. It was not enough.
The sword swung perfectly in sync with the rhythm he managed to memorize without error, jumping so high that he could touch the sky. It was not enough.
His strength has increased and his skill too, taking down a giant tree is such a hard task and he did it in one slice. But it was not enough.
The screaming was just as clear, making a knot in his throat. Terrible yells and pleads for the world who could not rescue her.
He shook the memory off and glanced up, this part of the city staying very quiet. The footsteps echoed to get lost in the lonely street and finally the alley. In an alleyway he remembered a terrible and fresh incident. Curse this place as he can't see it anymore, nor a second.
“...”
He looked at him with eyes so unreadable, so different from his previous look. He looked like another person.
“Composer?”
Nothing. He said nothing as his finger was close to the trigger.
“Don't! Please,listen… you don't have to do it” He only smiled, he only smiled like he did before he left home “Please… this won't be good to you… put down the weapon!”
“Don't cry… we will be forever together as pain finally banishes from our souls”
He walked away. Faster than before, the memory haunting him. It was making him sick.
“How could this-? How did this-?” He mumbled to himself as the colors he saw were again sparking in his eyes. Yellow and orange so bright that they consumed everything on smoke to snatch all things they earned. Stealing their present and future. He wished to snatch out his own eyes.
“Why couldn't I do anything?”
The fire paralyzed him, even if it was hot, he did not dare to approach until the screams sounded more hard to ignore. He tried to grab her hand only to notice it was too late. Her bones turning into melted ink was the last thing he saw of her. It left a mark on his heart along with her husband.
“Why did you leave us?”
A cozy house welcomed him after a pair of squares, at the end of the city which was near by nature, near meadows to lay down and watch the clouds when it's a fresh day outside. A house made up of wood, their windows casting a soft light from inside as the home was not empty. Flowers could be seen around it, roses, lavender, moonflowers. Despite their distance, he smelled their soothing aroma of a delightful perfume.
Its simpleness called him inside but also it made him want to keep walking towards other places. I should obey my mother, he thought, so he would forcedly. Expecting the noise ringing bell from the door opening which he tried not to sound too loud so he would not be heard.
Rapper closed the door abruptly from his own room to stay already, ignoring the warm lights inside the house he came to feel safe and the delicious smell of hot pancakes being made in the kitchen. He ignored the sweet voice echoing from the other room, not figuring out what she said with her upbeating tone.
He slipped to his room and sat at the side of his bed with hands on his head. He was exhausted and not from the solo training. But more mentally.
He could curse on halting at the same place he saw his best friend in deep despair. Feeling like he was trapped in a cage whose key he had lost the moment he stopped seeing the light of hope in this monochromatic life land, and he blamed him for the accident, he blamed him for everything. But then, he blamed himself for their loss as Midnight was innocent, and they could go to one and the other if It was not that he was convinced that he did not see any future, he had lost everything, he had lost her.
Knock,knock
He heard the unpleasant knocks outside his room and he recognized them as well with her voice.
“Rapper boy, You can't just come in without saying hello” she scolded him and opened the door. She looked casual, with a simple shirt and skirt, and she was holding a plate of pancakes with one hand while the other was on her hip. She looked at him with disapproval.
“Rapper…”
She called him,that was a name she had been using since she met him and It was the one she put to him. Midnight accepted it out of not knowing any stagename who could fit, and more when she only used the name of “Lucy” to introduce. She glanced at him, finding his lack of reaction with the food quite worrying. She sighed and handed him the plate.
The pancakes looked fluffy and warm. With syrup and honey on them with bits of fruit, despite looking appetizing, he only stared at them with an empty look on his face.
Concern dropped to Lucy’s heart, usually he would be eager to eat after training, devouring all the food without leaving crumbs, and others he would ask if he could have more. This was more than strange in her world.
She had witnessed how sometimes comes back with bandages on arms and legs, even his face. Hair dirty and hands with blood from his wounds.
She had started to want to give him company during his training days, she feared that one day he might collapse on his way home. Even also wanting to plan on locking him in his room so he won't be going into these dangerous practices.
But he was determined, he would actually find a way out so he could keep on. And absolutely won't let her join her on his training hours, he repeated it could be very dangerous if she stayed too close. She was sure he was not lying.
“I will be right back! Gotta go visit my mother!”
“Okay, but better be careful. Are you sure you don't want me to join you? You always come back beaten up. Your mother is not putting so much on you, right? I won't forgive her if she does”
“It's fine, I will be okay! Trust her that she won't ever kill me! That would be crazy,haha!”
At first it annoyed her. She scolded him numerous times for not being careful. But then, she started to get used to it since almost always he returned excited, talking about the things he learnt or saw. So maybe she does not have anything to worry about as he rambled about it. She started to also tease him whatever he got back, could be one wound in particular or how he returned trying to hide not an injury, but his hunger.
It was not surprising if he returned so drained of energy but it was a bit amusing how shy he was to admit It, whatever his stomach made a noise or his way to stare at a bottle of honey with longing eyes, she would tease him until he could allow himself to eat with her. He would make squeaking sounds so bizarre from his strong and serious look that it made her melt without him noticing it. Squeaking sounds from not wanting any offer of food until eventually calming down whatever he tasted the honey cookies and relaxing for once.
So seeing him skip dinner or barely eating now was just a terrible new habit she hated to see. She would force him to eat or try to make the food harder to resist. Failing every time he came back.
Since the day of the incident, he has become colder, sad and skinny. Returning more late from the training and barely talking to her. She had to do something.
“Your meal is gonna cool down, you know?” She said with crossing arms as her attention drove towards the other “Believe me, warm and nice will make you feel better”
The rapper slowly turned to look at Lucy like he had sensed her staring at him first. With that look in his eyes which were only pitch black and not sparkling or any sense of emotion.
The room grew more quiet and lonely as the rain outside made company to their breathing and he had to at least taste the fruits first, knowing that Lucy wouldn't leave him alone until he ate a bit.
Lucy watched him, trying to catch any flinch or content hum from her food only to hear nothing but the occasional clinking from the fork and knife at the plate.
“I told you to always chew before gulping” Lucy said as the silence of his eating was starting to gnaw at her, coming to the conclusion that Rapper was not even tasting the food. And her words were listened to with him chewing the pancakes. And the sound was enough to calm Lucy's nerves for a minute.
When he finished,the lady took the plate out from the Rapper's hands towards the small table near the bed. Knowing that he won't give her any reaction or a grateful gesture, she sat next to him quietly.
“... Won't you tell me how your training was?” she asked with a cheek resting on her hand as she glanced at him “Or what your mother was up to?”
The Rapper seemed to think before answering with a vague “It was fine… nothing special” answer. Lucy nodded and glanced at his fresh arm bandages, then at his hair with still drops of the rain outside and a bit of dirt.
“Don't you think you may need a shower and a towel?” She grinned while fiddling with his hair “Come on, only takes 15 minutes”
Rapper did not care about cleaning himself but Lucy would end up convincing him anyway.
“... ‘kay, I will take one,” he said, taking off his hat.
“Well,well… Rapper… Can you answer me a few… little questions?” She fixed her hair bow as she asked the newcomer in front of her, buried on the couch.
“U-Uh… s-sure, go ahead” he nervously answered
“What are you?”
“O-Oh? I'm…”
“You aren't human”
“...what?”
“If you are human then explain what are those feathery things on your head”
“...Oh? This?” He touched his antennae above his head, alarmed, he tried to come up with an answer which could be convincing: “They are accessories!"
“Really…?” She said, definitely not believing that, slowly she grabbed one of them and pulled it gently, making Midnight flinch along the antennae “I don't think so…”
“S-Stop!”
“It hurts?”
“...”
“I won't torture you because you are different… that's not my style…”
She stared at them before he could enter the bathroom. A pair of fluffy antennae similar to a butterfly, except this were from a moth. One always picked out from it, this being the left one, acting as a feather which gave more life to his hat.She knew she was not dealing with a human like her, but that won't mean she should treat him differently. He acts and makes mistakes as one, and he does not like being addressed as an angel either despite being actually that. An angel fell to her garden and he could not get back up there.
She remembered that night where she found him crying in his sleep, and when he woke up, the first thing he did was cry how he lacks wings and won't get back home soon. She remembers well the scared and emotional angel he used to be, and she grew sympathy for him, becoming somehow protective. And she started to miss how he used to be, now becoming stern where sometimes it hurt her.
She waited outside, listening to the water dropping from the bathroom. I should give him space,she thought and that's what she did with going to the kitchen and washing the dishes he left from his recent meal. She took it as it was a precious treasure and dried it with a thin handkerchief. The warm lights of the wooden, solitaire house comforted her and so she planned on what to say to the Rapper when he finished.
As for the other, the shower was warm, so warm it made him uncomfortable but relaxed. He cleaned his antennae with care before turning on the shower tap to wash the rest, and it was slightly humiliating as he witnessed on the mirror his many scars on many parts of his body. Many from accidents he had while training, others he did not know if they were on purpose or also accidental since not being careful with the sword movements was something so made on purpose that he did not know. Harming himself almost on purpose and the shame would be so loud that will just completely take it as many of his own slip ups.
He chose a simple shirt and shorts to get out of the bathroom. Waving goodbye to the warm water it embraced him, he almost wanted to stay there longer. He sighed in relief with a towel on hand drying his hair and antennae with his footsteps echoing the rest of the house with nothing on.
“Well,look at that! You look nicer?” Lucy spoke up with a sweet voice low enough to not startle him “A nice clean up for the soul, don't ya think?”
The rapper smiled slightly and it almost made Lucy get surprised as it was the first time seeing him smile for once after so long. He drove himself towards his bedroom and Lucy did not help herself to not follow him.
“I… well…” she stuttered “I just wanted to tell you that… goodnight and have dreams covered in sugar…”
The rapper nodded with the simple greeting
“Goodnight, Lucy… thank you…” he said softly as he placed a squirrel plush to the desk. Fixing his bed, he started to get ready to wrap himself on the blankets like a cocoon.
Lucy watched him, she was ready to close the door and let him sleep after a possible long training day, but instead she stayed a little longer. Before she could realize, she walked towards him slowly.
As awaited, he gave her a confused look
“What's wrong-?” He was cut mid with her gesturing a finger on his lips, telling him to keep quiet. The next was just as confusing when she let her face meet one of his cheeks and gave it a gentle kiss, almost near one of his scars on his face. And he was surprised when he tripped and fell to the bed with him sit, making Lucy flinch.
“Ah, I'm sorry, I could not help it” she said as she fixed her clothes, pretending to be unbothered by the reaction “I just… you are clean tonight and…“
The rapper was caught off guard, he actually did not know what a kiss was and somehow It called him, he gently grabbed her hand, gesturing that It was fine. Lucy looked away, feeling her own face heat up and she hated the idea of the man looking at her blushing, so she kissed him again, but this time on his lips so it will be harder to see it. Too close and warm, It confused him greatly but did not dare to push her away. It felt comforting, It was at first aggressive but then it softened to be more likeable. The smooch echoed slightly through the room as she was already on him as if she threw herself towards him to give him a hug.
“What is this?” The Rapper thought, " Is she ok?”
He couldn't ask her just yet, instead he let her still meet his lips. His heart was beating a little faster and she noticed It
“Nervous?” She teased with an eyebrow lifted up
“Not like you” Rapper said with a smirk
He laid on bed with her touching his antennae, her body pressing on him still. He did not mind her, starting to be a new amusement to see her trying to hide her own face from him, to hide her grey blush on her cheeks, the embarrassment she did not want to admit either and she gave up to fiddle with his antennae, this wrapping on her thin arm, feeling so soft on the touch, playing with them carefully. It was weird, no one just touches someone's equivalent of ears like that, but he trusted her and she seemed to also trust him. He allowed himself closer towards her so touching them will be easier.
Her smell was as well comforting him, with a smooth aroma of flowers and roses. The Rapper could not help himself but let a content,soft noise escape his voice. Almost sounding like the purring of a cat, except this sounded very muffled and quiet like the flutter of a pair of an insect’s wings. Lucy felt the vibration on his chest and smiled with it.
“Beautiful” she thought “You are beautiful…”
“Welp, young man… Rapper. What could you be doing at this hour?” She said turning the lights on. Making Rapper jump and hit his head at the cupboards.
“Oh? Hi! I-I thought you…” he stuttered, seeing Lucy's upset look made him nervous, he knew it was a terrible idea.
“What are you doing?” She glanced and noticed almost all the cupboards open, not enough to make a mess but it annoyed her still “You don't inspect like that on someone's house, you know?’
“Sorry,sorry, it's just…” he fiddled with his fingers as he processed the answer he would give “I was looking for honey, I thought I had smelled it…”
Lucy watched him down to up “Really?” Rapper only nodded while looking away “Don't scare me like that, I thought it was a mouse ‘cause of those squeaks”
Rapper seemed to start blushing from that confession, unconsciously taking a hand towards his chest. Accidentally letting a thin but loud enough squeak that Lucy noticed
“Guess you were the mouse after all…that almost sounds like a moth squeak, how did you do that?” Lucy replied more relaxed than before with Rapper chuckling nervously
“I… uh, I don't know…”
She shrugged and walked towards a locked cupboard, opening it with a key shaped bee and she took the honey vessel from it.
“Well, here, you glutton! You should have asked for more at dinner if you were still hungry to not get the munchies, you know?" she said as she took the honey to the table “I usually take It with cereal, not sure about you”
“Oh,thank you, thank you”
He ended up grabbing a glass and pouring a bit from the honey in it to drink it with eagerness. She sensed he found it delicious, taking a bit more once the glass was empty. Suddenly,Lucy heard a soft sound when the Rapper finished, a sound which was like a vibration of a pair of very fast wings from a dragon-fly, and it seemed the sound was coming from the Rapper himself.
“Are you okay?” She questioned
“Oh,yea, I'm full, thank you for the honey!” He said with a smile as he slightly rubbed his belly, the sound did not stop.
“I guess you can make really interesting sounds…” she thought as she found it slightly comforting and curious like a purring cat, she did not mention, she did not want to fluster him too much and make him stop. She sat there to talk to him about other things while paying attention to those squeaking and purring sounds he sometimes lets out from a lack of care.
“Will you let me sleep or not?” The rapper said with a sigh but also let out a small chuckle “Unless you want to sleep with me…”
“Sounds weird when you say it” Lucy protested “I have never done this since…”
She paused while touching Rapper's chest as a memory came to her mind. An unpleasant one she blocked immediately. It made her stay without sharing other words until getting on her way up to let Rapper have more space.
“Little butterfly, Can you not see everything I have done for you? Come on… You are only mine”
“I think that's enough… I don't want to bother you while in your sleep…” she said with her gaze turning into a drown. Rapper tilted his head but only nodded with slight disappointment on his heart with the warm weight on him disappearing to leave him in coldness.
When she got up and put on her shoes again, he did not stop her, close to the door, she wished him goodnight once again to him and when he repeated the same to her, she closed the door with the night lamp turned off.
The Rapper stared at the ceiling, listening to Lucy's footsteps getting far from his room. He wondered about the sudden change in the lady but he was too tired to stay to think and he wished she could sleep without guilt. Then he thought about his mother, visibly nervous by his question. He felt bad from raising his own voice against her, he wished to apologize tomorrow soon. She does not deserve his bad attitude just for a terrible loss she was not familiar with.
The kissing was pleasuring too, so pleasing he wanted to repeat it. It relaxed him and it was strange,out of sudden and he wanted more.
But for now, he will rest to resolve tomorrow. For Lotus he wished everyone to rest well.
He closed his eyes with blankets on him and drifted to sleep almost immediately. He dreamed of pancakes with lavender.
This content includes mature and dark content such as suicide topics, self harm, violence, drug and alcohol abuse.
Readers discretion is adviced
Farmer follies belongs to @alterworldstudios
“Oh, cold embracement…let my soul cry”
In his thoughts he was still singing, the dark wyvern wondered if he was still alive or he was finally at the dead land from the legends, he did not open his eyes this moment,blindly he felt his skin freezing, neither knew if he could move yet he did not dare move a finger to test that, he kept still like a statue of ice which was made from an angel's hand.
How long has it passed? Hours, days, months? He felt he had been stuck for a long while, from time to time falling asleep dreaming to keep all the poor creatures he encountered to drop them to a cliff. And then waking up with the same view of what seemed to be a dark and crystalized box. He would grow tired of seeing it.
Pathetic. The memories of the fight from heavens started to torment him, a small insect managed to stop him. Stopping him from his fun ride so no more blood will stain the cloudy ground but, thinking again, he was waiting for him to win deep inside. He could dare to say it was not a surprise.
“One day, when the nights seem to be forever dark, your shine will be seen by everyone, defeating the darkness!”
And it seems he did it,he defeated the darkness, the darkness he now was, so admirable.
He couldn't stop himself from thinking about all the victims which did not manage to be saved, surrendering beneath his power and strings as the blood showered them along those they considered great leaders. A delightful rampage until someone makes it stop as ice pauses the river's run.
What a shame. Those who clinged to this world ruining the fun for him, not able to be convinced about letting him keep his plan going but resist and not let the evil win over their souls. It did remind him of…
“World is full of bad guys but I'm sure we can make just a bit of a difference, specially you”
“No, this world does not deserve that!” he thought, his fury rising again from such naive old phrases his mouth once said “Curse this world, let this world burn! Curse this world, curse it-!”
CRACK
A strange sound interrupted his thoughts and felt a strange warmth reach his very being, soon getting hotter and hotter until it felt like fire was burning him alive, like his own flames. Perhaps it is the guardian angel finally coming to end his existence.
“No…no,no, it is not over, little guy” A spark born inside him thought and he lifted his wings,slowly breaking his way out. He heard cracking and crumbling around as he also summoned his fire until the crystal prison he was trapped in,allowing him to dodge the attempt.
Or at least he thought it was an attack to him.What surprised him was that when he opened his eyes, he did not see the moth he was familiar with but a taller being with a mask on his face.
“W-What? Where?”
Quickly, he scanned his surroundings, finding himself in a cave with rocky walls, preventing the two from breaking them easily. He heard water drops but his attention was more focused now on the taller being.
Unreadable yet he felt its tension and soon lifted its spear to the air, shining in the dark place.
“I'm so sorry, Dxi"
That was the last thing he heard from that being before a bright light blinded him and was cast away from the ground by this unknown power. He knew he had lost consciousness after that and opened his eyes in a new environment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only silence and quiet reached his ears along a soft sound of rain dropping on the floor of cement. He felt his head pounding and spinning. He couldn't help himself but let out a groan of pain while shivering as he woke up.
"What happened? That…" he thought, coming to his senses,all he could see was the view of a grey and dark sky,clouds embracing the world in a long blessing,the rain falling to clean someone's wounds.
As he sat up,his body hurt and trembled weakly. He held his head to set the pain off but once he touched it, something felt wrong. A pair of grey and soft gloves were at sight,trembling in front of his face
"What the...?" he folded his fingers to the palms, feeling the smooth touch of his fingertips which replaced his claws,these hands weren't his own.
He slowly reached to his chest,a bowtie adorning his neck with a dark coat with numerous pockets covering him from the frost,yet wasn't enough to stop him from shaking, he felt his heart pounding fast and his breathing heavy. Down to his shoes,a pair of boots in place with his thin but soft socks, nothing was familiar despite this looking slightly sharp as an attempt to stay to his former self.
He looked around,a dark and filthy alleyway was the place he was stuck at,very cold and unfamiliar, filling with some trash cans and empty bottles scattered around to be forever forgotten.
“What is this place?”
Next to him was a puddle of water,not thinking much,he approached it and watched his reflection.
This body isn't his.The figure of a small boy with grey hair,black eyes and a hat almost falling from his head stared attentively,he fixed the hat before it could drop and saw a familiar pin above it: a dark sun shaped button, just looking at it made him feel dizzy. Immediately,took his way backwards until his back was halted to the wall, getting far from the puddle.
"This isn't me,these hands,this face,this symbol..." The former wyvern thought,his hands twitching,taking the hat off and seeing the pin again, staring like it could tell him the answers he needed, only to be silent which responded,the button reflecting his face he did not own, his monstrous form gone.
“What did that disgraced rat do to me?” He thought, recalling the last moments “Wait… that mask…”
He recognized the tall being,that mask was impossible to confuse.
“Did… the “Judge” find me…? That… foolish liar?” he was filled with bitterness about the thought as he forgot about the cold around “I thought she was gone for good,but it seems she is still around… damn it!”
The Judge was a being he was familiar with, a skillful teacher of magic. He remembered his time spent on her side and so, old memories came to his mind.
“Little one, what are you doing there? It's a bit dangerous up here.”
“Oh, sorry. I just wanted to see the stars…”
“You are looking down…”
“The lights of the houses look like stars and the people too! Warm,shiny and nice!”
“... I see”
“You are shiny too!”
“Heh…”
A memory so old made his movements cut. Her presence used to be comforting and warm. Yet mighty and powerful. But that was on the surface, hiding all possible dark spots in her heart to hide the blame she had. He came to learn about such crimes, he was convinced.
Struggling,he started to stand up on his feet while supporting himself at the bricked wall.
“Where was she all time? Did she turn me into this small state as a punishment…? I'm not allowing such humiliation!” His grip grew tighter as he walked by with the bricks help. “Or maybe…”
He lifted his hand and made an unknown move, hoping to see at least a spark of his former self
“Of course… no powers either…” he sighed in annoyance “Snatching me from my fount of pure control? My gift?! My strings to hold the horses?! Such a disaster!”
With fury rising, composing himself, he swore to her.
“Once I return to my former self, I will tear her apart and let her know the fire of pure hell she condemned all those souls she cast away! And-!”
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the echoes of sobbing through the alleyway to run across the winds. He would startle at the noise to hear it attentively.
“Who 's there?” And curiosity picked, looking at his surroundings there was not any other exit but the one which seemed to be coming where the crying was. He walked towards it in silence. “It won't hurt to check anyways…”
And the sobbing continued, he could see a light in front of him as he was greeted with more garbage and bottles. It sickened him but immediately forgot about the nasty surroundings when the crying turned into a maniac laughter.
“Curse the horrible nightmares telling me lies of death!”
And the laughter echoed louder, so loud that It managed to scare his heart, he halted and stepped back. It did not sound like his when he was flying across heaven, this felt different. Forced, maybe even painful.
“What the hell? What's wrong over there-?” the sound of glass shattering met his ears, making him turn around as he could find another way out “I’m not passing there…”
It felt like madness to reach, with the fact that he can't just fly and choke them with his strings made this task dangerous. And he hated it more, hated feeling powerless and an easy prey to haunt. But he should start to accept that he is weak now, not a creature worthy to fear or even respect. His small form was just as simple to mock as a useless bug. And that was enough to make him think about his mission, will he ever return to his former self? Or is he cursed to be like this forever?
One or the other, he won't stand there doing nothing as the giant wall on the other side made him remember that he had to deal with whoever was laughing in this alley if he wanted to walk away and maybe explore this grey world. He took a deep breath and encouraged himself to try and to his surprise, the laughter seemed to cease already.
The walk was short, behind a trash container was where he found it, hidden from him with the light of the exit now in front of him. Tempting to just pass by and leave the dark alleyway, but instead he came closer, just to say hello.
“Greetings,dear fellow, you may call me…” he paused for a second, thinking of a fitting name for himself “The Puppeteer! Yes! Easy to remember!”
A duck with less than a presentable look, was sitting at a corner of the alleyway with a bottle at hand and many others scattered around, miserably but visibly confused by his sudden appearance
“Are you real…?” The duck let out the question slip, his eyes showing a look of cautious “A ghost…?”
“Real…?” The boy repeated the question to himself, tilting his head slightly “I believe I am…”
Looking at himself again made him stay to think about it two times,this body is not the one he grew familiar with,a body so small with lack of sharpness. The duck shook his head left and right to lay his head against the wall in a solemn way, and he smiled.
“Well,nice to meet you, weird to find someone here” he chuckled as he took another bottle, taking a couple of gulps from its liquid,a dark looking liquid which even looked just like ink, closing his eyes as he was waiting for him to be gone when he opened them, except he was not. Having some company felt worthy to be joyful.
“And what may be this you are chugging down?”
The former wyvern tapped his soft finger at the bottle the duck was holding, making the duck jump slightly by how close he suddenly was towards him
“Oh, where are my manners? Here, you can take one, it's delicious and kills the thirst” the duck spoke and handed him a bottle not open yet “Help yourself,pal!”
The boy looked at the bottles around,some left empty and others not finished,he grabbed a full bottle and watched it closely. The dark texture intrigued him, finding a little bit of red in it to compensate for the grey world he was now to stay in for a while. Swirling it, he thought the drink familiar with the blood left on his heaven mayhem, making him tremble of irritation from being snatched from that view but still satisfied with being able to see it stained in the clouds like paint.
“How interesting,where did you get this?” The young one asked as he got rid of the cap but not daring to drink just now
“It says on its tag” the duck answered “Taste of fire bar! I go there with some friends”
“Wow… what a… particular name, my man!” the other said as he took a look at the tag, an alcoholic drink which calls anyone to try.
“Indeed, and it's not that expensive,hic, you should try It”
“... Hmm…”
“This is not real! This Is just a nightmare!”
The former beast looked at the duck when this chugged down the whole bottle's dark liquid.
“They've said that alcohol can make one live less…” he said supporting himself at the garbage can near
“Yes… but less worried and afraid…” The duck spoke with a softer voice “Less stressed, less anxious… It makes one feel better!”
“... Sure”
The puppeteer looked away and then again to the bottles, the duck seemed to have gulped down more than he could bear and he seemed to be ignoring his own limits. It saddened him and the feeling felt unusual to him. Why would he feel sad for a pathetic soul? He grabbed the bottle, having the desire to hit it towards this duck's head.
“The one who belongs to this graveyard is anyone but her!”
The puppeteer took a tiny sip from the liquid, meeting the bitterness from It, a burning feeling running to his throat to make his stomach sink. The taste was unbearable, loyal to the name it was given on the tag, he took another sip while trying to hide his disgust from the drink offered.
“How can you drink this?” He thought while gulping down more until eventually stopping to rest his tongue from the burn “This is a terrible flavor! Bold to consume more than just one bottle!”
And he was almost impressed about the duck managing to drink like it happened to be just water, how could he?
His throat grew dry and he coughed from the parched sensation his body seemed to be casting as a spell. He wished It was water, real to quench his avid thirst he came to realize.
He sat next to him with the unfinished bottle on hand. Any new second,the bothersome aches from the drink were banished and he managed to breathe again. The puppeteer glanced at the duck again, watching with almost great attention his dirty feathers, and his eyes looked more disoriented as he let the drunkenness fill his whole flesh. He could imagine the duck starting to see swirling stars on his way, or maybe birds like him. And that was until he was handed an empty vessel he just finished.
“I'm glad you liked them, you can bring more near there” he pointed towards many directions “Taste of fire bar, it's very cheap”
He handed him a simple bag of coins, It was miserably tied with a black thread and a white heart pin. He could count. It was not much but maybe it was enough for a pair of drinks.
“We shall throw a party here!” he said amused
The excitement from this duck was making the other a bit uncomfortable, uncanny from the dark liquid he looked everywhere.
“Cheers for her to come back safe!” He said with his arms up like wanting to fly
“Who 's her?” the puppeteer asked, tapping the bottle with unease
“Oh, she is nice,nice, my dove of porcelain!” He answered with the head hitting the wall “My fears say she is not in this world but that's naught but a lie!”
“I shall introduce her to you, you will love her…” that was the last thing he said before closing his eyes and drifting to sleep. Leaving with the puppeteer stranded there alone. He looked at the bottle,then at the bird. The favor sounded less than tempting to go fetch it as he wondered who the duck was talking about.
He is crazy, he thought and he might be right but then the question on if to leave him there or rescue his petition itched back in his mind.
“This is killing you… oh, you poor soul!” An evil idea popped to his mind and he grinned at it “And you ask me to bring more? Well, it will be my pleasure!”
The terrible look from the duck was a sign of the deteriorating effects from the drink, and he grew curious on how much he could take before eventually getting completely poisoned by it.
Saving the bottle in his coat, he turned around and walked away to wake up the duck later with new vessels to chug down without him daring to try again.
This content includes mature and dark content such as suicide topics,self harm, drug and alcohol abuse.
Readers discretion is adviced
Farmer follies belongs to @alterworldstudios
The loneliness was consuming but he did not mind it at all, he would stay behind, packing the longed-for suitcase for a woman who would never arrive to work.
In the end, he catched himself doing it and he took it to himself instead to add the cleanest of instruments and opened the door to meet his office. The buzzing lights gave a hum of melody to his slow footsteps climbing the stairs, he got reminded how he needed to repair them since sometimes it startled him how this shut off, leaving him vulnerable to possible ghosts haunting him for his horrible sins.
On the floor upstairs, he grabbed another door handle to come in and see how he left the poor scene behind last time.
A soothing light barely covered the old room, falling towards a chair at the middle of the circle of brightness. It was not empty, there was a small man sitting with wrists tied on the seat.
The surroundings were nothing but darkness, the light barely spotting other things like pictures on the walls and a washer joined by a mirror, being taken care of and clean so there won't be dust or water dropping that could tense its owner's ears. Dropping the suitcase, he let the water pour on his hands before covering them with latex.
“Well, Let's begin…” The voice sounded from the shadows and the tall figure approached the chair. Wearing equipment, so similar to a doctor or dentist, but it was not a human. It had big ears and a large tail, wearing eyes and teeth as if they were just part of a gruesome disguise of a twisted rodent. It was smiling, greeting his new patient.
“Eyes up”
The dentist ordered softly as the radio played a music box song almost seeming to be playing from the void, trying to calm the eerie ambient of the stage to be failing. The little man stayed still, with his head glancing down while his hair covered almost all his face, he disobeyed.
The chair was forced to make the patient look up, being blinded by the lightbulb, the dentist watched him and spotted his eyes, one of his black eyes was injured, blood and tears he made an effort to hide, mixed on it as his sight was affected.
The dentist cleaned the remains of blood split around the wound with a cotton, white to be painted on black next. The man breathed heavily as he tight his hands to fists. The small move was enough to make the rodent feel a bit of amusement on his creepy being.
“Don't move, It will hurt more if you do” the dentist spoke as he lowered the tweezers with the bloody cotton.
This man’s silence started to annoy the dentist, starting to hurt him intentionally with cutting one of his arms, the one which was not bandaged. He did not say anything but groaned in pain. Not enough to satisfy this rodent.
Once bandaging the eye, the place grew silent as the sound of him putting the instruments away was echoing. Clinking.
“Open wide” he spoke softly as it was just a normal dental appointment and watched his teeth so particular. This man was not human either. Fascinating, he thought.
Glancing up, he brushed aside some folds of hair on his head and took the fact true as a pair of sharp but small peaks were poking out from his skull. Unholy, he called it unholy but intriguing.
A pair of long seconds passed when the dentist walked away from the seat far from the light, returning with a syringe being held by its tail, the liquid inside having a transparent but dark color in it.
“The second phase we go” the dentist said and abruptly held the small man from his chin and retired the chains that were wrapped on his neck. Injecting the medicine without him having a chance to fight black.
Slowly, his remaining eye started to close, his energy draining and fear not bothering him anymore. He was feeling somehow calm, warm, a feeling It has been so long he felt.
He tried himself to stay awake and as he felt an uncomfortable feeling on his jaw being held up, he let memories start to haunt him once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"In our present news,It's awaited a clear night's sky, however,at ten o'clock ,it's reported to have slight winds along incoming foggy days for the rest of the week, don't forget to bring coats and a nice scarf if thinking to go outside! Have a good evening everyone!"
The radio played as a duck dressed himself, excited but determined he buttoned his shirt and swept away the dust from his hat.
“Ready for the date, Dove's man” he said to himself when he turned to the mirror for a last time, admiring his decent look.
“Hey there, gorgeous”
In no time, humming his favorite song,he was outside for a stroll.
It was a beautiful dusk afternoon,the birds were getting ready to sleep and the crickets were preparing for a new night concert.
He walked confidently around the streets with a cane on hand which was adorned with a painting of daisies made traditionally. The home's lights guided him,the smell of warm bread comforted him as he made his way towards an awaited visit.His heart belonged to such a special soul.
"One moment!" The duck halted his way out of sudden "What should I bring to her?"
It's been a couple of weeks since he saw her,a long wait she probably had, patiently looking at her window to see a familiar figure finally returning to home.
He thought while walking around the park and as a lightbulb turned on, an idea he got when at his corner saw a flower stall. One of her most favorite things are the flowers,how this can have the chance to be colorful despite the grey world everyone lives in. The duck approached to the stall which flowers were exactly how his beloved loved to see them, flowers which seemed to be blessed with hope and love through the cruelest of days
"Good afternoon!" He knocked the wood with his cane and called for the owner. First thing he saw once he got close was a bee resting on a blue flower
"Somebody here?"
After that second call,the duck watched how the bee flew away to not be seen again before a melodic voice finally answered
"Y-Yes,in a minute, please"
"Good afternoon!" The duck greeted the owner again,a shy gardener who always had a hat adorned with his own flowers and a sweet voice to listen,eyes tired but still sharing a welcoming glare and yet shaky “I'm sorry for bothering you. I came from my path to have flowers to take as a gift”
The gardener proceeded with the words, flowers to give to someone, the questions of its specific role vibrated in his mind when curiosity picked. And to find the perfect ones he could demand, he asked the duck:
“And for whom this present could belong, my friend?”
“Oh, for a very special person!” The duck answered excitedly, “My beloved, to call her just my girlfriend sounds unworthy. My woman I wish to name her”
The other thought, the words of being someone special echoed through him, he has to find special ones
“Flowers which could spoke your love to her, flowers to show how previous she Is”
“My angel whom I love, please, help me find the ideal ones”
“Flowers birds of paradise would she accept?” he asked with doubt on his words
“I do not doubt she would” the duck answered with confidence instead.
Like an order, he grabbed a pot from the faded orange with blue flowers to the table. Here they rested, flowers challenging the grey and dark nature of the land, dressed in faded color whose first dream was to glow even more.
“Roses to sing your passion?” he asked motioning the red roses,brighter than the others
“Pink carnations will delight her too”
And the other added five to eight of each one
“I will take daisies, orchids and calla lily flowers” the duck continued “Those are her favourite. It does not matter the prize! There, it's perfect! I'm dying to see her smile”
His customer’s words blessed him with relief as he seemed to be satisfied with the result of his bouquet of flowers. Despite looking slightly messy, it seemed to catch a charm towards the duck and he tied them to be placed in a basket. He spent a bit too much time choosing which one.
“It would be 30 cents” He handed it timidly towards the duck.
“Huh? What a generous amount! Thank you!”
Before the store could close doors as well, the duck got himself a gift paper to wrap the flowers together as a small addition for the pretty basket and walked across the streets of the city towards his original destiny.
The night fell quickly, darkening the way and taking over,the moon waving goodbye to the sun with its soft bright like guarding the beings down earth in a silent sadness of how cold the world could be. And he ignored It, expecting to return to feel her warmth on him.
When he arrived at his beloved's house,the first thing he did was check on her mailbox. A mailbox they placed together and painted her name on it.It was a habit he came to adapt, sometimes taking coffee while they read the newspapers or magazines, or a letter from her parents who have moved towards another town. With the conclusion there was not anything, he thought she had already taken them inside. So he closed the mailbox and approached their home.
The house was too quiet,no one singing inside,nor seeming to be someone in. He knocked on the door with flowers on his back, expecting somebody to open and greet him.
“Darling…?”
No one opened,no one came,no one answered when he called her name. When he grabbed the door's hang,he noticed it wasn't locked. Worry growing inside his soul,he came into the house. It looked like time had stopped inside,with the furniture in place and photos still there,all the same and familiar view,but it was at the center of the room when he saw something more extraordinary. A letter on the small, circle table. He wasted no time and read it two and three times.
"I love all of you,my family and friends..."
The words on the letter repeated inside his head when he ran from the house dropping the flowers on the way with his cane "No,no, don't do this to me..." he said to himself as he got far from the home.
"You have never done me wrong..."
Without a lantern, was hard to pass through Inkwell city's paths,he stole one from a passing resident towards the bridge at the end of town
"But I did...to all of you"
The duck wished to be able to fly,from the clock placed at the library,he feared he may be late.
"I did so many things,many that even you don't know about..."
He stopped when he found a familiar figure on the bridge, standing at the very edge,her face in the dark not revealing her emotions.
"I shall do this at the place where everything began... For me,I don't deserve his love for me either..."
Fast as a ray,he attempted to reach her to grab her away "Dove!"
"So, please… Forgive me...for everything…”
A strong sharp feeling impaled through his chest and so,the duck woke up with ghastly eyes and a terrible headache. The sight of a filthy and cold alleyway greeted him, making him remember where he was sitting, surrounded by broken glass and bottles untouched.
An empty bottle rested near his hand, waiting for him to throw it away like trash no longer of use. He had stayed there for two or more hours,and recalling the dream made him feel nauseous.
He did not remember the number of months that had passed since that fateful night,everything collapsed after and he was stranded there, alone with numerous drinking assistants attempting to make his pain hurt less, by just forgetting or already giving him a merciful death by their dirty poison. His future he felt has been snatched away.
“That awful dream again…” The duck murmured to himself, holding his own head with his feathery hands “This nightmare… It can't be real” he clutched his head harder like he was trying to break his own skull to fail embarrassingly.
The duck broke to tears yet he tried to keep quiet so the echoes wouldn't take his voice to sound more beyond. Letting the sound of rain fill the silence as if it were crying with him. This was useless like the evil of spirits around would enjoy listening to his sobbing melody as he could think the dream was his reality.
“She went on a trip, she had not sent a letter yet but she will anytime soon… I really miss her…” he said to himself and it felt logical, the last time he saw her she was brooming her home, singing a melody he came to just learn for her “She Is fine… she Is still alive…”
And his crying turned into laughter, laughing at his own crazy head from making him think the worst things could happen, laughing at his poor strand in a lonely alleyway, laughing about his own doubt.
“When the day comes, I will find her in her home again and see she is okay”
He did not care if his mirth was being heard by someone, he did not know if it was night time or morning and there could be people passing around and if they would judge him to be insane. He was convinced that it was just a terrible nightmare and he would chug down the drink bottle to cheer for it to be fake.
If he stopped seeing it like a fantasy, then he does not want to imagine what could happen to him.
He imagined his friends joining him, they have been busy lately and he could use a friend joining him on a party, but for now he enjoys himself with the amount of bottles he has. Ten or twenty could be.
“Hey… little duckling, Are you doing in nice weather?"
A voice soon he heard, a young and raspy voice suddenly revealing from the ashes of his world to be from a stranger,thought he was hallucinating until he heard it ring again.
“Hello? Hello?”
He finally lifted his head with tears joined by a smile from the alcohol and laughter back there and gazed upon the new face.A small dark grey haired boy wearing a large coat and a hat was standing in front of him, staring at him with big, vivid eyes and a forced smile, an odd feature for him in this sad and melancholic world where everyone will see him out of place.
Warning of heavy violence, viewers discretion is advised
Long,long ago, before Lucky arrived into this world, there was once a great guardian of legend. Loved and praised by all, revered by many,his tale was told generation to generation, a brave guardian who stopped a lethal monstrous demon by striking it with a spell where both will stay in a deep eternal sleep to never be seen again, saving millions from its dangerous claws. That was it, a heroic sacrifice looked up in admiration and gratitude. Though a few really know how this legend played out, many believe the stories and so went on. Now, allow me to retell that fateful final stand, the battle of the sun and the moon through the skies above.
A very known hospital was suddenly set on fire in the depths of hell, collapsing in the process. The souls trapped there barely escaped, a terrible disaster where many patients wouldn't see their families waiting outside again.
There it came out, a dark monstrous wyvern figure walking out seemingly out of the deep void with fire on its control.
"Dxi! This is a misunderstanding,I would never put a finger on him, just let me-”
That was the last thing it was heard from before only screaming and cries drowned the building, windows breaking, the hospital demolished like an empire of innocents. The devil looked at its surroundings, fury on its eyes.
"A marionette kingdom,is all I shall build
The angels and demons cry on pain, by your horrid selfish deals
Those who took away the sun's gentle bright
Shall be punished for this eternal dance!"
After the beast's voice echoed through hell, fear and sorrow were spread to every corner. An unstoppable sorcerer of puppets,not even hell was enough to satisfy its desire of vengeance and power,no,it needed more.
It spread its fiery wings and flew up. In its eyes, the kingdom of the shadows wasn't the only one which deserved a bloody nightmare to live,up there, up there needed to go. The beast disappeared through the clouds, leaving its mark in hell, with puppets made on its name to keep terrorizing the land.
Many tried to stop it but no one has succeeded at all if only they would have known to never mess with a small amphipthere.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That morning was like any other in heaven, flowers growing pretty,birds chirping joyfully,clouds welcoming the new day with a soft glow on them, a beautiful and peaceful day at the safety of the celestial realm. That was until a heavy thud shook the ground and the clouds themselves.
"Ow...! dangit..."
Groaned a small blue moth angel after being casted out from one of the pillars in the training zone, landing on the floor having to bare the consequences he knew so well.
"MIDNIGHT!" the instructor yelled, flying to approach him.
Midnight sat down immediately, greeting his teacher "Sir,yes, Sir!"
The teacher was someone to be praised for he had fought many battles,some he had won and some he had lost, but he was still here, teaching for the matter, being the best achievement he considered to have gained.
He had been training with Midnight for a while now; he knows him as family and also his pupil,but he's worried about the moth's progress, wondering what to do.
"I thought I told you to watch where I aim, What good Lotus name was that?!" the instructor claimed to him his eyes on disbelief.
".... w-well..." the angel stuttered
"Well...?"
"I was distracted,sir... my apologies..."
The instructor face palmed himself with that explanation, of course, the same one from previous days.
"Midnight, we talked about this before..."
"I know,l know...but that cloud looked like a mouse-"
"Midnight..." the instructor crossed arms.
The small angel laughed awkwardly while the instructor sighed.
"We've been training all morning and we hadn't made any progress so far”
"I... I know..."
"You keep getting distracted, getting all the hits"
"Mhm”
"So... Midnight, you need to shake those clouds from your head if not, a real demon could make you a dead man with an attack that simple"
The angel nodded for response
"Look, the force can't have a guardian who keeps getting distracted by the most minimal things," the instructor pointed out, walking in circles. "No! They need someone who is focused, be precise, never letting their guard down. If you can't focus. If you can't do any of it, you'll be demoted from guardian to common.
Do I make myself clear?"
The guardian halted and looked at Midnight who was seeing a butterfly passing while he was talking
"Midnight!" he barked, hitting him with his spear, making the moth flinch as the instructor shook his head disappointed
"Sorry, sorry,sir!" Midnight looked up embarrassed but his teacher didn't answer
“Uh, Sir... Let me try again, this time I'll be ready, honest-" the instructor lifted a hand, making Midnight quiet swiftly.
"No, no,I don't wanna hear it. You'd even prove it, you're not competent enough. I'm starting to wonder how you even got this far..."
The angel looked away, his look shifting from an embarrassed to a sad one, the instructor noticed that and saved his weapon.
"We're done for today. Be gone with yourself! Out of my sight!"
Midnight nodded and got up with a heavy heart, leaving the training area.
Once he was gone, the stern look of the instructor faded while he took off his hat
"I'm really sorry, Midnight, I wish I could help you more
I miss her too, son, but what can we do...?"
Outside, Midnight felt very down with his predicament, he always wanted to be a great guardian since he was a tiny caterpillar, a great guardian like those before him, protect, rescue and save those in need, fight the evil demons who dare step a foot in heaven, and make his mother proud, seeing him reaching that bright dream.
"Mom..." He whispered"... I wish you were still here..."
Midnight's mother used to be a very respected guardian too, powerful and wise. She was also an important judge, follower of justice and fairness. But something happened, an awful event, which made her being banished from heaven, getting called a traitor and liar.
He never understood why, the angels kept saying it was rumors of her getting corrupted, or actually she was going on wrong steps, nothing made sense in his eyes, she was always benevolent and dotting.
He stumped his foot on the cloud ground, stopping his way.
"Damn,I can't lose this. If I fail, I'll be the laughing stock of a guardian in all history ahead!" he squeaked, frustrated "I can even imagine the nicknames,ugh..."
Even if he tried his best, he seemed to always get distracted, even if for a second, he had tried everything but nothing seemed to work, always losing focus by a bird's song on a flowery tree, an interesting shaped cloud and he could write a long list of reasons why he forgot how to cast a magic spell. He was also very clumsy, as a being with three sets of arms, it's very easy to get tied by them, not to mention his four tails to make that worse.
The times it had happened made him wish to bury himself in the clouds to not be seen again.
"How can I save this? Training isn't working... Mom would have known what to do..."
He said under his breath until sitting down on a fountain to think. The water pouring down was enough to calm him down. He looked at the clock tower,hour two with fifteen settled.
He looked back at his feet and thought, fiddling with his training armor. He didn't go extremely poorly, he used to be better, distractions weren't that noisy and he was motivated, with his mother by his side it seemed like everything was possible despite looking otherwise.
A dear friend of his told him that that's the magic from having people who supported you no matter what, especially a bond family like he used to have. He missed them greatly, wishing to at least see them again hug them, say how much he loves them and thank them but... they aren't in reach, the judge was cast down and his friend had been lost in ages,no one has seen him after he left heaven for a reason he didn't quite remember.
The thought of him failing to be a guardian put on doubt his desire to meet his family, what they would think, a great disappointment held be, no curse the thought, he should try harder, as an angel of his type he should be better.
"I worked damn hard to get in here! Giving up is not an option!" he squeaked, hitting his own legs with his fists.
He finally raised his wings and flew up for his daily two with thirty routine of doing a lap around the realm. He wasn't really good at flying but he will never get better if he doesn't practice.
"No..." he paused. "That's not enough, TWO, yes, two are better...or maybe three? DANG-FOUR IT SHALL BE!”
He said determined and flew faster.
He took a look down, the angels and souls busy with their lives, the children playing around their favourite game, the birds joining him with a flying exercise, it even felt quite good, like he was already guarding the area to keep it safe.
He turned to the west and looked to his right he saw a small theater building adorned in silver and gold sticking out from the many homes on the road. That was enough to make him wonder about his friend who loved to take him to that exact place.
That friend, who was always there for him. Two best friends used to play together under the stars not worrying about anything but the company of each other,his golden light so warm and welcoming, so nice to feel when the nights felt darker than before. He always made him laugh with a bad and weird joke and when life started to be difficult he used to take him to one of his favorite places of heaven to dance with him and forget their issues for a moment.
" Where could you be?" the moth whispered to himself "I know down there... but you should have gotten back already..."
The moth was so inside his thoughts that he didn't realize the clouds were turning darker the more he flew ahead, a red color on them giving an eerie vibe which he didn't pay attention to.
" Dxi... old pal, what have you gotten into? Do you remember those simpler times we used to get along with?"
He had stopped waiting for his return a long time ago, trying to focus on his formation to become a guardian,but for the first time after weeks, he wondered if he ever gets back, will he still be the same chirpy friend he was before his leave? or maybe he will never come back? It's been years where he lost count he felt even more alone during his trip.
The echoes of what he said once in that rising moon night rang in his mind one more time.
"One day, one day your light will be seen by many!"
And when that day arrives, I wish to be there at firstline to witness it!”
KABOOM!
A great noise snapped him to reality, twitching his antennae to see a crime scene in front of his eyes,a squirrel angel had been pushed through many buildings to lay in front of Midnight, squeaking in pain.
"Demon..." she said weakly
"H-Huh? Are you ok?" The moth ran towards the angel, panicked. Seeing her big wounds gave him a wave of nausea of how deep this went, someone did this to them intentionally.
"Demon! Aren't you a guardian?!" The angel spoke harder, wincing.
"No, I'm not... y-yet, I… I should get help hold on”
"Please... he already put down the Justice Dreamers force…”
Midnight's eyes grew wider after hearing those news, the Justice Dreamers force was the one his mother used to be in when that horrible monster took it away... how?
"Here..." the angel shakily reached him a small book, Midnight took it confused
"A spell book?"
The book had a pretty and hard metal cover, the words "SPELL BOOK" written on it in golden and a small message behind it "A gift from Judge to Bella"
"My book...this should help you to stop him.”
"W-What? I can't do it"
"Please... you're our last hope...the son of the judge... stopping the wyvern's inferno…” the angel had lost much blood already, they sighed before closing their eyes.
"N-No,no, wake up!” Midnight tried to carry the small rodent, to save her but it was too late.
"Clear the sunlight eclipsed..." the squirrel turned into ink after whispering those last pleas...
"Failure…”
He took the book with himself with his sword sparkling blue,a cold breeze surrounding him, the moth looked at where the angel died.
"You're not a failure, Midnight…”
He shook his head and raised his wings, flying up even if his body was shaking his eyes looked determined, his way chosen.
He searched left, right up and down the western side of heaven where the chaos was happening. The houses were destroyed, blood and ink everywhere, fire setting free like having a feast, he had never seen so much damage, especially from just one demon.
"Don't listen to them, Midnight, what do they know?"
He hid behind a tree once he heard antennae searching for the most minimal of sounds, and he heard It was right in front of him.
"You are more than that, I promise you..."
A dark fire demon was taking souls as if they were flowers in a garden, tearing them apart. He saw how he took a moment to stitch them like fixing a broken toy and out of magic this got back to life, running around attacking any unfortunate souls who were close.
"You will be a great guardian, be remembered from your heroic successes, from your valiant heart!"
His wings were like a dark cape, a tall who seemed to have also a mouth with fangs claws stained on blood like the big sir homs he had like a crown, a mask covering his face along a tall hat but he looked smaller than Midnight had imagined, yet still showing how dangerous it was.
"All you need…”
He stepped ahead, allowing him to be seen by the demon he still was afraid of, shaking and trembling, the voices inside his head begging to just fly away,but...
"All you need is convince yourself that you can do it”
Her mother's words from those early days made him stay to try and fight, holding the spell book tight, joining the dance and facing the devil despite the fear and loss. That's what a great guardian angel would do, right?
There it was in front of him, the demon causing a terrible mayhem along broken souls being moved by threads like if he was the puppeteer playing with puppets made of flesh and bones on a theater stage. The devil only looked at him, halting his way with his victims still continuing to do the dirty job of making the slaughtered souls list longer. Midnight was expecting an attack at first glance, instead he just received silence, he brushed off the second thoughts.
“S-Stop right there in the name of justice”
Midnight exclaimed trying to hide his nervousness.
"What you're doing is a heavy law violation
If you don't want to end in a prison of shame
You better surrender of your own volition!"
No turning back, he was completely inside the wolf's mouth he stared at the wyvern with a stem look.
The beast on the other hand,didn't respondit only looked at the moth as if it was hypnotized by his light, Midnight couldn't read him with that mask, still he felt that the beast was slightly tense with his appearance.
“A-Are you deaf?
Come on now!
Drop your strings!
We're not tolerating your genocide going on!"
The angel gave accidentally a step ahead, making the devil shook its head and stroke him to the ground, squishing the moth's neck
“A knight made of fluff so brave
came to protect the angels ahead
just like the others!"
The demon finally sang with a raspy but strong voice.
"They attempted but failed...
Poor of them, I pity them!
Will you be the next?”
Midnight pushed the devil out, getting free from its grip, he backed up summoning another sword to use a double sword shield.
“Your life is precious,a guardian, very bold
I was one of those angels you'd once swore in protect”
The moth gave him a confused expression on his face from that statement but giving a closer look he realized that the being possessed dark feathers on its wings even had one adorning its hat, a fallen angel? no, it could not be.
His thoughts were snapped out when the wyvern attempted to strike him again, this time making his swords and claws clash each other.
“Oh, but you are not worthy for this title
How many were torn out from their home after an altered judgement"
The demon grabbed the moth's leg with his tail and sent him flying towards a tall and cloudy tower, crashing into a window inside.
The angel quickly shook the dust at him and looked at his front in time to see the wyvern attempting to crush him with a mace stolen from a guardian. He summoned a moon shield, blocking the attack.
"That was close..." he sighed, getting away while the wyvern hissed at the shield. The beast started to cast fire around the room's building from its breath, making a battle ring between the two.
Midnight felt the heat inside and noticed the shield starting to melt. With that sight his enemy slashed his claws towards him, managing to not only shatter the shield but also burn and hurt one of the moth's six arms to then kick him out the small tower.
The moth fell down eating dirt fast as a ray he hid under the rubble before the devil could see his new wound sting but wasn't the right place to take care of it. Midnight took advantage on this time selled to think
He tried to make a plan for his enemy to take down, looked around only to see the place destroyed, houses taken down and fire and ashes covering all, replacing the safe environment the area once had. The sky dark and stained by the blood from souls long since lost thinking that this blood were once from his mother's companions made his heart drop. Midnight took his gaze away and pressed his head into his hands, thinking.
He wasn't sure on how to start, he had never gotten a complete lesson on how to defeat a fallen angel before even lighting a demon sounded easier now by heaver's effects, this is actually his first mission far home he had never been in one before, adrenaline was rushing his veins with that thought
"A fallen angel... Why is it doing this anyway...?" he muttered and looked down at the spell book he was still holding.
He opened it and searched something that could help
"Swords wind, thunder water please, something stronger..."
The moth desperately passed the pages, reading the titles until finally paused on one certain page "Maybe this could do"
"Come out,come all
Wherever you are
The show doesn't wait,
I'm afraid..."
While the wyvern was searching around for a soul to snatch, a bright light caught his attention in the amount of buildings fallen when suddenly the air grew colder. A snow storm the moth had casted, shutting off the flames around, replacing them with ice. He got out from his hidden place and hit the beast with a hammer directly on its head, casting it away and landing on a frozen statue,breaking it.
Midnight felt slight victory on that move he summoned other two swords for his other unarmed hands and launch himself towards the monster, colliding into its claws with his sharp daggers and see its broken mask, revealing a dark eye resembling the deadly fire from hell "How smart” the beast said softly
The moth squeaked silently and pulled the devils tail when he realized that it was trying to do the same trick from before.
"No, that's not gonna work anymore” he grumbled and with his daggers, attempted to take it as a belt. His plan got run by the demon's puppets which came to help, getting on his way and pulling the weapon away to not hurt their new master, looking at them closely was an experience: Midnight found disgusting and terrifying
From the distraction, the wyvern flew away with the moth giving chase once he had destroyed the soul marionettes, making him feel extremely sick by that act from hurting those who fell towards this monster's claws.
"You will rest in peace soon, I swear!"
He was preparing another attack towards his escaping rival when this flew down towards a family attempting to run from the burning city.
"No,not there, go for me, damn lizard!"
Midnight followed it, obviously the wyvern tried to stop him, preventing him from being able to rescue the souls in distress.
He thought he already lost it when he got to the family, but a terrible surprise he got with a better look at the group, he realized that those were just the wyvern's puppets, their eyes as buttons giving such an unsettling feeling.
"H-How did? You-”
He felt a terrible pain on his back in that instant, not helping himself to scream and drop his weapons, he heard something being thrown away and was kicked out with the marionettes dancing around.
Midnight looked up towards his wings, the wyvern had torn them up with his strings, those wings he waited patiently for them to grow since he was young, it hurt him greatly where he couldn't move anymore. His vision grew blurry as his eyes filled with tears he could feel also the blood covering them and his heart beating faster.
Midnight heard the demon's voice again... laughing at him.
"I think you really need better eyes!
Ha ha, You believed it so well,so fond!
Your own heroism, turning into your own downfall"
It said, mockingly and took the spell book dropped, scanning its hard cover.
“Familiar names, their mistakes”
It tossed the book away,not paying attention to where it landed, and soon it turned to the wings.
"I know this are important
They make you company through the hardest of days
Washing and brushing them is naught but a noble act"
He took the wings and looked at them for a while.
"Their wish was to give them that small treat again, but with them gone..."
From its claws,the beast casted fire burning the wings into ashes, this being blown to the wind forever to be lost.
"It's a horrid curse that I know well!" it growled, looking back at the moth
"Heh, what's an angel without their wings"
Midnight stayed quiet. Not responding to the devil who waa playing with him. His breathing was heavy; he felt the cold ground below him. All he did was tum around and let the ice reach his back in hopes that it could minimize the pain a little.
Seems like he failed, yet he felt like he shouldn't be surprised, he knew the risks and yet he threw himself to the deadly ocean, he should have known better that a clumsy little moth didn't stand a chance against a puppeteer fallen angel who had already took down those who he considered unbeatable.
This was a madness of a choice, even suicidal, he did this without really thinking, not prepared and he guessed it well. If he was gonna be just another soul to write on this wyvern's large list, at least he may be satisfied to be an obstacle to just having tried and not running away cowardly, a guardian her mother would have wished.
His thoughts were interrupted soon from being kicked by the same beast he dared face against it, lifting his throat with a pair of claws while stepping on him.
"Can you hear their cries, their pleas desperate?
Hearts shattered from painful awful betrayal
From living in such unfair land
where justice is just a mere untrue concept”
The wyvern sang behind him while wrapping around the lethal threads on Midnight but the moth barely hear him due of his antennae benting down to even catch a sound
“Focus”
That's what he heard a second later, just when he was ready to surrender, maybe it was his imagination or someone calling.
"I'm not one to tell as a judge
What's good, neither an error, mistake
Souls sorrowful, bleeding, crying
In an endless loop of sins and illnesses”
The wyvern kept going as he slowly started to break Midnight's halo as well.
"Focus, Midnight…”
The moth looked around with just his eyes he didn't see anyone but the soul puppets.
"The eternal crystal spell…”
That spell, he learned it from the judge... but that's a dangerous one.
"Nothing matters, everything lay on entertaining insanity
never call myself a hero or the messiah
I desire this world to get what it owns, perhaps a greedy wish
This land's better of fallen down as shooting stars”
The wyvern tightens up the strings, making Midnight squeak from the pain.
"Focus..."
And he heard again.
Midnight looked down and saw the spell book near his reach with the strength he had grabbed it and passed the pages. Ice covered his surroundings on spikes making the wyvern halt his way when the cold made him shiver slightly.
Yet fastly recovered and pulled Midnight as he was already his marionette, stopping him from reading the page he just stuck his eyes on.
"Feel the pain you all blindly ignore, their eyes bleed through buttons adorned
The curtains rise to play the end of an age
Now, Midnight, the show you will be worth witnessing!!"
"SILENCE!!”
The angel squeaked and kicked at the beast as he froze its arms, which indeed surprised the wyvern, making it step back and go quiet. He had realized the small mistake he made from not keeping an eye on that small book.
A cool breeze formed behind the moth's back, the places they were torn out as he stepped firmly.
He pointed at the wyvern with his ice sword just summoned,a moon symbol at his left eye glowing powerful.
"Heh... seemed I got some fight left,huh?"
Midnight said towards the demon in front of him trying to catch his breath, smirking fearless as this melted the ice
"How admirable as a puppet you'd been perfect
You want more, always trying again
Dare a second round, as your final stand, friend?”
The moth read the page quickly, like a cooking recipe he prepared everything.
"I know my time here is counted hour by hour
but I won't leave without taking you with me
I'm not afraid that the death will rip my core away soon"
The moth spoke while he watched his own reflection through the sword
"As long that no one suffers such horrible fate, I won't turn away"
The wyvern smiled and took off his damaged mask, revealing more of its face, a pair of burning eyes and its sharp teeth that looked like needles.
"A determined guardian I tip my hat towards
Look at you, you're so close to reach the goal I always believed
Midnight, It doesn't have any meaning anymore to be an old close one”
The moth didn't pay much attention to the wyvern’s words, the ice slowly covering his antennae and tails, the pain from the loss starting to be more tolerable.
"I don't care if we met before
or what lies you seek to soften my heart
Your inferno will end and you'll pay the prize!"
The moth exclaimed, stomping the floor making ice cover everything on its way.
"Well, Go ahead...” the wyvern stepped back and raised its wings with all its marionettes coming closer.
"And cut my strings from my finger's grasp
Save this world from the villain that is me
or be another dancer to the stage before everything turns to zero!”
It roared:
“Now, little moth, hear my command
No one can choose what's fair or not!
Rise and FALL, Vesania CALLS”
The wyvern covered himself on an enormous giant orb of fire along the soul puppets, his form morphing to a giant,eyes switching to be lifeless button eyes and its body seeming to have an armor. The being destroying everything hissing and growling fiercely, ready to devour the entire realm into darkness.
Even if the size difference was very easy to tell, making Midnight look like a small, insignificant ant. He didn't tum away,nor showed to be afraid. All he did was look up and grip his sword harder.
The moth spoke:
"We face the end, on heaven's celestial edge
Let this be my sacrifice devil of the sunlight eclipsed"
He jumped across the sky with a cloud ride below him, the ice and snow behind him seeming like new wings.
"What's true justice?
Maybe you're right that it is non-existent
Yet your awful actions break the balance on their own
Let me give my life for everything I dare believed”
The moth dodged the fire attacks towards the giant's core and kept singing.
"Even if my body gets destroyed
Sliced, destroyed,broken
Even if i'm not the pure of heart hero
Not defending the right ones, but doing this for my own selfish sake”
And he sang louder
“This what I look to gain, despite unbearable pain
We shall go down together, this battle shall end
No one deserves live this nightmare, I do not bare
Seven sword's swings and the words
ANOTHER LIFE YOU'LL NEVER HURT OR TAKE AGAIN”
He screamed and a strong roar from the wyvern's part allowed, both flying towards each other with ice and live dancing together.
The sky suddenly lit bright like if a thunder lighting had strike on the clouds, so loud.
The place fading into white both disappearing for the night.
A spell cast that no one had dared to use in years to use, so powerful but dooming. Once everything set clear, a rainbow formed through the skies, a beautiful sight after the storm replacing the dark clouds.
The fight finished, millions of lives lost but also millions of lives saved by that heroic act, his legend was sung.
Let them sleep now, in a crystal prison in the depths of the land's embrace, the angel of judgement mourns, wishing to have stopped the one who broke her world before and twisted what she considered was true justice.
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