Wednesday, 10 September 2025

#140 Riz’s Story Time Part 6 + Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 14

Happy Blog Day Everyone

Chapter 14 is here, with some surprising developments (or not, depending if you've already sussed me out already). I  can actually see the ending from here, though we're maybe four chapters away at the very least. Once it's done though, I may give short Diversions a break till the start of next year (barring any breaks it'll probably be done in November) as I really should be working on Daemon Soul 2.

Of course, there's another story arc ending today...

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




Well, there’s another story arc ended, and yeah, that's certainly one way to end it!

Wasn't as happy with the art on this one but it gets the job done. Also its only now that I look back on it and realise the errors, like forgetting to put the sound effect for the destruction of the planet (a nice pop would have sufficed) and the fact that one half of the planet is actually miscoloured. Never mind.

Now to think on what to do next week!

Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 14

Remember last time when I said that this chapter had to be seperated because of its length? Yeah, it happened again. While the conclusion of this fight is round the corner, I felt like this portion was big enough already. So, the last part (of this fight anyway) will drop in two weeks time. Hope you enjoy this bit though!

Phantom Dawn Chapter Index

Chapter 14

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Chapter 14: Clash at Twilight

     It was the monster who made the first move, charging towards Rose on spindly legs. She braced herself for the impact, crossing her arms and taking the full hit. The strange feeling within her had already activated, allowing her to shrug it off, and with glazed over eyes, she stared at the creature and began to push it back, wanting to take it as far out of the town as she could.
Kurz arrived in time to see this show of strength and could scarcely believe his own eyes. The way her hair had slightly lifted up at it’s ends, as if some sort of power was radiating from her, he became aware of the gulf between them. One of the smaller creatures brushed past his leg as it scuttled by, bringing back to the moment, and he knew that for all his questions, he had to act now.
     “Let’s go, people! Head to the other side of the town!” He commanded. He then started to fight past the little ones, though they let him part through their crowd all too easily. He went to those who, in their attempt to get away from the creatures, made the unwise decision to climb up whatever surface was at hand.
     “Kurz! Where’s Rose!” Neal asked as he got there, out of breath from running as fast as he had been.
     “She’s fighting that thing!” Kurz didn’t even have to gesture, as Neal turned and took sight of the massive multilegged beast. At first he didn’t even spot Rose in front of it, holding one of its legs in place. He squinted and recognised her long red hair, and that she was doing a similar pose to when she held off the other monster before. He didn’t recognise the beast though, having had the displeasure of being chased by many of the fiends that lurked in the wastes. He felt powerless, not being able to help her, but he knew he had to leave it to her. She’d already proven herself once, the town depended on her doing it again.
     “Good luck, Rose,” Neal said, alongside a silent prayer, before he started helping Kurz with getting people to safety.

     Mason heard all the commotion outside, but being locked up, he was absolutely helpless. A monster could come crashing through the wall at any moment, and he would have no escape method. If he was lucky, it would lead to a quick death, but that wasn’t the way his luck tended at the moment, if anything, he’d suffer an agonising end as some organism digested him slowly. He shuddered at the thought of it and hung his head low. Even if by some miracle he wasn’t killed in this monster attack, what would he do then? His future wasn’t amounting to much at the moment as his failure had burnt the last bridge he had with Finch.
     “I’m so screwed…” He wailed, knowing that no one was around to hear him.

     While at first it seemed like Rose and the monster had reached a stalemate, as neither was pushing the other back. Rose’s focus shifted when she heard Cecily call out again. The little monsters had effectively stopped anyone from getting to her, leaving her hanging precariously off the Heaven’s Rod. Mustering some more strength, Rose started taking slow steps forward, and pushed the monster back. It wasn’t a great distance, but it was enough to create an opening, one she exploited by lifting her arms free and running straight at the creature and delivering a mighty punch that seemed to move the creature even more. Then, turning on the spot, Rose dashed towards the child, with a speed that seemed to surpass what she’d shown off before. It took less than a second to get over to where Cecily was, even less time for Rose to take her into her arms.
     “Uhh,” Cecily started to say as she noticed Rose’s eyes. “Are you? Are you okay?” The little girl didn’t know what was going on, how could she.
     Rose said nothing, instead, she eyed Kurz who had just finished helping someone down, when with very little warning, she threw the girl through the air, causing her to collide in Kurz’s arms. The pair looked in shock at each other with their new predicament, but before either could offer any protest, the monster struck back, causing the land underneath Rose to explode as it drove four of its legs into it. Rose was sent hurtling through several buildings, and the monster headed after her. 

     Mason had still been minding his own business when she crashed through the walls, almost causing the whole structure to come crumbling down. Miraculously it held, but only just.
     “Errr, Rose?” Mason called out. He was sure he heard the old man identify her with that name earlier when he was talking to Kurz. There had been other things he could have called her, but he thought it was better to leave them to the poetry he’d been drafting in his head while he’d been idling in the cell. Seeing no immediate response, Mason’s bottom lip trembled as he shouted it this time. “Rose!”
     She bolted up right, her eyes the same as when she displayed her strength against him before, which caused Mason to shudder, as if he’d felt the pain from that encounter all over again. Still, he was relieved to see that she was okay, extremely focused but okay. With a sigh of relief, he rested on the bars, and fell forward with them as they were no longer secured in place. It made an awful noise, and when he looked up in embarrassment, Rose was staring at him 
     “I…uhh…I’ll guess you want me to stay here?” Mason asked. Rose didn’t reply, she just kept looking at him, and as he scrambled to his feet, she moved quicker, appearing next to him in a blink of an eye.
     “Wait!” 
     Without letting say anything else, Rose pushed Mason out of the way as one of the creature's legs tore through the ceiling, landing right where the big guy had been a moment before. This proved too much for the old building, and it finally collapsed, Rose leapt up on to the creature's leg as it did, becoming clear of the debris She then started running across it’s length, heading for the main body.
     Mason coughed and spluttered as he pushed off the fallen timbers that had laid on him. He didn’t know if it was dumb luck that caused him to survive or if Rose had deliberately pushed him to a point where the least amount of things would fall on him, but either way the result was the same. He thanked his lucky stars but got to see the full situation for the first time. He saw the thing that Rose was fighting against, and the sheer size of it made his knees go weak. Gulping, he spared a thought about turning the other way and running. A chorus of voices started chiming off in his head, a mix of everyone that ever looked down on him, and those who scant few who believed in him. He looked around at the destruction that was already abundant.
     “Damn it…” He thought as he ran off.

     Rose had managed to evade all attempts the creature made to get rid of her, and had now made it to the main body, where the creature looked directly at her, its eyes emerging out of its head on stalks, bending around themselves. The creature didn’t know what to make of her, but all the same, it wanted rid of her. The feeling was mutual though, and Rose put all her strength into her fist, intent on ending it all with one blow.. She reared back, then punched down hard into what she presumed was the creature’s forehead. If the hit didn’t kill it, it would have certainly made it retreat. Neither of those things happened, as instead the point where she attacked was stretchy and pliable. Her fist simply went in a little deeper, causing the monster no injury, but in the state Rose was in, she was unable to fully comprehend what had happened.
     For Neal and Kurz who had been watching afar, they both felt dread rising from the pit of their stomachs.
     “Rose! Come back!” Kurz shouted, believing that there was no fight to be hard here. He was ignored, with Rose failing to even glance back at his direction.
     “ROSE!” Neal tried this time. But even when shouting with as much force as he could manage, it simply wasn’t enough.
     “If you two are going to help, then actually help!” Mason roared, surprising both of them. He was carrying a long object, bundled up in cloth. He held it like a javelin, then, with all his might, he threw it towards Rose. “Here!” he shouted at her. “You look like you could use this better than I could!” 
     “What are you doing out here!” Kurz demanded to know, forgetting the situation for a moment. “What was that you’re throwing at her! She’s trying to save all our asses!”
     “Yeah, I know that, which is why I’m doing something to help!”
     As they were arguing, the bundle of cloth sped towards Rose, losing some of the rags covering it as it did, revealing the handle of some kind of weapon. It was ornate to the point of being stylised. The rest of the weapon matched that of a sword, except the blade ever so slightly curved.
     “A sword?” Kurz said back to himself. “Where did you get that from?” 
     “My house. That was Finch’s first ever gift to me. It made sense to me that someone needed it more than I did.” Mason admitted.
     Rose caught the sword with a sign of brilliant reflexes, and immediately wielded it like someone who’d grown up around such weapons. The first thing she did with the bladed weapon was to cut some of the eye stalks off when they neared her again, and to deliver a nasty looking cut to the creature where she was standing. The monster convulsed and let out a horrible shriek. In its mad throes, it was able to shake Rose off it, and she rolled along the floor, ending up in a kneeling position, finding herself standing between the town and the monster once again, but this time, with a new advantage. She stood ready to meet the monster’s next charge…

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Next Chapter (not finished yet!)

A little bit of a cliffhanger there, I know but you'll get the conclusion soon!

That's it for this week, so till next time...

Keep on writing

Peter James Martin

Quick Links





Daemon Soul Awakening: Amazon,

Wednesday, 3 September 2025

#139 Riz’s Story Time Part 5

Happy Blog Day Everyone

A short one this week as I prepare the next chapter of Phantom Dawn (aka the rest of it that got split off from last week's installment). From a certain point of view there's a flaw in play about it, namely that it's a chapter dedicated to one single fight. While I've done this several times, I'm also aware of my short comings with doing this. I'm trying to get better with it, but please bear that in mind.

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




The penultimate Chapter is here (Yes, that means I've thought of a way that ends this in three more panels)!

Gallows mech may seem a little familiar to those with passing knowledge to a certain Japanese multimedia juggernaut (starts with G, ends with M). Ironically it wasn’t meant to when I thought up what was going on but it sorta happened, as these things often do. Other details won't line up of course but tue inspiration is clear.

Will Gallows get his revenge for last week? Will Little Red Riding Bren get to Grandma's for whatever reason she was going in the first place?
Will Riz regain control of the narrative at all?

Find out in the final part next week!

Speaking of...that's it for now!

Till next time...

Keep on writing

Peter James Martin

Quick Links





Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, Books2read

Wednesday, 27 August 2025

#138 Riz’s Story Time Part 4 + Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 13

Happy Blog Day Everyone

As promised, Phantom Dawn returns today! Rose and Co discover what Eros did, and the ramifications it'll have for the town...Wait, was that the ground rumbling? The situation may be more dire than they think!

Before we catch up to that though, we have another multipart story to deal with, over to Riz the narrator for this one!

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




Well, that was unexpected...Can Riz right this little story of his, or are the inmates running the Asylum? Given the characters involved, its likely it's the latter!

Artwork was a bit wonky here, and some definite colouration issues, but it adds to the charm. Was a bit brave in composition (like the behind Red Riding Bren's back shot in panel 2). It may not seem a lot, but moments like this do help me to learn.

Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Memories of a Rose- Chapter 13

We're back to Phantom Dawn now, and its time for Eros meddling to take effect! People may have been celebrating before, but they won't be now...

If it feels like this chapter is shorter, that's because it actually is, as the original form of it would have made it the largest of the chapters so far, hence I split it for the blog. Now, there's a chance it might get edited back together in a hypothetical novella version but we'll just play that by here.

Phantom Dawn Chapter Index

Chapter 13

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Chapter 13: Monsters

     It took only a few minutes for the alarm to be raised about the imminent failure of the Heaven’s Rods. Whatever the man did to the one Cecily saw, happened to all the others, like a virus spreading amongst a host.
Rose was still in the jail, thinking heavily about what threat Finch posed to the town, she’d tried to get more information out of Mason, gently asking him to speak more, but he politely refused, his mood waning. 
Neal and Kurz had moved outside, debating what they’d heard, with the latter still sharing a lot of doubt. The frantic calls of help settled the matter definitively. Kurz’s face was a mix of fear, some self-hatred reserved for himself, and a large dose of anger to aim at Finch, and the culprit behind the sabotage, the man he knew as Eros. That mix of emotions took hold of him, and compelled him to re-enter the jail, rushing past Rose and reaching for Mason, dragging him face to face through the bars.
     “What did he do!” Kurz yelled.
     “Who did what?” Mason shouted back, trying to free himself.
     “Eros! Bloody Eros! It was him wasn’t it! That’s who you said Finch would send to come and get rid of us! I want to know what he did to the Heaven’s Rods!”
     “The Heaven’s Rods? Oh…OH NO!” Mason pulled himself free and tried looking out the little window at the back of the cell. “Well, there’s Finch’s masterplan! You made so much of a problem that Finch is wasting time!”
     “Oi! I’m talking to you! What will happen now!” Kurz demanded, but Neal answered for him.
     “The monsters will come and tear this place apart. That’s why he broke the Heaven’s Rods.”
     “He’s right,” Mason admitted. “He told me he wants the land, but nothing on it afterall.”
     “Then we have to defend the people!” Rose interrupted. She’d been listening to everything that had been said, and knew what the stakes were.
     “Defend the people? We’re not going to be fighting against humans this time! This won’t be like the time you punched him out!” Kurz pointed at Mason who was nodding in agreement. “No, we’ll be facing down the monsters who lurk in the wastes, and the Phantom Dawn is going to make them frenzied. I don’t think you’re ready for that,” Kurz shook his head, as if agreeing with himself.
     Mason rubbed his chin, remembering the force of the blow that Rose delivered to him. He didn’t want to see her hurt, but he had to disagree with Kurz, he thought that Rose could handle herself just fine, as soon as she got used to the idea of monsters that was.
     “Maybe… Maybe she’ll be fine? I mean, she’s got a strong left hook? She’d fare better than you at any rate.”
     “Yes, I do agree with that being the case,” Neal admitted. “Especially since I’ve already seen it happen once before.”
     “What do you mean by that? You told me you encountered her while on your way back,” Kurz remembered asking his grandfather where Rose had come from, and there was no sign of any monster attack in that tale he’d been told.
     Neal looked away for a moment, as if trying to come up with the most reasonable response.
     “I didn’t tell you about it because in part, I wasn't sure what to make of it myself, and also, I didn't want you judging Rose for that one act.”
     “And watching her single-handily beating Mason here earlier wouldn't have done the same thing? That's not information you should keep to yourself!”
     “You really need to calm down, you know…” Mason quipped.
     “I don't want to hear that from you!, it's your fault that this has happened!” Kurz spun around, pointing a finger at the prisoner even more forcibly then before.
    “My fault? Oh right, because I personally went and broke the Heaven’s Rods…”
     “This isn’t helpful, is it?” Rose said, raising her voice above both Kurz and Mason.
     “You're right, Rose. This isn't helpful. What we need to do now is temporarily evacuate people to a safe place while we assess the damage to the Heaven’s Rods,” Neal suggested, taking charge of the situation.
     “Fine…Don't think you're getting off the hook though, Mason! You're still tied to all of this!” Kurz yelled as he stomped away.

     Cecily was reaching up at the Heaven’s Rod. She’d seen grown ups messing with it only a few minutes before, a panic written on their faces that they didn't explain to her. They all told her the same thing, to go back to her home. She didn't want to do that though. She wanted to help. She stretched up on her tippy toes, her hands flailing around where she'd seen the strange looking man working before. Without having much luck, she pushed herself further, and that was when she heard a rumble. This led her to believe that whatever she was doing was having an effect. With renewed vigour, she went at it again, biting her lip as tried all she could. Another rumble struck the area, this time knocking Cecily down. Rubbing her back, she looked out across the plains, and saw that she wasn't the cause of the rumble at all, as something was snaking it's way underground, heading for the town. Cecily didn't need to think twice, she got up and ran, tears streaming down her face as the first of the monsters broke out from the ground. 
     They were small and spider like, with limbs looking like they'd formed out of the rocks. There was drool hanging down from their oversized fangs and they made a hideous sound as they moved. Cecily leapt to her feet and jumped on the Heaven’s Rod, which even in it's inactive state, the monsters gave it a wide berth as they screeched past and into the town like a living carpet. Oddly, they didn't seem destructive in any shape or form, but the people panicked all the same.

     Rose heard the cries and rushed out, quickly followed by Kurz and Neal, leaving a terrified Mason behind. Kurz had already noted her speed from before, but could have sworn that she was now even faster, the gap between her and him widening till it was the length of a street. They found the source of the panic though, as the spider-like monsters muddled around them. Rose spotted Cecily and went to her, but found the child staring into the wastes, where the cracks were getting bigger. Had anyone else been there, she might have asked what it was, but she didn't have to in the end, as a much larger creature burst through. It resembled the smaller ones but everything seemed magnified with it. The little ones took one look at their larger sibling, and pushed further into the town, desperate to get away from it.

     The large monster let out a screech and started to advance, while Rose hugged Cecily tight, determined to protect what she could….

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That's all for this week!

Till next time,

Keep on writing.

Peter James Martin

Quick Links 

Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read

Wednesday, 20 August 2025

#137 Riz’s Story Time Part 3

Happy Blog Day Everyone

Again, a short entry but I do have a good excuse this time instead of running out of hours in a day.

That excuse?

I'm on holiday. No where fancy of course but time off is time off. Doubly so after the amount of stressing and self-hatred I've subjected myself to over the course of the year so far in trying to get Daemon Soul 2 finished in a timely manner. So, a chance to clear my head will be much needed.

Not to worry though as Phantom Dawn will return next week as the chapter is shaping up rather nicely.

For now though, let's continue with Riz’s little story.. 

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz



Yeah, looks like Brennan isn't taking it well that Gallows is part of the story. Wonder why?

I think I've got things locked in place with how this will all turn out, but there's still chance things may turn out different. Afterall, these characters are very unpredictable in their own ways. As to what Brennan is going to do here? Well, you'll see next week. Not sure Gallows will be happy with it though!

That's all for this week, Rose will be back next week for absolute certain, so look forward to that!

Till then...

Keep on writing.

Peter James Martin

Quick Links





Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read

Wednesday, 13 August 2025

#136 Riz’s Story Time Part 2

Happy Blog Day Everyone

Let's get the bad news out of the way shall we. There will be no new Phantom Dawn this week. I tried the best I could to get the chapter ready, but with behind the scenes stuff, something had to give this week, and that was Phantom Dawn sadly. Now, this will mean very light blog posts for this week and next (as I'm on holiday!) but Phantom Dawn will return the week after that. I just ask for your patience just that little bit longer.

With that said, over to the duo!

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz


Here's the 2nd part of Riz’s story, and he's introduced the villain of the piece...Gallows! Though he's looking a little more wolfy then when we last saw him two years ago! Fun time ahead for little red Brennan I'm sure!

This is looking like a 6 parter of sorts (don't expect a perfect rendition of red riding hood of course!) So next week should be a half way point? These things though often get out of hand quick....

That's it for this week.

Another short one next week while I'm on holiday, but the week after, Rose will be back!

Till next time...

Keep on writing

Peter James Martin

Quick Links

Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Volume 1

Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Fade to Noir

Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Hubble Bubble

Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Ominous Orbs

Daemon Soul Awakening - Amazon, Books2read

Wednesday, 6 August 2025

#135 Riz’s Story Time Part 1

Happy Blog Day Everyone!

As is the pattern, it'll be a short post today while I get things done behind the scenes (like next weeks Phantom Dawn Chapter and the edits of Daemon Soul 2), but it does mark the start of another multipart Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz adventure (or should that be misadventure?).

I'll talk more about it below, but as a general update, things are holding steady at the moment. Summer holidays means kids off which then means I have generally less time to myself to work. Still, the rewrite of Daemon Soul 2 Chapter 2 is almost complete, meshing with what I'd planned previously and the new content. In contrast, Chapter 3 should port over with no problems other than a tidy up. Same with Chapter 4 when I think about it,  chapters 5 & 6 though? They'll prove harder. Had hoped to start planning for book 3 in the later part of this year but I don't think it'll happen somehow! 

Anyway, over to Brennan and Riz for their shenanigans...

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




Yup, doing another multipart story. Unlike the last little arc (#130-132) at least, this one is being planned!

It's going to be 4 or 5 parts I think, definitely leaning towards 5 with what I want to do. Riz is really going to show what a unreliable narrator is!

Can't make my mind up on the expression on Brennan’s face in panel 2. He's supposed to be questioning Riz’s assertion but it looks a bit weird...

Still onwards and upwards.

That's all for this week,

Next time, we're back with Rose and company, as they have to deal with a few, monstrous, things.

Till then,

Keep on writing!

Peter James Martin

Quick Links





Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read.

Wednesday, 30 July 2025

#134 That Was Rude + Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 12

Happy Blog Day Everyone

Phantom Dawn continues today with Chapter 12, and it certainly looks like things are coming to a head with this tale.

The editing work continues and its slow. What I thought was a simple find + replace job had turned to a completely new Chapter almost. The ending will still be the same but how I get there...yeah, a lot more effort than I realised. At least the next few should be a simple task of word alteration here and there...till I have to create another new chapter. Fun and games here!

Away from that though, let's check in with Brennan and Riz...

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




Now that's what I call a close encounter! Wonder what Riz did to upset them, probably wouldn't be a short list...

Another experimental issue, and editing aside (one day I'll take a straight photograph) I don't think it turned out too bad.

Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 12

We're in the final arc of the Novella now. I've been going backwards and forwards about where the end should be. Certainly I can add a lot more on this first part but I'm wary of it overstaying it's welcome.

I think my best bet is to just stick with my plans to finish this one soon, and then revisit things if I choose to self publish it later. Till then though, I'll continue as I have.

Phantom Dawn Chapter Index













Chapter 12


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Chapter 12: Tension

     Rose was still feeling a bit bewildered over how she felt. The town was up in arms, feeling like they had won a great victory over Finch. She made her way through the jubilant crowd, and located Neal. People were coming up to him and shaking his hand, acting as if he had some part to play in the proceedings. The folk were listening to him as he made it clear that this was all Kurz’s doing, and didn’t answer the question of if he agreed with it or not.
     “Excuse me,” Rose said, having to push her way through the crowd. Neal saw her at this point, and made his way to her.
     “Neal, please, I need to talk to you,” Rose pleaded, wanting to find someone who would listen to her.
     “Let’s go back inside, this is not the place for any sort of conversation,” Neal replied and led her back inside the building, though the noise from outside was still coming through the walls.
     “What’s wrong?” He asked as he took a seat at the table, gesturing to Rose to sit opposite, like they had done before.
     “I need to find where they took Mason. He was talking about something that Finch was planning, something he wanted to avoid.”
     “Something Mason wanted to avoid?” Unlike when Kurz said it earlier, Neal sounded more curious than accusatory.
     “He didn’t go into details, but he made it sound like he was attacking you to try and avoid whatever it was that Finch was planning. I can’t explain it, but I think he was being honest with it,” Rose really didn’t know how to explain it, there was a feeling deep within her that confirmed it.
     “Mason had always been an odd one, he had all of Finch’s armoury at his disposal, but never did anything with it. He preferred intimidation methods, only resorting to fighting when it was either a fight he knew he could win or if there was no other way. I knew my activities would have been causing Mason, and by extension, Finch a headache. I expected a retaliation like today, and had been expecting it for several months now. I was beginning to believe Mason was letting it slide, and maybe he was till Finch got involved."
     “I tried talking to Kurz about this, but he wouldn’t listen to me. I think we need to know more about what Mason meant,” Rose explained, and Neal nodded along, listening intently.
     “I know where they would have taken him,” he said after a moment. “There’s an old jail around here. It hadn’t been used since Finch took over, as his men kept the ‘peace’. We’ll go and have a chat with Mason.” 
     The pair exited the building and Neal led Rose through the streets which looked more alive than ever. Rose looked at the faces of those she passed, and those of the people still in the ramshackle buildings looking out. She understood that they must have felt a great relief in what had happened, but it made her feel uneasy with everything that had happened to them till this point, the atmosphere of fear that Finch had instilled in order to get what he wanted. She wasn’t blind to the fact that Mason had been his enforcer, that was the pretense when she beat him up herself. Still, there was a pull on her consciousness, telling her that he needed to be listened to, and that as happy as people were currently, the fight was not over yet.
     Rose had been so lost in her thoughts that she almost bumped into Neal when he stopped at their destination.
     “Are you really sure about this?” He asked her, thinking that absent mindedness was linked to who they were about to question.
     “Yes, I think what Mason knows is important for everyone in this town, and it needs to be heard,” Rose replied.
     “Let’s go in then, I don’t expect any issue with them letting us see him. They’ll be more surprised than anything else.” 

     Inside, the jail already gave off a different tone than the other buildings. While most others had been put together out of wood, or what other materials were close at hand. This place was built with stone, using the foundations of whatever had been there previously in better times. This lent the jail a sense of strength, that no matter who was inside it, they weren’t escaping its confines. There wasn’t a lot of space though, there was a desk where a guard was clearly supposed to be sitting, and then there were two cells separated off from each other. Mason sat with his head hung low, with barely any free space between him and the bars.. He didn’t say anything as Neal and Rose approached the cell.
     “Is there no one else here? I know it’s been a while since the town had anything resembling a guard, but I assumed the person who brought you in here would have stuck around,” Neal said, taking great care to speak as neutral as possible.
     “No, I’m the only idiot in here,” Mason reluctantly said, keeping his head down low. “The people who dragged me here locked me in and then left just as quickly. I think they said about someone coming back later, but whatever, there might not even be a later.”
     “That’s what I want to talk to you about,” Rose said softly. On hearing her voice, Mason’s head shot up, making it look like he was about to give himself whiplash.
     “Y-you came to see me?” he stammered. “Why?”
     “Because I want to know what you know. You were telling me something before they came and took you away. What was it? What’s the danger you know about?” Rose asked, taking a step forward to the cell. Neal went to stop her but she waved his concerns away.
“I will listen,” she added.
     Mason stood up, making it clear about the height difference between the pair.
     “I could just grab you and try to bargain my way out of this,” Mason suggested, though when he spoke, he didn’t look directly at her.
     “I don’t think you would. Not least because of what happened before.”
     “Hah, you’re right…I’ve got nothing to defend myself with there,” Mason chuckled.
     “Will you tell me then? Maybe together we can prevent whatever Finch is planning.”
     “Are you seriously going to believe what he’s got to say?” Kurz said loudly, entering the jail. “Folks told me they saw you heading this way, didn’t believe it was to talk to this piece of trash.” 
     “Kurz, I brought Rose here because she believes that Mason has something important to say. Maybe we should close our mouths and open our ears for it,” Neal suggested, but got rebuked from Kurz for his trouble.
     “He’s a snake that works for an even bigger snake! You’d be a fool to believe in anything he’s got to say! He’d sell out his parents if it would save his life!” Kurz gestured in Mason’s direction as he argued with his grandfather.
     “Would have to know who they were to do that,” Mason said to himself, his voice quiet, almost hiding what he wanted. He caught Rose looking at him though, and he realised that she’d most definitely heard it. “Ah, it doesn't matter anyway.”
     “If people are in danger, please tell us what you know,” Rose repeated, speaking over Kurz.
     “He’s going to lie to you! He’s just another thug who loves to make other people feel small so that they feel big! He doesn’t care about what happens to us, or what we’ve been through! How could he! None of that happened to him!” Kurz shouted, incensed at the very thought of listening to something he had to say.
     “I’ve not been through your experiences,” Rose said. “Does that mean I don’t care?” she asked, turning to look at Kurz. “I know I’ve not been here long, barely a few days for all that my memories tell me. Yet, I care about the people I’ve met so far. Your grandfather, Mason, and even you, Kurz. I can’t explain it fully, perhaps I’ll never be able to, but it is how I feel. It’s because of this, I don’t want anything to happen to the people in this town. Mason here knows something and I intend to find out what it is, and if it’s within my power, put a stop to it.” 
     Faced with her sudden outburst, Kurz didn’t have a lot to say. Mason, on the other hand, was taken aback by her declaration. He steaded himself, wiping away the tears that were forming at the corner of his eyes, then cleared his throat.
     “I attacked you to try and get you all to leave. If I’d done that, then I thought maybe Finch would go back on his plans,” he explained.
     “What plans?” Neal questioned.
     “Finch no longer wants this town, but he wants the land it sits on. The people are also collateral to this.”
     “Wait, you mean he doesn’t want the buildings or the people?” Rose said, tilting her head slightly in confusion.
     “No, he wants them gone completely. He wants to raze the entire town to the ground so he can build something new, and fill it with those he can keep on a short leash,” Mason looked away again. He didn’t know why, but a deep sense of shame fell on him.
     “How?” Rose reached through the bars and placed a hand on Mason’s arm. “How would he do something like that?”
     “Would it be with an army? A hundred or so men?” Neal further asked.
     “As if you’re both believing this. He only wants to pass the blame on so we let him go! Grandad, did you forget everything that his guy has done?” Kurz interrupted once more. “He’s never told the truth in his life.”
     “He has,” Rose corrected him.
     “Oh? When?”
     “Right now, for starters. This is the danger that we need to prevent.”
     “And how do you know that he’s telling the truth?” 
     “I just do. Kurz, I know you don’t want to believe in him. I can’t begin to imagine what has happened with the pair of you, but please believe me.”
     “I…” Kurz lost the words he was going to say, instead he cursed himself and walked off so that he stood next to Neal. “...Fine, if you want to hear it, let him speak.” 
     “Thank you Kurz,” Rose smiled at him, and Kurz did his best to make it look like it didn’t bother him.
     Clearing his throat again, bringing the attention back to him, Mason continued.
     “No, he won’t use soldiers for this job, not if he doesn’t have to. He’ll probably assign the job to his number one man, and let him handle it.”
     “And who is that?” Rose pressed him to continue.
     Mason bit his lip, and anxiously looked out of the window, fearful that he was going to see something there.
     “A man called Eros. Though, I never thought of him as much of a man, but a monster…He was the guy Finch trotted out if he wanted to put the fear of god in you.” 
     “Eros…” Kurz muttered, spitting at the name, what he said next surprised everyone. “Where can I find him?” 
     “You won’t have to look hard, he’ll probably be here already. Wait, you want to take him on? Did you get a big head from taking me out or summit?” Mason let out a little laugh. “This guy, he’s a professional, he doesn’t talk, he just straight up kills you if that’s what he wants to do!”
     “Do you have any idea on what this Eros will do?” Rose spoke up again. “If we act now, we can stop him.”
     “No idea on that, though, Eros often travels light and has a knack for making use of what’s around him to do the job. If I had to bet, I’d say he was already here…”

     The little girl known as Cecily was merrily bouncing a ball along. She was happy because all of the adults around her were happy. She didn’t know the reason, that didn’t matter to her. What caught her attention was the strangely dressed man standing next to the Heaven’s Rod. He ran a hand over it, as if looking for something on its surface. Without a care in the world, she ran up to him, curious as to what he was doing.
     “Excuse me mista! What ya doing?” she asked innocently.
     The stranger cast strange eyes over her, she’d never seen ones that looked like his before, the pupil being split into three circles.
     “What am I doing? Heh, straight to the point aren’t ya?” the man laughed, turning back to the Heaven’s Rod. “What I’m doing is fixing someone else’s problem. Which I do a lot of. Because people like making mistakes.” He smiled, though the girl was unnerved by the fact that his teeth were pointed. “Ah! Here we go.” The man touched something, and a slot opened up. He then turned his back on Cecily, obscuring her view, but there was a change in the Heaven’s Rod, The green lines that criss-crossed its surface started to flicker, and the structure wobbled.
     “What did you do?” A hint of fear entered the child’s voice, her mother had made it extremely clear how important the Heaven’s Rods were, and why no one should play with them.
     The man didn’t say anything, he just started walking away, leaving Cecily to gaze back at the Heaven’s Rod…

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Yup, he's definitely not doing anything good there.

Well, that's all for this week,

Till next time...

Keep on writing

Peter James Martin

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