Wednesday, 1 October 2025

#143 Digging for Trouble

Happy Blog Day Everyone

It's an in-between installment today but sadly, I've got an announcement to make that I wish I didn't have to.

I've learned from the publisher of Daemon Soul that they are closing their doors, and this Daemon Soul is no longer available for sale. It'd only been out there in the wild for six months but I'd be lying if I said it sold well. As easy as it would be for me to pin the blame on market forces, the burden falls on me for not doing enough to promote it, and then there was the quality of writing...Yeah, the publisher did the best they could.

On the plus side, they transferred me all the rights back and formatted documents so I can try again, but the question is, would anyone even want to? Ironic as I did decide on attempting self publishing with this series before but editing costs made it a little out of reach for me.

So, yeah Daemon Soul now joins the Brennan and Riz books in limbo until I can finally sort myself out enough to sort them out. A tall order indeed.

I'll still write number 2 though as I need something to work on but I've also been looking at the two spin offs I've been tinkering with (Avalon Tales and Phantom Dawn, which is obliviously being serialised here) and seeing if a shift to first person will help them as they lack the kind of villain focused scenes I used in Daemon Soul itself.

Basically, watch this space.

Let's move onto something happier shall we?

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




...Well, Brennan brought this on himself this time. Not often you can say that! Trying a different approach with this one (not the first time I've done physical comedy in the strip but Brennan’s reaction is more rooted in the traditional comic strips ala peanuts or Garfield) and it worked quite well. The script underwent some minor revisions and isn't the best it could have been, but more importantly, I don't hate the artwork. I'll take that as a win.

That's all for this week, and I wish I had more good news but it is what it is.

I'll be back next time with more Phantom Dawn, but till then...

Keep on writing.

Peter James Martin

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Wednesday, 24 September 2025

#142 Not Rizs Favourite Thing + Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 15

Happy Blog Day Everyone

Chapter 15 of Phantom Dawn is here, concluding Rose's current fight, but how lomg will she get to rest? Better read on to find out.

Before that though, Riz is about to get an unexpected (and unwanted) surprise...

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




As unbiased as I can be (that is to say, I'm not unbiased at all) the third panel here is my favourite that I've drawn in a while. The 2nd panel though, I tried a few things that didn't work as I wanted. That being said, its a fun look at Riz worst time of the week!

Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 15

The final part of Rose's defence is here, following Mason's shock intervention last time. Was that enough to tip the scales? Better read on to find out!

Phantom Dawn Chapter Index
















Chapter 15

----------
Chapter 15: A Moment to Breath

     The monster came at her, its legs seemed to be pounding the ground with even more force than it had been doing. All the dust that was being thrown in the air reflected the dying rays of sunlight that had managed to break through the dominating cloud cover. Rose held her ground, preparing a swing, probably the only one she would get in given the pure force beating down on her. She knew she would have to make this count, and she intended to do that.
     Both Kurz and Mason wanted to pull their gazes away, but found they couldn’t, they eyes locked on the scene, trepidation rolling off them as sweat. Neither said a word, but their faces betrayed that intent, showing the fear. They also knew that Rose was the only hope the town would have, as neither of them were in the same league as this monster, and there was bound to be others lurking out there. Evacuating the whole town was a timely affair, something they didn’t have a lot of.
     Neal made his way to them just as the monster was unsettlingly close to hitting Rose.
     “Rose…” Was all he managed to muster, as his will to say anything else had left him as it had them.

     With every micro second that passed, the monster and Rose got closer and closer to their inevitable clash, yet Rose never wavered, there was no sign that she was going to flee. The contact point between the two arrived and Rose leapt into action, swinging her sword and using all the momentum that the monster had against it. To observers, there was only a sound of steel against flesh, and then nothing as the monster slowed down, and Rose, whilst in a different position now, looking like she had just landed back on her feet, was still standing.
     There was abated breath to see what the outcome was, as everyone tried to work out what exactly had happened.
     “Did she do it?” Mason whispered, being the first to speak again.
     “I…” Kurz went to speak, but movement from the monster caught their attention, bringing the focus back to it as it let out a chilling howl, one that made it quite clear how much pain it was in.
     To those looking, the reason for the howl became increasingly obvious as a large wound had opened up on its face with several of its eye stalks now missing. The creature started to thrash around, till it turned around fully, and saw Rose, pointing the now bloody blade at it. She didn’t say a word, not that she needed to, as the monster seemed to get the point, and ran, jumping over the girl who had done the damage. It didn’t take long for the creature to vanish on the horizon. With the large one now having left, the little ones also scattered away from the scene, with some digging their way underground once more. Then, less than ten minutes after it had all ended, a sense of peace settled over the town, indicating that the danger had passed, for now.

     The townsfolk had all gathered from their hiding places, and word quickly spread out amongst them over what had fully transpired. The awe which people had initially placed on Rose after how she had dealt with Mason had now been replaced with some fear. That she was strong they had accepted without much question, his skills being needed to deal with the very human threat they were up against then. Now, they had seen her fight against the monsters with seemingly equal or even superior strength, and they were unnerved in the extreme. Low mumblings about her true origins made their way to Kurz’s ears, and he kind of agreed with them, just like when he’d learned about her earlier feat. Humans could not stand against the beasts the way she had, not without either serious armour and equipment, even the famous trappers had to rely on cunning and traps.
     
     Mason had equally conflicting thoughts, but at the same time, things actually made a little sense to him, the way she’d manhandled him before, that strength. He’d called her an angel to be poetic, but he started to wonder if that was really the case. He knew he should have been scared, yet she was also the first person in a very long time to actually show him any warmth or concern. Monsters weren’t capable of that, he was positive. He had a different problem though, as many had also realised he wasn’t where he should have been, and while Rose was clearly the topic of choice, there were threats being made against him as well, trying to link him with the very monster they had just survived. If he went to Rose now, to check on if she was okay, he knew it would drag her into his own misdeeds. Still, he couldn’t leave her alone at a time like this. He went to step towards her, but he was almost knocked off his feet as something ran past him. Mason never saw what it was till the blur was in front of him. The shape only became clearer the more it got closer to Rose, that of a little girl. 
     “Misssss!” the little girl screamed out.
     Rose was still staring into space, holding the sword as though it was the most natural thing in the world to her. The girl ran straight into her, with a force that would have bowled most over.
     Looking down at the girl sobbing on her legs, Rose’s empty eyes showed no memory of who the girl was.
     “I was so scared!” the little girl continued, never once glancing up.
     “Cecily…” The name escaped Rose’s lips as she slowly returned to normal, the feeling that had overtaken her retreating to whence it came. It was at this point that the little girl did look up, and saw those friendly eyes again. While the adults around her had been wary, it didn’t matter to Cecily, she knew a hero when she saw one. Rose knelt down beside her, and hugged her tight.
     “I’m so glad you’re safe,” Rose said happily.

     Looking at the touching scene, Mason noted the reactions of the other onlookers now that the girl had effectively shattered the tension. Some, seeing the child running freely towards Rose, embracing her without fear, allowed their views to soften. Others still held the contempt in their eyes, but begrudgingly accepted that their lives had been saved, and it wasn’t the time nor the place to take things any further. Mason noted the couple of others who had chosen that moment to walk away, their disgust palpable. He didn’t want to take a gamble that their own views of him had changed so turned to walk away, not knowing where he was going to go.
     “Oi! Mister!” The same little girl who had ran to Rose, was now running straight at him, with a speed that he didn’t think was possible from one so small.
     “Hey! Wait, you’re going to hit me!” Mason yelled at her, but she didn’t listen, and like a wrecking ball, jumped into him, causing him to lose balance, falling over backwards.
     “Good grief, kid! What are your parents feeding you!” He croaked out.
     “Soup and love!” Cecily replied. “Miss said I had to keep you from sneaking away!”
     “Miss?” It took an embarrassing amount of time before Mason realised who she meant, and sure enough, by the time he cottoned on, Rose was walking towards him.

     Kurz was also watching the scene, but his own emotions were more mixed now then they were when Rose’s strength became apparent. He didn’t know what she was, that calm exterior she had presented with, contrasted sharply with the prowess she seemed to possess. He didn’t know if he should approach her or not, and ultimately, he declined to go to her, wanting to keep his distance, even if just for now. What this event did spark in him though, was the curiosity to learn more about her. Was this the extent of her powers, and what was she really. The way she was acting with Mason was also a cause for concern, as she’d been quick to befriend someone who was undefendable in Kurz’s opinion.

     Mason was still standing awe struck when Rose approached him, he saw she was about to speak, and started his own speech, pre-empting her:
     “My lady, I don’t deserve this!” He knelt down, and bowed his head before her.
Rose was taken aback by the outburst, but undaunted in saying what she wanted to say.
     “Thank you,” She presented the handle of the blade back to Mason, gesturing to him to take it off her. “I wouldn’t have been able to defend everyone without your help.” 
     “My…My help?” Mason stuttered. “I…I don’t know what to say to that.” He was still declining to look her in the face, afraid to see if she held the same judgment in her eyes that the rest of the town seemed to have, despite her kind words.
     “You don’t know what to say?” Rose repeated what he said, as it clearly made no sense to her. “Sometimes, if you don’t know what to say, just smile. It’s what someone once told me, I think…” Rose stated, seemingly confused by her own statement.
     “You think?”
     “It’s strange…Holding a weapon like this one,” Rose lifted the sword up, looking at her reflection in the blade. “And it feels like the most natural thing in the world. My hands feel comfortable holding something like this, even when I know that it’s only designed to kill. With that feeling, there’s other memories in there, fragments of conversations. I wouldn’t have discovered that, if you hadn’t lent me this. I doubt I would have been able to fend that creature off if I’m honest.”
     “If that’s the case, then please keep it. Consider it the first part of my penance.” 
     “Penance? What do you mean by that?”
     “It means that I want to atone for everything I did while working under Finch. In fact, the only person I want to be working under now, is you.” 

     While not everyone could hear the conversation, those that could, almost fell over in disbelief at this point. This included Kurz, who finally acted, walking over to them in a maddened rage.
     “What is going on here! We’ve just been attacked by monsters because someone, Finch sent, the Finch you work for, decided to wreck the town’s protection system. Then, you think it’s a good time to try and throw yourself on her feet? We are in this mess because of you!” Kurz yelled, he felt that his anger was justified.
     “I don’t work for Finch now! My contact with him was ripped up the second he sent Eros in! I failed so I became useless to him. Maybe I want to atone though? Ever think of that! My life literally changed because of her, heck, everyone’s lives have changed because of her when you think about it! Mainly because we’re all still alive right now and not some monsters snack!” Mason’s big and loud rant caught the ears of more people, with some giving approving nods, but refusing to join in the argument.
     Kurz bit his tongue at first, Rose was the sole reason any of them were alive as they certainly couldn’t have stood against that creature themselves, not as they were, even mustering a full evacuation had proven to have taken too long. He was still angry though, angry at the position they’d found themselves in, and at Mason for not bearing enough guilt for everything that had happened in the town over the years. He found Mason’s need to atone bitter in his mouth, it had only been getting caught out first by Rose, and then by Kurz himself that had led to this change of heart. Just when he had finally found the words to say, Rose interrupted the pair.
     “Is now the time for fighting like this? The danger is still out there,” Rose cast a look back into the wastes, unsure if the the paranoid feeling she was experiencing was because of the Phantom Dawn glaring menacingly down on all of them, or if something else unseen was spying on them, waiting for it’s own chance to strike.
     “She’s right, all this talk can wait till after we get what little rest we can, and organise a safe space for people,” Mason said. “Not that anyone is going to listen to me, but I bet you can get them to see sense, Rose.” Mason turned to her just as she started to waver a little, her eyelids getting heavier and heavier. “Rose?” 
     She took one step forward, the sword falling from her hand, and then collapsed, to the shock of everyone watching…

----------

Next Chapter (not finished yet!)

I do apologise for the abrupt ending there, but as has often been the case lately, the chapter still had more to say but it was alresdy getting more lengthy then what I'd like for a story like this. Editing this one is going to be a pain for sure.

That's all for this week, hope everyone takes care.

Till next time...

Keep on writing.

Peter James Martin

Quick Links





Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read

Wednesday, 17 September 2025

#141 Ah Meetings

Happy Blog Day Everyone

A short and sweet post for today, as these ones which end up sandwiched between two Phantom Dawn chapters end up being!

In other news, I've started slowly going back to Daemon Soul 2, nearing the end of the 2nd chapter after an onslaught of changes which I think I've added to the word count. Joy. At least from looking ahead, chapter 3 is more straight forward. I've also been casting my mind towards future plot points abd have settled upon certain things that I need to include during this draft. Why do it now? Because it'll be easier to make it work here knowing what's actually going on abd where word limit is only a *minor* concern, instead of during the last edit pass over where the word limit is the be all end all.

Can't say much about this plot point at the moment over than it involves Serena and her past. It'll also tie in with another plot line featuring her. Cypher may be the main character but Serena has got her fair share of things to do.

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




Don't you just love meetings? I'm not sure Riz does though! This one turned out alright I think, a rarity for me these days! Not too much to say about this one, I think it can stand on its own quite well.

That's it for this week, got to get cracking on Phantom Dawn Chapter 15, so till next time...

Keep on writing,

Peter James Martin

Quick Links





Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read

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…

----------


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….

----------


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

----------
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…

----------


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

Quick Links





Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read

Wednesday, 23 July 2025

#133 Might Need A Rethink

Happy Blog Day Everyone

Well, I did it. I finally flipping did it. The first draft of Daemon Soul 2 has been completed in all its unreadable glory!

It has taken a long time to get to this point, and as stated for the past few weeks, I've got a lot of notes to work through now (already started on that, with some minor...and some bigger changes) and to avoid any past mistakes, I'm not going to put any time scale on when the edits will be finished. Obviously I'd like it done faster, as that then frees me up for other stories, and the inevitable book 3, but if it takes me till December, then thats that.

I'll try to post another except soon, once I find a part that won't spoil things for the few of you that are looking forward to this.

My approach to editing this time round has been to create a new document, a version 2, and then copy and paste the chapters, one by one, doing edits and moving on. This'll give me two complete manuscripts, albeit one thats an easier read than the other. I'm still not sold on the idea that some of my changes will make for a better story so this way I get to have my cake and eat it.

Enough of that though, let's move on to our favourite duo.

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz


Not my best work this week I'm afraid. It was a toss up for the punch line, being a case of "they hear you, they'll send the lawyers" and then the option I went with. Had fun with the critters though but, I won't be returning to this idea in a hurry.

That's all for this week!

Join me next week for another chapter of Phantom Dawn, as we head straight to Finch’s sinister plan.

Till then,

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, 16 July 2025

#132 That Tracks Too + Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 11

Happy Blog Day Everyone

Chapter 11 of Phantom Dawn is the order of the day here. I think we're slowly reaching the top of this part of the story, and I can already tell that editing this and straightening it all out is going to be a bugger, but that tends to be the case when doing a story like this. My hats off to those who regularly do this on sites like Wattpad, and have it be consistent.

I'm down to a couple of paragraphs now for Daemon Soul 2, and rather than being hard to write, it's finding the time this past week as the end of the school year is all but a few days away. If Daemon Soul 3 takes this long to write than I've definitely got problems.

Before we discuss more Phantom Dawn, let's check back into the third part of an unplanned trilogy with the Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz.

Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz



Yeah, I continued the story thread on, and I ran headlong with the Looney Tunes references this time, along with a Worms Armageddon reference for good measure. I'm a little burned out now for references so it'll be back to original Riz hijinks next week...unless I get fixated on watching old Looney Tunes cartoons but I may save those ideas for a rainy day.

Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn- Memories of a Rose Chapter 11

Here's the end of the fight and it shouldn't be too much of a surprise to those familiar with the comic version. What is different is everything that happens afterwards (with one exception with the appearance of one character, though they haven't killed anyone yet...). 

Let's read on...

Phantom Dawn Chapter Index












Chapter 11





----------

Chapter 11: Victory At What Cost

     “Don’t look down on me!” Mason was becoming more increasingly erratic. Almost as if every option that had once been open to him, had been peeled away from him. The speed he bore down on Kurz was almost superhuman for the bulk that Mason carried with him, but his opponent stood steely eyed, to the point it seemed he was daring him to act.
     Mason swung in with his right fist, putting it all into the one punch, lying to himself that’s all it would take. 
     Kurz had been waiting for this, he was familiar with Mason’s fighting style having been subject to it multiple times already. He quickly threw the loop of rope around the brute’s right hand before it could connect and then ducked under the punch, pulling the rope as he did. This caught Mason off balance, turning his weight against him, and caused him to crash into the ground.
     “Guess the first round is mine. This isn’t going as you thought, is it?” Kurz said mockingly, as he put some more space between himself and Mason, almost goading him into charging again.
     “Stop. Resisting!” Mason snarled, wiping the dirt from his mouth.
     “Make me. You’ve been strutting around these parts for too long, thinking you and Finch own this place, along with everyone in it! How’s the dirt taste? That’s where you belong!” 
     Mason got back to his feet, and realised with a smile that Kurz’s rope was still attached to his arm.
     “Not so bright are you! You’re making it easy to do this!” Mason pulled on the rope, intending to drag Kurz into his waiting clutches.
     This is what Kurz wanted him to do, again, showing his familiarity with how Mason had fought before. Leaping into the air, once more, he let Mason’s strength work against him, as he added to Kurz’s forward momentum, and his foot connected with Mason’s face. The impact caused Mason to let go of the rope as he staggered backwards, a decisive hit.
     “You’re going to pay for that!” Mason screamed out in rage.
     “I’ve heard that one before, and I’m still waiting,” Kurz replied idly as he turned his attention to his next move. While he could have humiliated him all day, Kurz wanted to end this, and he knew just the trick to achieve that, and to prove why he should have never been underestimated. He flexed the rope a few more times, while getting it into the desired pattern he needed. To a foe who knew it was coming, it wouldn’t work, being easily countered. He was banking on Mason being too angry to notice an obvious trap, and to his credit, he was correct.
     “I’m going to use that rope to hang you with!” Mason charged again, his hands reaching out for Kurz, wanting to break something, or perhaps even everything.
Breath, and slow down. You’re in no trouble here, Kurz told himself. While before, he had waited to the last moment and reacted coolly, this time, his movements had to be perfect, otherwise Mason would have got his hands on him, and that would be that. There was now only seconds to when Mason got a grip of him, a singular second, a microsecond even. Kurz moved his hands quickly, snaking the rope around Mason’s trunk-like arms and back out again.
     “Got you!” Mason laughed, as he put his hands on Kurz’s shoulders. “I’m going to squeeze the fight right out of you.
     “Oh? How can you do that when you can’t move your arms?” Kurz asked in response, acting unfazed by his predicament.
     “What are you talking about? Just watch me move my arms now!” Mason’s smirk grew so it stretched ear to ear. Without realising the danger he faced, Mason went to follow through with his threat, and that was when Kurz let out a breath, and put his own plan into action.
     Kurz’s movements were so quick that most of the onlookers only saw the end result, and not anything leading up to it. Rose saw everything, and she was in awe over it.
     Kurz weaved the rope smoothly in between Mason’s arms, creating a series of loops. In the space of a second, he’d pulled it tight and the deed was done, Mason’s arms were bound together.
     “Wha-What?” Mason stammered as he fell forward, his momentum causing him to fall over. He tried to get up, using only his legs, but Kurz had already taken the liberty of doing the same manoeuvre to them as well, completely immobilising him.
     “This fight is over,” Kurz announced, causing a cheer to erupt from everyone watching. “Thank your lucky stars I didn’t do worse to you considering everything you and your boss have done to people across this region.”
     “You don’t understand!” Mason pleaded, now completely panicking. Kurz had moved on, going into the crowd who were all congratulating him.
     Rose was still listening though, she hadn’t moved from her spot, even as people pushed past her to join in the mini-celebration. She watched as Mason’s calls turned into tears. The way he was presenting himself before, it would have been safe to assume he’d be angry and raging at his defeat, but here, it was the opposite. From watching him, she felt his sorrow, that this wasn’t the turn of events he wanted, but was it really because he lost? That was what she wanted to know.
     “Did losing mean that much to you?” She asked Mason as she approached him. She crouched down, so she could better look him in the face.
     “Losing? You don’t understand what losing means! I was only trying to save everyone!” Mason said, he stared Rose in the face. “You believe me right? You have to get them out of here otherwise everyone is going to die!” 
     “What?” Rose stated in surprise. The frank admission and plea had taken her aback.
     “They don’t know what he’s going to do now!” Mason’s eyes showed his abject fear.
     “Who are you talking about?” Rose thought back to what she’d learned, and remembered the name of the man Kurz hated, Finch. The pieces were falling into place for her. “Is Finch going to do something? Is that what you’re trying to say?” 
     This question wasn’t answered as a group of people hauled Mason up while laughing to themselves, and carried him away. Rose heard muffled chatter about an old jail but not quite where it was.
     “Wait!” She called out after the people, but either they didn’t hear her or they just ignored her. “I need to speak to him properly!” Rose started to try and follow them but lost sight of them as they entered the town.
     “Now, we can finally start to turn this place around, make it someplace worth living in…” Kurz said as he stood next to Rose, oblivious to what had just happened between her and Mason.
     “He said Finch is planning something,” Rose shared Mason’s admission, hoping that Kurz might decide to act on it.
     “What? Is that what Mason told you? It’s probably a trick. You can’t trust anyone that would work for Finch,” Kurz replied. “Thank you though for staying out of the fight. It made up for the embarrassment I suffered earlier.”
     “He seemed to be sincere to me…” Rose said, but Kurz waved her response off.
     “I thought you were naive, guess I was right. You should be happy that we settled this without anyone dying, instead of worrying about someone who was in the wrong anyway. All he cares about is himself and his boss.” Kurz quickly left, with many more people wanting his attention, leaving Rose on her own, wondering about it all. The situation wasn’t sitting right with her.

     What no one knew was that the fight had attracted attention from further away, as a gaudy looking man stood observing with a pair of binoculars, talking into a communication device that was clipped to his ear.
     “Yeah, boss. You were right. He got his ass beat by that old guy’s grandkid. Want me to spring him?”
     He tried to spot where they’d taken Mason, but the buildings were too dense to make anything useful out.
     “Leave him there eh? Sure, no skin off my nose,” he continued, agreeing with the other side of the communication.
     “I’ll sort things, don’t you worry about that. They can enjoy themselves tonight, as tomorrow…They’ll be swept away. Eros out.” The man lowered the binoculars and looked down his nose at the town who had no idea of the threat being amassed against them.

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Right, that's your lot for this week.

Till next time...

Keep on writing.

Peter James Martin

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