Hellgate Unleashed

Chapter 5 Are You Scared of Shadows?

I woke up the next morning. Dark brown eyes stood over me with malicious intent. Alabaster yanked off the blankets, but all I did was scrunch up into a ball and grown at him. I didn't want to get up. A cold, enthralling bucket of water washed up on my face. I instantly jumped out of bed.

Alabaster chuckled at me. "Oh, I am terribly sorry. did I wake you?"

My eyes, baggy from last night, glared at him. "Yes, I am up." I might have been up, but I was still sluggish. The long talk last night, emotional stress, and being a wanted criminal took a lot out of me. I kept thinking of what happened the past few days. The history of my dad, what is my life going to be like, just to name a few.

"Good." Said Alabaster in a pleasant tone. "Now go outside and food will be ready for you, once you complete your daily challenge of course."

Alabaster then lead me to the mouth of the cave where I got a stick to the face. We then continued through the flaming forest. I watched the fires dance along the way, not paying attention to where we were going. I then tripped over a log on the ground, landing face first into what I hopped was mud.

I got up and dusted myself off. I looked around did not see any sign of food. The only thing here was the log I tripped over and a dusty black chalk board.

"Soooo, what gives?" I said irritated. "Where's breakfast?"

Alabaster gave me a malicious smile. "Just do whatever I say, exactly how I say it. Now, pick up that log and hold it over your head."

I gave him a disagreeing look. "Um that that looks heavy. Like too heavy to lift without breaking my back."

"Well that is too bad. I guess you will have to starve."

I did as he said and I tried to lift the log over my head. My arms struggled to even pick it up, let alone hold it over my head. It must have been at least 250lbs. A few agonizing seconds later, I finally did it. After what felt like forever, I began to shake violently.

"How long do I have to do this for?"

"For as long as the lesson is." He said cheerfully.

"How long is the lesson?" I grunted.

"I don't know, how long it takes you to learn basic education. I know you didn't have a normal education. I also know your father can't even spell education, so my plan is to make you better than your father.."

"Bring it on." I told him with a smirk.

"Very well. I am going to show you how the men back in my day trained for war. When you want to give up, you will. But when the situation comes, you will find infinite strength. Remember that Drake. Remember it."

I could easily fool this man. I could throw it away and say that my arms hurt now and get this stupid log thing over with. Then maybe he could teach me how to sword fight or do something else worthwhile. I tried to toss the log but it didn't leave my hands. It felt glued there. Then it started to feel gradually heavier.

"What the hell?" I grunted furiously.

"Already trying to cheat huh? Well then I guess I will have to double the time on the log." He walked up and wrote something on the end of the log with his chalk. "There, now we will make you last two hours instead. Oh and by the way, it's going to get heavier by the minute." He said with a smirk.

"Wait, are you saying I can't put this down until the timer is up?"

"Precisely."

"Well this is going to be hell."

"You haven't witness hell yet." Alabaster reassured. "After this I am going to make you run."

After half an hour my arms felt like could fall apart. I felt like I was lifting the world. "Can... Can I eat yet?" I gasped.

"Nope. Not until you finish with log, which is in an hour and a half if you don't cheat again."

The first hour past and I had another to go. Then he went behind the bushes and pulled out a bowl of food. My mouth watered at the sight of berries and nuts.

Alabaster then started eating in front of me. "Where is my food at?" I asked.

He ignored me by closing his eyes and humming a joyful song. He was clearly toying with me. "Oh, you mean you are hungry? I am hungry too." He put another hand full of food in his mouth. "I am particularly hungrier for some reason. I think I might eat yours as well."

"Don't. You. Dare." I said in horror.

"Watch me."

He took out a bowl from behind the bushes and began eating, gobbling it up and making sounds of enjoyment as he ate. "These Elderberries are delicious. Oh my, they are fantastic!" He looked at the sky hopped to his feet. "Times up Drake, you can put the log down."

I threw it down and fell on my ass. My arms now heavy like the log. "So what am I supposed to eat?"

He looked at me with a carefree expression. "I don't know, whatever you find around here." Alabaster left for his cave and I still sat on the ground hungry. He came back with a bigger bowl of food in his hands. "Lighten up. I am not really like this, it's been a while since I had guests."

"Thank you," I replied as I took the food.

I took my time to eat the berries, tasting them and treating them as a reward. Alabaster sat next to me with chalk in hand. "Are you going to draw more of those symbols?" I asked.

"Yes, I am and they are called glyphs."

"Glyphs?"

"Yes, Glyphs. I am what is known as a Glyph Caster. " He said, drawing something really complicated.

"So what are you drawing?" I asked perplexed.

"You will see when you start running."

"What?" I said as I jumped up.

"It's probably a good idea to get a head start now, if I was you."

He stood up after the glyph was done and it started to glow. The grown shook and crackled into a perfect circle. Then a creature jumped from the hole. The hole refilled and it sat there in a cat like stance. The creature's skin like black glass and its eyes a flaming blue like torch forests.

I began to run for my life as fast as I could. But, the log took a lot out of my arms and legs. I looked back and seen it was effortlessly keeping up with me.

"What the hell is this thing?" I yelled.

"It's a shadow creature my dear boy. They are one of the most basic nondemonic creatures to summon."

"How do I get rid of it? I yelled.

"Figure it out for yourself Drake."

He was no help. As I kept running for my life, I spotted a potential shelter from the beast. Several logs layered on top of each other with a hole big enough for me to crawl through. I ran as fast as I could away from the shadow creature and began to crawl through the trees. I turned around to marvel at outsmarting the creature.

Then my ego deflated and my heart sank when I realized that the creature can walk through walls. As it eerily passed through it glared at me like a meal. I was backed up in a corner and couldn't do anything to escape. The only way out was the way I was in.

It growled and charge at me. I did not possess the ability to activate my nova anymore. I did not even poses a weapon. The only thing I could do was either let it eat me or fight back. So when it lunged at me, I threw strongest fist I had at it.

For some odd reason, I closed my eyes while I did it. After a few scrutinizing seconds I opened my eyes. A black vapor rose where the creature was. I looked around, suspecting that it was playing a trick, but it was gone.