Phantasm

Milla informed me earlier that he had awoken. I went in to see him. He was sitting up in his bed, reading something on a laptop. He looked up when I entered the room and spoke.

"That sword is dangerous," he said. "You'd be smart to get rid of it."

"I don't think so," I said. "What do you know about Caledfwlch?"

"Naming it is a bad idea, too," he said. "Gives it a stronger hold over you. But to answer your question, that sword is what's called a Mercygiver. No one knows when they were created, or by who, but they are most certainly supernatural in origin. They gradually lessen their wielder's ability to feel, slowly turning them into killing machines. Eventually, the wielder becomes more a weapon then the sword itself."

"So it's just like the pale guy said," I thought out loud. IT explains a lot. Like why I don't seem to have any emotions left.

"They also have a tendency to cripple one's sense of judgement, causing them to do unnaturally stupid things," he said, turning the laptop to face me. "Like posting their murder plans online for everyone to read."

I stepped back, shocked. He had it open to my old blog. The one I abandoned a long time ago.

"Yes," he said. "I've looked into you."

"Just who the hell are you?" I asked.

He chuckled, and rose from the bed, standing before me. He wore an evil sneer upon his face.

"I'm a bully," he said, still smiling.

My first instinct was to take Caledfwlch and lop this guys head off. But I stayed my hand. I despise bullies. I loathe them to a point that I once spent much of my time hunting them down and killing them. If this guy read my blog, then he would know that. He was taunting me. He wanted me to attack him. And I had no intention of giving him what he wanted.

"Why are you telling me that?" I asked.

"To see if you're as dumb as your previous blog implies," he said. "I want to see how well you can resist that thing's coontrol."

"You talk about Caledfwlch as if it's alive," I said. "Is it?"

He shrugged.

"So, how is this going to play out?" he asked me.

I remained silent, staring up at him. After a few moments, he began speaking again.

"For much of my life, I served a man named William Timerus," he said. "Under his orders, I hunted down and eliminated several people. And I loved every minute of it."

"You're a monster," I told him. I wasn't really trying to be spiteful, just stating a fact.

"So what makes the two of us different?" he asked. "I kill people and I feel pleasure in their suffering. You kill people and feel nothing at all. I suppose which is worse could be up for debate."

Jackass. I think what I hated most about him was that he had a point.

"Back on topic," he said. "I eventually learned that my own wife was one of those I was sworn to eradicate. So I killed her."

I raised my sword to his throat before he could say another word. He just smiled again.

"What are you going to do?" he asked. "Kill me?"

Believe me," I said. "You're tempting me."

Without a word, he knocked the sword from my grip and smacked he across the face. I glared up at him.

"Who do you think you are!?" I demanded.

"My name is Phantasm," he said. "Now, are we done with the violence, because I would really like to get down to business."

"What business?" I asked angrily.

"Hmm," he said. "Perhaps you have some emotion left after all."

He retrieved Caledfwlch and gave it back to me.

"I believe we can help each other," he said.

"I don't work with bullies," I replied.

"And I don't work with amateurs, but I'm willing to make the exception in this case," he said. "Tell you what. I'll stay on my best behavior during this partnership."

"I don't trust you," I said.

"I know," he said.

"So what the hell do you want me for?" I asked.

"I must return to the Board he said. "The domain of my master. Unfortunately, the City saw fit to strip me of my watch, which I need to travel there. I'll need to find another way back."

"So how do I fit in?" I asked.

"There are others who have entrances to the Board," he said. "But in my current state, confronted any of them could end badly."

"You plan to kill them and use their transportation?" I asked.

"Worst case scenario, yes," he said.

I turned and started to leave. I had heard enough from him.

"If you help me, I can give you the answers you really want," he said, before I had left.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"There are still questions on your mind," he said. "I can get you the answers, but only if you assist me."

I stood there for a moment, thinking it over.

"Give it some thought, and speak to me later," he said, getting back into bed. "Right now, I need to rest."

I went back to my room and started typing this. I'm not sure what I should do. I know I should kill him, or at least abandon him, but what if he's right? What if he can get me more answers? But answers to what? I'm not even sure what questions are left to ask, but I know there's a lot I still want to know... I'm so confused right now.

Sleep

The man has been asleep for a while now. Milla says he'll be fine, he just needs rest now. She removed most of his armor, but the wings are still attached. I guess they're a part of his body. I've also had a better look at his face. His skin and hair are both white, with some black markings. I'm really not sure what he is. He'd better wake up soon, though. I still have questions for him.

Escape

A few hours ago, I heard them. The shadow men, somewhere in a caves. Getting closer. I stood up and drew my sword, preparing to make a final stand there. I was probably gonna starve to death soon anyway. Might as well go out fighting.
“Whatever they are, you're no match for them,” the gargoyle thing said, finally speaking.
“No one asked you,” I said.
“I can feel them,” he said. “there's six of them, at least, and they have powerful auras You may wield a Mercygiver, but you are still human. You can't win.”
I stopped for a moment. Another man had once referred to Caledfwlch as a Mercygiver as well, saying that it was a blade of darkness. I'm still not sure what Mercygivers are, but this man had peaked my interest.
“You know about my sword?” I asked him.
“It's a dangerous thing to be wielding,” he told me.
I heard them getting closer to us.
“We don't have time for idle chat,” he said. “Scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I can get us out of here,” he said. “I just need you to do one thing.”
“What would that be?” I asked.
“Impale me.”
“What!?” I said, baffled.
“Run me through with your sword,” he said.
I thought a moment before responding.
“You want me to kill you so that they won't,” I said. “Then I'll be left to face them alone.”
“Mercygivers can spread distrust in their wielders,” he said. “I assure you, that is not my plan. I don't die easy. Just stab me, and I can get us out of here.”
The footsteps of the shadow men were almost upon us now. I snatched up my bag and eyes the man in the wall suspiciously.
“Make up your mind,” he said “They're almost here.”
I hesitated for a few moments before rushing forward and stabbing the tip of Caledfwlch deep into his torso. His wings suddenly exploded in crimson light, destroying the wall he was trapped in and freeing him. The interconnecting segments of his wings spread out, the glowing red light stretching between them. He staggered slightly, before scooping me up and flying upward. He tore straight through the ceiling of the caves, and into the air. The buildings began moving erratically, as if they were alive. They tried blocking us, crushing us, falling down on us. They seemed to grow taller, so that we couldn't get above them. The winged man began losing altitude quickly. He was losing blood. He wasn't going to last much longer.
And then we were suddenly back in the normal world, and we crashed into a building. I just lay there for a while, wondering what the hell just happened I soon realized that there was a note stuck to my chest. I examined it, to see large, barely legible purple crayon writing, saying “YOU CAN THANK ME LATER -THE BACKER”.
Then a woman rushed into the room, and say my winged companion. She seemed to recognize him. She pulled Caledfwlch out of him and handed it back to be. I helped her get him into bed, and she began treating his wounds. As she did, I explained everything to her, and she listened. She said her name is Milla. That she's an old acquaintance of his. He needs to rest. I'm going to stay here while he recovers. He knows about my sword. I want to know about it too.

It Awakens

It's not a statue and it's not human. I woke up earlier to find its eyes open, staring at me. Just... staring. It's eyes were emitting a soft red light. It just stared at me for what I assume was hour. Eventually, it closed its eyes again, and I took the chance to start writing this post.

The Gargoyle

I've had a better look at the embedded statue. It's dark, so I couldn't make out everything about it. It looks sort of humanoid, with markings on its face. It has very long hair, and is wearing armor. It has these large wings that seem to be made out of several interlocking plates of steel. Most of the wings, along with its legs and forearms, are buried within the walls. To too dark for me to make out its color, but I think most of it is black, or some other dark color. It's pretty weird. I don't even know why I'm telling you this... guess I just got bored waiting to die...

Chamber

I can't keep going. I've found a chamber, and I'm just going to stay here. I don't know how long I'll last. I don't really care either.

The chamber is pretty small, and the only other occupant is this weird gargoyle-like statue embedded in one of the walls. It's dark in here, so I'm not sure what it's supposed to be.

Whatever. I'm just gonna sit here and wait. I'll probably starve. Or the shadow people will find me. Either way, there's not much point to going any further. There's no exit. I'm pretty much screwed.

Wandering

I've been traveling these tunnels for a while, and I still can't find a way out. I'm running out of both food and energy. Damn it...