zaglicar-nofra

[zaglicar-nofra]

Current Horror Idea

The light flickered swiftly in the shadowed hallway. Lockers lined the walls, creating a repetitive image along the endless corridor. The air was heavy with a feeling of dread. White lines of vinyl tile carried her feet as she continued down the infinite path, devoid of color, similar to her blank mind. As she turned behind her, the hall was swallowed by darkness, no proof of its existence remaining.

Her consciousness returned, her mind in a panic. “Why am I here? What is this place? It looks so much like school, but this isn’t real. It can’t be right?” She talked to herself like a mad man preaching the end of the world. Her ravings crescendoed from a mezzo piano to a fortissimo.

But her words were cut off. A loud, rough screech echoed through the hallway. The origin of the sound revealed itself. A pale, bloody, twisted face emerged from the shadows towards the ever extending end of the hallway. Its eyes sunken and bloodshot. Its nose, missing save for a couple slits in its face. Its mouth, wide open, drooling with blood. The pure white of its fangs juxtaposed the blood red that cascaded down them. “Hello Thana...Welcome to my home” Its voice matched the painful scream it omitted prior.

The girl jumped back, terrified of its knowledge. “What…What are you? Who are you? Why do you know my name?” Tears were going down her face, her breathing rapid.

“All will be uncovered in due time, my dear. You only need to seek the answers within yourself to truly know who I am. There is much pain to be found with this knowledge. Pain you shall suffer as well as inflict. My, My, you have quite an interesting future ahead of you. Would you care for a snack to have on your journey?” Out of the shadows, the monster procured a severed arm of a human, still dripping with blood. A large chunk of it appeared to be missing. The pool of blood the monster was currently crouched in flowed into the light.

Thana screamed at the sight of the arm, closing her eyes. When she opened them, her mother was caressing her hair, trying to calm her.

“Thana, are you alright? Did you have a bad dream? You were shifting and mumbling jumbled words. What’s wrong sweetie?” Her mother looked deep in her eyes, her care was prominent in her face.

“Nothing, just a nightmare...What time is it?” She looked at her clock, not waiting for a response from her mother. 7:30 a.m. her classes didn’t start for a few hours. She doubted she could fall asleep again. “Is there anything for breakfast?”

“I didn’t make anything, I leave for work in about ten minutes. There is cereal and muffins in the kitchen if you need something though. I’m sorry you had a bad dream, I hope you feel better.” She bent over and kissed Thana on the forehead before leaving the room.  

[zaglicar-nofra]

The amount of true this possesses is terrifying.

When self-driving cars become mainstream, dead old people will occasionally just arrive places.

[zaglicar-nofra]

Support strife

Taking hits for those we care for

Expecting nothing in exchange.

The doormat for the fancy house

Keeping everything clean.

Feeling bad when things fall apart

Eating the unsavory criticism.

Our health bars slowly fading

Filling a bottle in our hand.

A bottle we hide deep inside

Hoping it never breaks.

For if it does,

Damage will be dealt.

To whom,

We know not.

But once again,

It's our fault.

[zaglicar-nofra]

Happy Thoughts

By Zaglicar Nofra

Teardrops;

For times far gone.

The songs of the Past

dampen those of Future.

Reminiscing;

For times far gone.

What once was,

yet never will be.

Feelings;

For times far gone.

Returning in mind,

to hide from the Present.

Triggers;

For times far gone.

Smells, Sights, Sounds,

that bring up happy memories.

Crying;

For times that will never return.

Because living in the past,

is a Painful life.

[zaglicar-nofra]

Young Bloodletter

“...Then he rose his sword and said unto Opasyal Xavier, ‘You have tricked far too many men to believe in your false God! How could one of your intelligence do something so ignorant? You are still, as I always said, a fool.’

Xavier looked up at his former mentor, blood running down his face from the hilt slam to the head, and managed to utter, ‘Zaglicar! You shan't call me the fool! You are the one who won’t open your eyes wide enough to see Atemter’s divine power! All of Rokoda shall know you were the fool when we parade around the continent with your head on a pike!’

This was a foolish thing to say to one trained in the skills of assassination. Zaglicar the Second brought the sword down upon the head of the original Opasyal, splitting it in two.

Droka, the Elf Lord, seeing his fallen comrade, charged Zaglicar with a spear. Malley, another member of the House of Night, met Droka a split second before he struck Zaglicar and plunged her dagger into the throat of the Elf Lord.

Droka, being adept at magic, put a glowing palm onto his bloody neck, healing it slowly. Malley cackled at their victory when a tall, built man, wielding a staff came into the room. Malley turned to Zaglicar with fear in her eyes.

‘Boss? I-is that him? Could that be that man who poses as a god? This can’t be real! They were right all along.’ A tear went down her face.

‘I’m afraid it is, Malley. Go get Troget up and have Sethsma help him out of the room. I’ll protect Nya and Leytail.’ As the House of Night executed their orders, Atemter raised his staff carefully analyzing the enemy, deciding which one to end the life of.

‘Hmm, Leader, Archer, Berserker, Intellegence.... hmm, I think it is obvious that I shall take the Leader first, The Berserker next and after that, while the Archer draws her bow, hit her then the Intellegence,’ he said as he debated the order of massacre. Once he decided, Atemter raised his staff and started to chant a spell aimed at Zaglicar. Sethsma noticed this and dropped the right arm of Troget leaving Malley to help the injured man.

‘I haven’t been much use in combat before, but this time I will be’ Sethsma cried out as he jumped in front of the bolt of red light heading towards Zaglicar. It struck him full on in the chest, disintegrating him on impact. Zaglicar turned behind him and recognized the distraction, whispered a little prayer and continued to escape with the prisoners. They safely returned to Darkwind and that was the last time anyone in the kingdom heard of the House of Night…

But there are those who are in it. Brothers such as Gregory, Hamath, Genny, and even I. We are well aware of this guild and we know how effective it truly is. To maintain the mystery of our organization, we live normal lives among those in the outside world, me as a blacksmith, and you as a normal student. The reason I told you this was not only to tell you the great tales of Zaglicar Kugluktuk the Second, but was to inform you the true facts of the family you have been born into. You, my grandson, have been born into the House of Night, and naming you after such a great man gives us high hope for you. You have already shown exceptional skill in stealth and in strategy. We hope that you continue down your path of greatness and become the leader of this fine guild.”

      My mind was blown by what Grandpa told me. I couldn’t believe that I came from a long line of assassins. Not only were they assassins, but they are the legendary House of Night! But he said I couldn’t tell anyone and that I have to live a normal life on top of that.

“Thanks, Grandpa. And does this explain the disappearance of my father?” I asked, as I hoped to get some answers.

He looked at me with an emotionless face. “ I’m afraid that is the case. One of your father’s missions went terribly wrong. No one truly knows the exact details but it is said that one of the clients that we worked for, former Lord Fahlaz, set him up for an ambush. The target was an honorable Drow leader who fought for Trexley. When your father came upon him with his dagger, Fahlaz called forth his men and they used telekinesis spells to hold him. It is rumored that he was killed right there, but there are darker rumors than that.” A single tear rolled down his face as he finished his answer.

“What can be worse than death? What can be worse than the end of your existence?” I had my theories, but I wanted to see if he could confirm them.

“Lots of things, child. Lots of things such as: torture, forced betrayal, or slavery. I believe that the string of recent murders of officials in Darkwind is your father….brainwashed. My brothers and sisters also believe in my theroy and we all fear the day where we have to silence a former brother, a former leader…” At this point, he was silently crying. I don’t know why I was surprised to see this. He is part of an assassin guild with death being part of his job, but this was his son he was talking about, his own flesh and blood. Why wouldn’t he cry?

“ So, when would my training begin? I assume that I will need some.”

“It already has. Those kids who bully you are your first targets. We sent you to that school because we were trailing some fugitives who are raising their kids to believe in Atemter as the true god. We got intel that they will launch an attack in the middle of town and they, along with their family, will retreat across the border into Droka’s realm. You must eliminate them this week or you will fail your training and cause the death of many innocent lives. This is your mission, now go prepare, wander the dark, trail your target and kill quickly. This is the only advice I can give you. Goodbye my grandchild.” He got up and, with unnatural speed, went out the door.

I walked into the main room and saw my mother in tears. She has never shown emotion since Father disappeared. I approached her carefully and hugged her. “What is wrong Mother? Is it the story that Grandpa told me?”

“Kind of, Zaglicar. It’s not the truth of you father, I was well aware of what may or may not be the truth. It’s the fact that you are now aware of your destiny. I wish it could have waited a little bit longer, but you are sixteen now, so I guess you are no longer a child. Go and do as your Grandfather commanded.” She handed me a coin purse with roughly three hundred fifty gold pieces. “I am kicking you out of the house so that no one can trace you back to me. You are old enough to sustain yourself and you will get payed well from the contract,” She fully burst into tears after those words.

I hugged her tighter and whispered,” I will come back from this, I promise this. I will also send you portions of my profit to reward to for raising me right. Thank you, Mother, you have done me well…...I love you…” I went and packed my bags. Clothes, books and knives were all thrown into my pack.

As I headed towards the door I looked back at Mother. She smiled and said in a serious voice,” Adrian Gonzolo in the south market. Approach him in his shop and tell him your father’s name. Torvino used him as his number one shopkeeper. They drank together, went on missions and he has been looking over you at a far distance. Go to him and he will set you up with your starting gear. Son, stay safe.” I smiled back to her and walked out the door.

The sudden change of light made my eyes hurt a little. It was still morning, but the market in the East side of the town was still as alive as always. Merchants were telling everyone about their “bargains” they had to offer. Kids were advertising their fathers’ stalls, the smell of day old fish and other meats local to the area filled my nose with a pungent smell. This time, instead of scanning the area for my friends, I was scanning for the enemy. I always said that they would die by the hand of me, but I never thought it would actually happen.

After about twenty minutes of searching, I spotted my prey. The first target I could find was a tall, but built guy. I was on a rooftop in the East Housing District and he was down below on the uninhabited road. Now was my chance. Strike quick, hide quick. That is the way i was told to eliminate.

I took out my dagger that had some Elven runes inscribed on it. It was my father’s knife that he gave me when I was born. I realized now that he bestowed this upon me to help aid me in the quest he knew I would embark on.

The fear was getting to me, arousing question. “ What if I land wrong? What if i get caught? What if he gets me first? What if, what if, what if…’  It was now or never. I had to kill this man….not “this man” but “this kid”. It was my test, my goal, my new life.

I jumped off the roof with as much grace as I could gather and aimed my dagger for his neck. I didn’t think of any witty lines and I didn’t yell or growl. Silence. Complete silence is the best approach. It won’t alarm guards, and it won’t alarm the prey.

I landed on him, dagger puncturing his throat. ‘I did it! I killed the enemy! But why am I feeling this emotion? Like I shouldn’t be doing this? Could it be that I actually feel bad? This isn’t good, I can’t be feeling this! Is this how I’m going to feel the rest of my life?’  Tears began to fill my eyes as I looked at the boy’s life-drained face. He was staring back at me choking on his own blood, trying to breathe, trying to live. I felt the warm sensation of blood on my hands, but that didn’t help unfreeze them. I was paralyzed by fear. ‘Get up! Go back! Hide the evidence!’ None of these thoughts got me to move. All I could do was stare, stare at the mistake I made.

After a few minutes of crying, I managed to pull my dagger out of his wound. More blood spilled out of his neck. I sheathed my dagger and looked around me. In the distance, I saw someone coming. I knew I had to hide the body. Then, it would be the end of my moral argument and my emotions can settle.

After a few minutes of struggling, I finally drug the body to a bush and climbed a building next to it. Not a minute later I heard the screaming of a woman,”Help! There has been a murder! Their is a murderer on the loose! Guards, guards!”

I let out a sigh. ‘ If I was slower in moving that body, I would have been caught. Mother would have been furious.’  I continued to run home. I couldn’t go to school like this, people would see the blood and I would have had to make up an excuse, and Lilaya knows there is no good reason to have someone else’s blood on you.

I was fatigued by the run ‘home’, doing whatever I could to avoid people. ‘Home’ at this point was just the underside of a bridge in the Eastern market. Once I got there, I quickly donned new clothing and casually made my way through the market. “ Oh, Gods! I forgot to find Adrian! Where could I find this man?” I approached one of the rug stalls and asked the head salesperson, “ Umm, Sir? Can you point me in the right direction of Adrian Gonzolo? I am supposed to purchase things from him for my mother for, she has fallen ill. Can you please help me?”

The man smiled at me and said with a far eastern accent, “ Oh he is that funny, uhh, ‘Potion salesman’ guy isn’t? Well, he is located in the Southern Market district near the Hearty Dragon Inn. That is where you can usually find him.”

“Thank you!” I ran off....(to be continued)

[zaglicar-nofra]

Hello there!! I’m Zaglicar Nofra, and I am a writer who wants to finally show myself to the world!

[zaglicar-nofra]

The Competition of Men (an 8th grade short story)

The walls of Castle Darkwind were covered in the blood and weapons of fallen soldiers. Men were falling everywhere, but no matter how many of his comrades fell, Hector continued to fight. His goal was to find the Sargent of his squad. Alive preferably.

“Too many of our men have fallen, and we may have to give up the castle,” thought Hector, “But General Wolfe won’t let that happen.”

At that moment an enemy soldier thrust his sword at Hector’s stomach. Hector fell to his knee, out of breath. He used this to fake a fatal injury. He fell to the ground; blood from other cuts flowed to make a small puddle of blood. Thinking Hector was bleeding out the enemy soldier walked off to find his next victim. Hector got up, unsheathed his dagger, and buried it deep within his enemy’s throat. The enemy fell to his knees trying to yell but nothing came out.

Hector proceeded on his “adventure”. He scanned the area around him and saw an enemy deliver a killing strike to the Sergeant. Hector yelled with anger and hacked his way to the Sargent, men falling before him like grass to a scythe.

“You…kid. I n-need you…to take my place…Don’t let the castle fall…you need to…” The Sargent died before he could finish his sentence.

“Sargent, come on, you are going to live! Stay with me, the medics are coming! They are right there! Come on!” Hector was pounding the Sargent ’s chest as tears rolled down his eyes.

Two of the medics arrived but they were too late. They told Hector that the Sargent had died and there was nothing they could do. Hector always wanted a promotion in the army, but not like this.

By the time Hector recovered from that tragic event, him and the medics were surrounded. Hector went berserk, and killed four men in the first five strikes. One of the soldiers struck and Hector parried the attack and stabbed him in the chest. The chainmail gave way and Hector’s sword killed the man. A knight brought his broad sword down upon Hector’s shoulder, crashing through his chainmail and digging deep into the bone.

Luckily, the two medics were there along with General Wolfe. The medics drug Hector back to the Medical tent. Hector was losing a lot of blood but before his vision faded he saw Wolfe, his lifelong hero, take down the man who nearly killed him. Wolfe decapitated the soldier and Hector’s vision faded away.

It was the day of the army’s annual Competition of Men. Those who placed in the top ten were promoted a rank in the army. The competition was an obstacle course that consisted of a three mile run, a fifty-yard long puddle of mud that had a low wall above it that the contestants had to crawl under. There also is a mock castle siege where the contestants had to “kill” a “guard” that was just a wooden post with old armor on it. The final event was a two-mile horseback race. There are twenty good horses in the stables. The rest are old, worn-out horses.

The winner for three years in a row was General Wolfe, Hector’s idol. Wolfe was a tall, built man that had the most strategic mind in the country. Hector believed he could be the next Wolfee. Hector looked like a younger version of Wolfee and he liked to plan out battles.

This year, instead of competing in it, Wolfe was hosting the Competition of Men. That gave Hector a chance because he usually places between twenty and eleven. If Wolfee doesn’t compete in the competition, then Hector could get tenth.

General Wolfe yelled, “ The Competition of Men will begin in a few moments. Everyone get to your starting positions. And…Begin!” The signals, which were two flaming arrows, were shot in the air. It took Hector fifteen minutes to run the three miles. When he came to the mud puddle, sweat was running down his face.

It took three minutes to get to the other side of the wall. His chainmail and thick tunic, now soaked with muddy water, were bringing him down. He counted that there were twenty people ahead of him. He made his way up a ladder and two of the men were fighting at the top of the ladder. The one below them pulled them down. All three of the men fell with a loud thud.

“Wow, these people really want to win,” Hector said. He got to the top of the ladder and onto the wall. He unsheathed his short sword and delivered a “killing blow” to the wooden post. The judge nodded his head and let him pass.

Hector climbed down the ladder and saw that there were seven good horses left. “Yes, I still have a chance.” He mounted his horse and pushed it as fast as it would go. He passed three other contestants on the way. After ten minutes, he saw the finish line. “I did it I got… eleventh!? If I counted right, I should be in tenth! No, this can’t be why me!?”

That was the last thing he remembered.

Hector woke up in the Medical tent in the castle courtyard. He tried to lift the blankets that covered him in his sleep. His right arm would not move. He tried again. Nothing. He used his left arm this time and it revealed the horrible truth. His right arm was gone. Hector yelled as loud as he could and the medic came running in the tent.

“Are you okay, sir?” the medic asked.

“What happened to my arm? It was just a scratch!” Hector yelled.

“Sir, the wound rendered your arm useless. We decided to amputate it.”

“They will kick me out of the army! Do you know what you have done? This is terrible!”

General Wolfe walked in as Hector continued his rant. “Hector, calm down. We won’t kick you out unless you can complete our challenge. Not many people have done this, or even accepted this challenge. But if you can complete the Competition of Men and a series of sword duels with your left hand only, we will let you back in. Do you accept?” Hector nodded his head. “Well than, I will train you myself and together, we will do this.”

“Thank you, sir, for the second chance. I greatly appreciate it.” Hector smiled as Wolfee walked away.

“Be at the training fields tomorrow at sunrise. Sleep well tonight.” Wolfe walked back to his tent.

“How did the battle go? I kind of passed out.” Hector asked the medic.

“We won. The other castles showed up, for both sides, and we had enough men to break their lines. We eventually sent our men off the walls and attacked their lines of defense and they retreated,” the medic replied.

“I think I’m going to get some sleep. Good night.”

“Good night.”

The next morning, Hector woke up and grabbed his sword, the medic bandaged his arm stub up again and he went off to the training grounds. The courtyard was not a pretty sight. There were dead men on pikes, roofs, in fountains as well as on the ground. There were screams of the wounded and the dying in each tent he passed. Houses were burnt or burning on almost every street. Parts of the walls were a few hundred feet away from where they were supposed to be. It took Hector a half an hour to find the training ground. There were multiple times he had to take detours.

Wolfe was waiting for Hector near a few training dummies. “Alright Hector, we will begin with the schedule. First, you will do fifty one-handed push-ups. Second you will practice sword techniques on the dummies until lunch. Then, you will eat. After that you will run a half a mile and repeat the schedule. This will continue until I say so.” That schedule continued for two months.

One day Hector went to the training grounds, Wolfe was waiting for him. “Hey, Wolfe, what is going on?”

“Today we are going to start training on the Competition Grounds. Do your regular morning schedule and after lunch we will head out.”

“Sir, yes, Sir!” Hector yelled as he started his routine. After lunch they headed out. They arrived at the course in forty-five minutes. They passed some of the buildings that were under reconstruction, but most houses were still destroyed.

“Alright Hector, you will do this as fast as you can and I will be the judge. I will give you tips on how you can improve. Okay?” Hector nodded, “ Then you may begin.”

Hector completed the first two events in twenty minutes. He got to the mock siege. THUD! Halfway up the ladder he lost his grip and fell. He got back up and fell again, and again, and again. On his tenth try he made it up, tears flowing down his eyes. He barely had enough strength to hit the wooden guard. According to Wolfe, he did not kill the guard, so he had to do it again. When he finally “killed” it he went to the other side of the wall and descended down the ladder. He lost his grip and fell, but he caught the ladder on the way down. He regained his balance and continued down. He finished the horse race in nine minutes.

“Alright Hector, your time was about forty-five minutes. You failed to get there in time. You have to complete it in thirty minutes. My only advice is to stay on the ladder. Now follow me to the training dummies and we will do the sword test.” They went back to the training grounds and got Hector set up. “ Backhand, overhead, block…” This continued for an hour.

“Okay, I will score your performance…You got two hundred out of three fifty. Not bad, for a first timer. You still need three hundred to pass. We will work on that.” That schedule went on for four months.

“Today I will give you a choice. You can either take the test today or continue training. What do you choose?” Wolfe explained.

“I will do it today,” Hector replied confidently.

“Okay we will begin with the Competition of Men.”

They walked to the course and Hector began. His time improved drastically. He ran the three miles in ten minutes. During the mud puddle crawl, he lifted his head prematurely and got a major headache. He got through the siege event in two minutes. He fell on the way down. He finished the horse race in nine and a half minutes. When he crossed the finish line Wolfe was waiting.

“Your time was twenty-four minutes. You passed,” Wolfe said with a smile on his face.

Hector jumped up in the air and with a celebratory yell. “Yes! So now I just have to pass the sword test, right?”

“That’s right. Let’s go.” They headed back to the training grounds. When the arrived, Hector grabbed his sword and went to the dummy that Wolfe was standing near.

“You know the drill. I tell you the sword strokes and you do them. You have to get at least three hundred correct hits. Begin! Backhand, overhead, block…”

After an hour Wolfe told him to stop. “You got three hundred and twenty-four hits you pass. You my friend are back in the army. I also promote you from sargent to captain. There will be a feast in your honor.”

They went to the barracks where a feast was waiting. It consisted of three turkeys a platter of steaks and a bowl of boiled vegetables. The live members of Hector’s squad were there ready to eat. “When do we start, General?”

“At your command.”

Hector, overwhelmed with joy, looked around at his men, nodding to each one. “Alright. Men, I order you to eat.”