bastard! You nearly had me.” Shadow Killer paced the balcony. “I knew! I just knew that you and that cult of yours were back. I may not have the resources I used to, but I knew it.” Shadow Killer slowed his pacing and stole a glance at the door, which led back into the warm room where the Queen and the others were debating the debt.
“Sod it. I’ll only be gone for a moment,” he muttered to himself and opened a shadow-door.
***
100 Miles away – A Monastery dedicated to the Cult of Mancer.
Captain Peter Hazelgrove and Captain Andrew Moore were taking an evening stroll in the monastery garden. There had been a hard frost and all the evergreen leaves glittered silver in the moonlight.
“Quite breathtakingly beautiful,” said Hazelgrove.
“True,” agreed Moore.
“Agreed,” said Shadow Killer as he stepped from the shadows. “Now tell me about the true Mancer Prophecy.”
“I… I don’t know what you mean,” answered Moore, who had recovered first.
Shadow Killer stood in front of the two men, proud and unafraid. “Do you know who I am?”
“No,” stated Hazelgrove.
“I am Shadow Killer, the last of the great Dev’vers. I am he who walks in the shadows and sees all, and not twenty minutes ago, the Midnight Man tried to kill me.”
“You have seen The Midnight Man?” asked Hazelgrove.
“Yes, he and his dark Brethren are very much alive,“ stated Shadow Killer, “and both are poised to return, as prophesied by the Dark Prophecy or to give it it’s more common name – the Mancer Prophecy.”
“You know your prophecy, Shadow Killer,” said Moore, “and, as such, you should know how it ends, and I quote – ‘ Nothing can stop Him, for He lives inside us all. We should all kneel and praise Him, for He is the ONE TRUE GOD! He is the Midnight Man and He cometh !’”
“That, indeed, is the ending, according to the Craktoneons and the other elements of the Church, but tell me why it’s called the Mancer Prophecy? In fact, tell me why you were so keen to have any version of the prophecy called the Mancer Prophecy. The more I think about it, the more it does not make sense. I could understand the Dark Prophecy or the Craktoneon Prophecy.” Shadow Killer paused for a moment and cocked his head. “Also, why are you two casually talking to me? I have just appeared out of nowhere, told you that I am a great Dev’ver, and you hardly bat an eyelid.”
Peter and Andrew turned to each other as they silently pondered a reply. Finally, Captain Peter Hazelgrove turned to Shadow Killer and said, “We have been waiting a long time to meet you.”
“Meet me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“We need to ask you a question, Shadow Killer.”
***
Rage and anger burned through the entity and it felt good. It had failed in its attempt to kill Shadow Killer and that was unforgivable, although, on the plus side, the strength of emotions following the failure was simply delicious. The rage, the anger, the… sense of failure, they all came together to make it feel alive.
Alive!!! How it so much wanted to be alive again – to touch, to feel, to experience every emotion possible. The entity giggled to itself as it thought, “ Soon, I will take what is rightfully mine. Soon, I will return in the flesh to this world, for I am the Midnight Man and I cometh, ” the Midnight Man’s thought took a more sinister tone, “ and no one will be able to stop me .”
***
“You need to ask me a question,” stated Shadow Killer, taken aback.
“Yes,” replied Andrew Moore.
“Well, then... ask.”
“What was Hubert Mancer really like?” asked Peter.
Shadow Killer studied both men, carefully. “Why?”
Andrew Moore took a deep breath. “The Cult of Mancer has gone through many changes. We started out as a warrior cult with Sir Richard Heart as our leader.”
“I am aware of that.”
“He and the
“Sod it. I’ll only be gone for a moment,” he muttered to himself and opened a shadow-door.
***
100 Miles away – A Monastery dedicated to the Cult of Mancer.
Captain Peter Hazelgrove and Captain Andrew Moore were taking an evening stroll in the monastery garden. There had been a hard frost and all the evergreen leaves glittered silver in the moonlight.
“Quite breathtakingly beautiful,” said Hazelgrove.
“True,” agreed Moore.
“Agreed,” said Shadow Killer as he stepped from the shadows. “Now tell me about the true Mancer Prophecy.”
“I… I don’t know what you mean,” answered Moore, who had recovered first.
Shadow Killer stood in front of the two men, proud and unafraid. “Do you know who I am?”
“No,” stated Hazelgrove.
“I am Shadow Killer, the last of the great Dev’vers. I am he who walks in the shadows and sees all, and not twenty minutes ago, the Midnight Man tried to kill me.”
“You have seen The Midnight Man?” asked Hazelgrove.
“Yes, he and his dark Brethren are very much alive,“ stated Shadow Killer, “and both are poised to return, as prophesied by the Dark Prophecy or to give it it’s more common name – the Mancer Prophecy.”
“You know your prophecy, Shadow Killer,” said Moore, “and, as such, you should know how it ends, and I quote – ‘ Nothing can stop Him, for He lives inside us all. We should all kneel and praise Him, for He is the ONE TRUE GOD! He is the Midnight Man and He cometh !’”
“That, indeed, is the ending, according to the Craktoneons and the other elements of the Church, but tell me why it’s called the Mancer Prophecy? In fact, tell me why you were so keen to have any version of the prophecy called the Mancer Prophecy. The more I think about it, the more it does not make sense. I could understand the Dark Prophecy or the Craktoneon Prophecy.” Shadow Killer paused for a moment and cocked his head. “Also, why are you two casually talking to me? I have just appeared out of nowhere, told you that I am a great Dev’ver, and you hardly bat an eyelid.”
Peter and Andrew turned to each other as they silently pondered a reply. Finally, Captain Peter Hazelgrove turned to Shadow Killer and said, “We have been waiting a long time to meet you.”
“Meet me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“We need to ask you a question, Shadow Killer.”
***
Rage and anger burned through the entity and it felt good. It had failed in its attempt to kill Shadow Killer and that was unforgivable, although, on the plus side, the strength of emotions following the failure was simply delicious. The rage, the anger, the… sense of failure, they all came together to make it feel alive.
Alive!!! How it so much wanted to be alive again – to touch, to feel, to experience every emotion possible. The entity giggled to itself as it thought, “ Soon, I will take what is rightfully mine. Soon, I will return in the flesh to this world, for I am the Midnight Man and I cometh, ” the Midnight Man’s thought took a more sinister tone, “ and no one will be able to stop me .”
***
“You need to ask me a question,” stated Shadow Killer, taken aback.
“Yes,” replied Andrew Moore.
“Well, then... ask.”
“What was Hubert Mancer really like?” asked Peter.
Shadow Killer studied both men, carefully. “Why?”
Andrew Moore took a deep breath. “The Cult of Mancer has gone through many changes. We started out as a warrior cult with Sir Richard Heart as our leader.”
“I am aware of that.”
“He and the
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