The Haunts

Levy stood his ground and went straight into battle mode. Telling those in his group that he would keep the giant Hag goddess occupied. He looked over to his friends and believed that this was the moment he had been trained for. All those years in the other realm fighting monsters just so that he could return home to face the greatest threat of them all. One of his ancestors was a terrible god. A being so powerful that she entrusted a mysterious gift to his own linage, and now she wanted it back.

He asked Gilbert if he knew what Cailleach had wanted, but the old Bear just shrugged as he tried to scratch his back through the samurai armour he wore. "To be honest, Levy," Gilbert managed to hit the sweet spot of the itch with a stick and was in extasy."To be frank, Levy, I have no idea. While I was her servant, she never once mentioned a gift she gave to your delineation. Only she can tell you that."

"Fat chance of that." Levy stepped back, ready to jump up after dodging a tree that the giant hag threw at him.

Corvus Junior changed back into his human form next to Levy. "What do we do now? Everything we do is just pissing her off, and it's not even distracting her."

"First, abandon your attacks. Second, gather your siblings and find as much copper piping as you can find and bring it here." Levy nodded. "And don't dwaddle."

"And don't steal it," Gildbert said, waving his index finger at Corvis Junior.

"Oh whatever," He looked at Levy and winked before he took to the air in his crow form.

Corvus Junior flew over to see his siblings. After a brief parlay, the mob all flew off to fetch as much copper piping as they could find.

"You know he's going to steal it, right?"

"Whatever works." Levy shrugged. Now, if you excuse me." He bound forward, slashing and stabbing at Cailleach Bhéarach's giant Felsh golem as she taunted him.

Ah, there's that selfish little man!" She screatched. "Did you bring me my gift?" She willed her giant to backhand the poor crusader away. "Give it to me, or you and your little friends will all be crushed into oblivion!"

"I have your gift right here!"Levy went to run up the gaint goelm's arm with his sword out. "My sword to smite you with!"

Meanwhile, Gilbert decided that he was on the offensive and that it was better to try to get something potent from one of his many alchemy pocketbooks. He was quickly foraging around, trying to find any plants and herbs he could use to distract or thwart his old master from harming anyone else. He could see the Gaint Hag Goddess above the tree line and trembled. She was a ferocious beast capable of such terrible wrath.

The Hag God smacked poor Levy aside. His body, though armoured, landed hard into the bush and banged up against a tree. Winded, but the blow Levy

“Your gift?” Levy screamed through the storm. “Why didn't you just leave me and all that I've loved alone?” He used his free hand to wipe away the tears of rage. “How can I give you something if I don't know what it is that I have of yours?” He doged last second as Cailleach's gaint foot almost crushed him.

"Missed me." Levy stood up and gave her the finger.

Cailleach slid her bare foot over, and Levy flew in the air. As he landed hard and rolled across the forest floor, he glanced up and read Gilbert's face as he foraged. "Are you still pissed that Corvus' siblings are going to steal the copper ainctha?"

"Just don't make it right." Gilbert dropped the plant he was looking at. Disappointed that nothing in the park was going to help them defeat the Hag God.

"That's on you, my old friend. Right now, I've got a battle to win." Levy willed his accursed armour to thicken. "Now, if you excuse me, I must crush her to kingdom come."

"I guess I'll come along to help." Gilbert sighed as he followed Levy's lead.

It was during the third round of attacks that Levy noticed the sun rising in the distance. They had been fighting for many hours with little rest. Both were now nearing exhaustion, but neither of them had any intention of slowing down or retreating.

“You’ve gotten old,” she taunted between huffs as she continued to evade Levy's attacks. “Getting tired, old man?” She gave him a smirk, which set him off.

“I can still fight, you Hag!” He lunged out with his sword. “I’ve defeated monsters far worse than you in the Fantasmica realm. You might like it there when I severe your head off to rot.”

“What? And miss the chance to suck the bone marrow of the once great Levy Madison O’Rourke?” She mocked.

“You disgust me, fiend.” Levy jumped out of the way as she tried to snap at him with her mouth. He must’ve been tired by this point because she managed to catch hold of his arm between her teeth. Levy looked at her big head as it tried to penetrate, or at least compress, the armour he had on. Her tiny, jagged, razor-sharp teeth reminded him of those of a piranha or a shark. He looked into those small, inset, dead eyes that peered back at him, mocking him.

“Unhand me, you foul creature!” He brought the handle of his blade down on her massive forehead again and again until she pulled away. “You cannot harm me, so long as I have this armour on, witch!”

Instead of releasing him, she merely spun her head and let him go, and off he sailed high in the dawn’s early light.

“Well, you can’t blame me for trying!” She cackled as she disappeared from his line of sight.

Acting fast, Levy willed his armour to cover him and thicken over every part of his body so that he wouldn’t be crushed on impact. His protected body bounced off a massive pine tree, and then it continued to tumble downward, bashing against every thick branch in its path before he finally came crashing down against the thawing forest floor. For a few minutes, he lay in the freezing, wet muck before he pushed up and willed his armour to expose his head. He spat out a mouthful of blood before he stole a quick look around. From a distance, he spotted the giant searching for him. He felt both sore and exhausted, but not enough to make him postpone the final battle between him and Cailleach Bhéarach.

“My sword,” he said, looking down at his empty hands, and then, in a panic, he began to search for it. There wasn’t enough light yet, and knowing the properties of the sword, it had already reverted to a dagger the second it left his grasp.

With every step, his muscles wanted to lock up. With every heartbeat, his body grew sick with the poison he received from his own blade.

“What could possibly go wrong now?” He went through the bushes and then threw up what was left in his stomach. “I can’t die like this!”

“You won’t have to,” a squealing-sounding voice said from behind him.

It was the Hag Giant. She knelt down to grab him.

“I’m going to swallow you whole!”

“Not today, you’re not,” Levy willed his armoured gauntlet to expose his hand, and he held it upright. A light started to shine from the glyph on his palm like a holy beacon. The giant’s eyes began to water from the blindness, and then they shrivelled and burned.

“My eyes!” The giant and Cailleach howled.

“Huh! That large body you created could transfer its pain to you! It’s good to know that it can.”

Levy smirked as the Hag Giant staggered and bashed around in the surrounding forest, cursing him for being born.

“I should’ve come to you while you were still in your crib, little cur!”

I’ll bet you tried. Levy narrowed his gaze, but I know that Grandmamma made damn sure you never got through.

“I found your dagger!” Gilbert broke through the foliage from behind him and tossed it to Levy, who caught it in one smooth motion and then made the dagger blade change into a sword. A blue glow that came from it gave Levy an eerie, sickly look.

"I must get closer." Levy said as the giant wailed in pain, "To remove her head."

Gilbert came up to Levy. “Look! Her flesh golem is melting because of the light from your holy hand. Now if you can just focus that on Cailleach Bhéarach, then maybe you can finally put a stop to her reign of terror.”

“I know what I must do,” Levy said, turning away. “I want to remove her real head," he said as he started to walk, but his legs felt a little stiff and sore since his fall through the trees. He leaned on his sword like a cane.

"Look!" Gilbert pointed to a twilight sky. "They've returned!"

"About damn time," Levy panted.

Gilbert double-timed it to hurry off. “I’ll get Corvus junior and his siblings to slow her down.”

“You might want to hurry.” Levy held onto his stomach and grunted with discomfort. “Because I don’t think that I have much time left in this world.”

Gilbert baulked, “Oh?” He fumbled through his backpack and belt for something to keep Levy from succumbing to the poison. After a few minutes, his hand came up wet as he presented the Holy warrior with a handful of leeches. “Put these little bloodsuckers on the area of the cut while I concoct something to keep your heart going.”

Corvus junior flew in with his siblings through the morning sky in their bird forms. They cawed as they flapped around Haggian’s face. She swatted at them like they were gnats and cursed at them in ancient Gaelic. The crows then attacked her by pecking and slashing at her gaunt, exposed flesh with their sharp claws. Corvus junior momentarily became human, jumped down on the giant’s shoulder, and used his blade to carve a wound into her numbed flesh, just deep enough for him to insert a small copper pipe he and his siblings had pilfered from a nearby construction site.

Many of his equally brazen brothers and sisters followed suit. Some attracted the witch’s attention, while the others set about booby-trapping the giant’s body with copper piping. After the pipes were all in place, they ordered their youngest members of the clan to go and tell Levy that they were ready to leave, that they had done their part, and that Levy, the Holy Warrior, would have to do the rest.

Corvus Junior landed beside Gilbert and Levy and said, "My brothers and sisters are all going now.” The lad slapped Levy in the back. “Now I guess you’ll have to make her mad enough to call upon a lightning storm again.”

Levy panted as he nodded his head slowly up and down, but he made no eye contact.

“What the Heck is wrong with you?” Corvus Junior walked around Levy, sizing him up. “Please tell me that you’re not dying.”

Levy didn’t say a word, but Gilbert simply gave a single sad nod.

Corvus Junior ruffled his black feather cloak and said, "Fine! I guess I’ll do it then!” He went to grab Levy’s sword, but the man didn’t release it. Levy gave Corvus' son a sly glance.

“You look like crap, man. Your skin is turning all silvery blue.” Corvus Junior tilted his head.

“I can still do this.” Levy held up his sword and looked over the blade. “You get this weapon back the second she dies.”

"OK," Corvus Junior responded as he immediately transformed into his bird form and flew away. "If you need me to step in and take your place, just whistle."

At that, Levy turned and went to fight the giant hag goddess. “Hey, monster lady! Over here!”

The giant stopped in her search for him, slowly turned, and started to stomp towards him. Her beady eyes smouldered with smoke in their inset blackened sockets. “Ah, there you are, my little menace!” She let out a howling laugh after screeching. Her body had melted so severely that she left a gelatinous trail behind her.

“What? No storm to fight me with?” Levy brought his sword back and rushed forward.

“I shall grind you to a pulp!” She went to grab him, but her hands were squishy and soft. She couldn’t get a solid grip on him, which he was taking full advantage of. He then climbed up her softening flesh, and then...

As he went backward and sprawled on his back on the thawing ground, Levy expended all of his energy. The poisoned wound had become far too infected to overlook. Despite the sap that his Hell-born wood armour had thrived on instead of his blood, he could feel the poison scorching in his veins. He grasped his blade so tightly that his knuckles became white. Even though he couldn't feel the handle, he realized he wasn't going to have much time. Levy examined the two rings on each hand, then remembered what Gilbert had stated earlier: these two rings should never come into contact with one another.

Never.

He looked over at Gilbert and nodded his farewell.

Gilbert's eyes expanded, and he transformed into a white bear clothed like a 15th-century samurai warrior before turning tail and fleeing in the opposite direction. Levy grinned to himself, thinking Gilbert's pure form was as amusing as Corvus Junior had described. But he'd miss his life as a warrior. He reflected on Sheryl, his mother, and his grandmother and wondered whether there was a real heaven waiting for him. After all, he had seen and done much in the many realms; there had to be additional worlds and realms he hadn't discovered yet. Maybe this ultimate act will lead him to another eternal quest.

Perhaps…

Levy turned around just as the Giant’s head slowly came forward to swallow him whole, just as the two rings touched, and everything around them blossomed into a blinding white light.