Verena was at a party for the cheerleading squad and anyone they decided to bring along. Verena’s boyfriend Hunter was with her.

“Lumpy could be our mascot,” said Hunter.

“That clay golem?” said Kimmy. “I know Tiggy tamed it somehow, but it’d look awful.”

“Hmm. We’ll see,” said Verena.

Hunter went to get a bowl of punch.

At that moment, she noticed Amber arrive, with Don. The same poor Don who had a bad case of eczema.

“Uh oh…” said Kimmy.

“What’s uh oh?” asked Verena.

Amber was talking loudly.

“Fooled you, Don!” Amber said. “As if I’d really ask you out! Only if I lost a bet.”

A few of the other girls giggled, but Verena and Kimmy did not.

“I really hoped Amber wouldn’t pull a stunt like this,” said Kimmy.

Amber pointed at Don. “Real men don’t cry!”

Don’s eyes were tearing up.

Verena felt her jaw tighten in anger. She stalked over to Amber. “What d’you think you’re doing?” she shouted.

“Just a joke, your highness,” said Amber with a smirk and a mock curtsey.

Verena breathed through her nose. “I can’t have this behaviour. You’re off the team.”

“You can’t do that!” screeched Amber.

“She can. I think she has that prerogative as captain,” said Kimmy.

Don was walking quickly away, so Verena ran after him. “Don, wait…”

She caught Don by the arm and propelled him to a bare side room furnished with a single bench.

She sat down beside him. “Don’t worry about Amber, Don. She was brought up in a barn, clearly.”

“I’ve tried everything you know,” said Don. “Even steroid creams. But nothing works.”

“Oh Don, no one with any brains holds eczema against you!” said Verena. “It’s nothing to a great guy like you!”

“Everyone thinks I’m scary before they get to know me,” said Don. “I don’t feel normal.”

Verena patted his arm. “Don… dear… I know you’re normal. Remember that my sister was technically fathered by an ogre, and I love her dearly no matter what. Your condition is something you cannot help and it’s neither here nor there as far as I’m concerned.”

Don managed a weak chuckle. “You ought to be queen, not just queen cheerleader.”

“Queen,” said Verena. “Huh. Yeah. Only by marrying a king.”

00O00

Sully Heliot boldly set forth out onto the wilderness. It was a desolate place. The planes were bare and windswept. There wasn’t even any vegetation. Not a tree. Not a bush. Not even a blade of grass.

“There are ghosts out here, and strange rumours,” said the bracelet in its tiny voice. “It is said that if you travel the wilderness for long enough, you will be able to visit the ancient villages such as Kallinaga. Kallinaga is the birth place of mages and a place where the secrets of the Winds of Death can be found. Now watch out for ghosts.”

“I fear no ghost,” said Sully with a sneer. Ahead there was a gorge which looked like it had once been a river bed, but the river had long since run dry. The broken remains of a bridge stood at the edge of the gorge.

“Excuse me…” said a voice.

In a trice, Sully had drawn his blade and whirled around, but there was no one there.

“I fear no ghost…” he repeated.

“So you keep saying,” said the bracelet. “But time is not fixed here. You may find yourself lost in the distant past.”

The wind picked up with a rushing sound until there was a maelstrom all around. Bright colours flashed. Golds, greens and blues. Sully was buffeted this way and that. He lashed out with the sword, but there was nothing tangible within reach of his blade.

“Behold. You’re taking a trip back,” said the bracelet.

The scene around was now completely different. It was a hot summer day, and Sully stood on a path paved with brand new flag stones, surrounded by boundless grassy plains. The dry gorge had become a great river that splashed and thundered as it rushed along, sparkling in the sunlight. Sully thought he saw a narwhal briefly surface and then slip out of sight. The bridge was now intact; a great edifice made of smooth white stone. Sully crossed cautiously.

On the other side, there was more grassy plains, separated by a wide road. The thundering of a cart could be heard in the distance. Sully raised his sword, and the cart drew nearer. The cart was drawn by two horses and driven by a hooded figure.

The cart drew nearer still. Sully stood tensed, ready for battle. The stench of death emanated from the cart…

The rider stopped and threw back her hood. She was a muscular blond woman, with a tight-fitting leather jerkin. “Hello!” she said. “I’m the Butcher of the steppes. I have all kinds of meat for sale. Oliphant steak, buffalo meat, a large portion of shark… anything take your fancy?”

The cart was full to the brim of wrapped packages of raw meat, which really stank in the noonday sun.

“I’ll relieve you of your wares in an instant” said Sully.

“You’re going to rob her, aren’t you?” said the bracelet in its tiny voice. “Can’t you ever, just once, actually pay for something?”

“Well alright,” said the Butcher. She picked up a package wrapped in vellum. “Oliphant steak. Fifteen copper pieces.”

She held it out and Sully grabbed at it. She held it firm in both hands. “Money,” she said firmly.

“I’ll take it over your dead body,” said Sully and he waved his sword.

“No chance,” said the Butcher. “Fifteen copper pieces or nothing.”

“You will die!” said Sully.

The Butcher’s blue eyes flashed in anger and she raised a cleaver. “Are you threatening me?”

“What did it sound like?” said Sully. “You are a feeble woman. I am the most renowned Adventurer there is.”

He brought the sword down in an arc, but the Butcher countered with surprising skill and his blade crashed on her cleaver.

Her blue eyes gleamed. “Scoundrel! Stop this now, or I’ll feed your body to the friendly ogre. He’s sworn off killing people now, but he would still eat a corpse.”

“I am a proud Giant Slayer,” said Sully with a sneer. “I will add your ogre to my body count.”

“She’s going to lunge at you,” squeaked the bracelet.

Sully took a defensive stance, and the Butcher’s cleaver clashed against his blade again.

The battle raged on, neither gaining the upper hand. Once again the Butcher lunged, but Sully parried the blow. She was sweating. “I’m too old for this,” she complained.

Sully lunged, and by great good fortune, knocked the cleaver out of her hand.

“Are you going to kill me?” asked the Butcher, her eyes wide.

Not wasting words, Sully cut her throat and ruby blood spurted forth. Her body slid to the ground.

“This place has a real stench of death now,” said the bracelet.

Sully quickly gathered up some haunches of raw meat and then hurried off over the plains.

“There is a shrine nearby,” said the bracelet. “I sense something… a supernatural presence… the stuff of mythology.”

Sully pushed his way through a copse of trees and bushes and arrived at a cliff face. On the cliff face, there was a carving of a reclining god. The eyes seemed to be watching him…

Someone came crashing through the undergrowth nearby. It was a woman with a very large belly. She was waddling towards the cliff face.

“Greetings, corpulent woman,” said Sully smirking.

“She’s pregnant,” said the bracelet.

“Help me sit,” said the pregnant woman, breathing heavily.

“Seat yourself,” snapped Sully.

The woman carefully sat herself down. “I’m Hanna.”

Sully ignored her.

Hanna pointed at the carving. “That’s Nasmus. God of peace. I’m not a worshipper of his, but lately I’ve found this place very soothing. It’s time to rest. The god is watching us.”

Sully turned back to the carving of Nasmus. The eyes were staring at him, there was no doubt about it. With a prickle of unease, he realised he was becoming drowsy. The eyes of the carving were mocking him, daring him to blink!

And blink he did.

“So, you come to my shrine seeking answers.” The god’s voice echoed in Sully’s mind! “You are on a quest to slay monsters.”

“What of it?” demanded Sully.

“You see that woman asleep near your feet?” said Nasmus.

Hanna was asleep, resting propped up against a hillock. There was a look of serenity on her face and her cheeks seemed to glow.

“Of course I can see her. I’m not blind,” said Sully.

“She will give birth to a monster that will in time give rise to a whole creche of horrors,” said Nasmus. “You know you have travelled back in time. I am a god and can see how events will unfold. If you kill her now you can stop a line of mutants from coming to be.”

Sully raised his sword at once. Hanna’s eyelids fluttered and she awoke. “What…?”

Sully brought his sharp blade down in a sweeping arc…

And then he awoke.

He was seated before the carving of Nasmus. The eyes of the carving were watching him. Hanna sat nearby, breathing gently. She was still sleeping. So the whole episode had been a dream. Had he not really heard the god’s voice?

Hanna’s eyelids fluttered and she awoke.

“The god provides tranquil slumber, stranger,” said Hanna. “Are you rested?”

“I am not,” said Sully.

“Well the visions the god gives can be disturbing to some,” said Hanna. “The peace the god stands for has more than one meaning. One of his gifts is peaceful slumber, but another is peaceful death. Is this god beneficent? Is he not? Who am I to say whether he is or not? I’m sorry you’re not well rested, but I am. I’ll be going back to Kallinaga now. It’s a short distance away to the west. Everyone is welcome to visit.”

She stood and waddled away into the trees.

Sully found his gaze drawn back irresistibly to the carving. The voice of Nasmus echoed in his head…

“So. You would strike down a pregnant woman just because a god says she will give birth to a monster. Interesting. Even when a god is lying, you would unthinkingly strike down an innocent woman on his instructions.”

“You are a lying god,” snapped Sully.

“Yes, I am a lying god,” said Nasmus. “But take a gift for following my suggestion without question.”

Sully felt himself re-energised and his limbs infused with a new strength.

“Go. Leave this place,” said Nasmus.

Sully hastened to leave the shrine and pushed his way through the trees until he re-joined the path.

“You are a piece of work and no mistake…!” said the bracelet.

“I did not ask for your opinion, wretched trinket,” said Sully. “Now westwards for the answers I seek.”

Soon Sully came to a small village encircled by a high fence made of wooden poles. He stalked through a gap between the posts.

“The well known east entrance,” chattered the bracelet.

The village consisted of a number of low, wooden buildings. In the middle of the buildings was a firepit around which a small group of villagers were sitting. Sully recognised Hanna sitting beside a young man. He plumped himself down beside them.

The villagers were passing around a joint of roast meat and each of them were taking a portion from it. When Sully received it, he took the entire thing and ate it all himself. No one stopped him. The meat was tender and slightly charred. It sufficed for a meal. He took the opportunity to roast the meat stolen from the Butcher on the firepit. Now it would serve for provisions on the journey back.

“Welcome to Kallinaga, stranger,” said the young man beside Hanna. “You may stay as long as you wish. Kallinaga is a peaceful place and it will endure forever.”

“Ha! I doubt it!” Sully remembered the desolate, windswept planes of his own time. “What can you tell me of the Winds of Death?”

“Rumours,” said the young man. “It is said that in the caves to the north there is a sleepless malice… an evil contained.”

“How can I reach the caves?” demanded Sully.

“I would not want to send you into danger,” said the young man.

“Just answer the question,” snapped Sully.

“Through the north exit,” said the young man.

“Please stranger, do not go that way,” said Hanna. “You can stay here, where it’s safe.”

The sun was setting. “Time to sleep,” said Hanna. “I do need a lot of rest now my little one grows inside me. We sleep in a communal dormitory.”

“Ugh! How squalid!” said Sully.

“At least we don’t lack companionship,” said the young man. He and Hanna held hands and rose to their feet. They went to a long, low wooden building and Sully followed. In the building there were rows of hammocks. One hammock was free. As the villagers all bunked down, Sully remained awake until he was sure they were all asleep. Then he arose and quickly began to relieve the sleeping villagers of their valuables. A pouch of copper pieces here, an apple there… None of them had anything of great value. Then he slipped out of the dormitory and made for the north exit. Beyond the fence that marked the perimeter of the village he found a rough and pitted dirt path that led to a cave, a gaping hole in the cliff face.

“Do you dare enter?” said the bracelet. “The Winds of Death are here.”

“I dare anything,” said Sully.

He went through the cave entrance, using a flame gem from Firestorm Isle to light the way. These marvellous gems glowed red in dark places. The darkness was oppressive and the gem was just a single point of ruby light. The tunnel was narrow and the rocky walls and ceiling were close. It almost felt as though the weight of the cliff above was bearing down.

“In there,” said the bracelet. Another tunnel led off the main tunnel. This new tunnel led to a small cavern, the rocky floor of which was covered in soft white sand. The walls were carved with strange symbols. A whirlwind… a crowd of stick figures fleeing from it…

An urn stood propped up against the rocky wall. It was screwed shut.

“Dare you unleash the horror inside?” asked the bracelet.

Sully kicked the urn and there was a sound like the rushing of air. The top of the urn flew off and there was a blast that sent the sand flying. Then a funnel of air formed above the floor of the cavern, sucking the sand into it. It was a tiny whirlwind. Ruby lights appeared to flash deep within it. What was this? Was it alive?

“Foul thing,” Sully began, “what manner of pestilence are you?”

Could the enigma hear him? Did it understand his words? Sully stepped back. The whirlwind swivelled round and came towards him, blasting the sand this way and that.

“The blasted landscape!” said the bracelet. “Only the magic background can contain this menace!”

Sully remembered the sketch he stole from the handless artist. The blasted landscape... Putting down the flame gem, he swiftly extracted the painting from his pack and held it out. Would the magic of the picture contain this strange peril?

The cavern seemed to shake. Sully gritted his teeth. He felt the reverberation through his entire being. Just as soon as they became unbearable, the reverberations stopped. The whirlwind had disappeared. Sully looked at the painting and now he saw it. The whirlwind was motionless on the canvas. A picture on the blasted landscape.

“The artist’s spell will contain it. But for how long?” said the bracelet. “When you emerge from these tunnels, you will return to the present.”

“I have the ultimate weapon,” said Sully. “Now I can bring down a giantess.”