Volksmärchen: The Soldier and DeathChapter Three: The Healing Glass Weeks have past since The Soldier beat the demons at a game of cards. Renovations were made to the abandoned palace immediately. First off, the tattered paintings were removed, and replaced with blessed icons and crosses. Second, the skeletons, hides, and bloodied torture instruments were removed, given the proper burial to those unlucky enough to lose to the demonic card games. Third, the glass windows were replaced, as well as the exterior being cleaned up of plants growing on the bricks, making the castle as good as new, as if the demonic invasion never happened to begin with. A week after renovating the once abandoned palace and blessing the domain with a holy presence, The Soldier came to the Tsar, and the Soldier told the Tsar about his time in the Great Demon War, as well as exorcising the final demon stronghold, just by playing a mere game of cards with the demons, winning against them. The Tsar was very impressed with The Soldier's heroic feats. “Thank you very much for blessing that abandoned palace. Stay here and live with me. I shall treat you as if your were my son.” “You welcome.” The Soldier said as he bowed to the Tsar. “I appreciate you taking me in as if I was your son. I feel very blessed.” A year later, after fixing up the abandoned palace and being invited to live with the Tsar, The Soldier decided to settle down, getting married, and starting a family of his own. The Soldier was married to a well to do Slavic Lady. She was a fine woman with long blonde hair tied into a plait, green eyes, a smaller height than the soldier, and would usually wear a red and gold kokoshnik headdress combined with a white veil. Her dress was a long flowing red and gold sarafan gown with a white, long sleeved blouse underneath. Another year later, The Soldier and his wife were blessed with having a son from God. Their son was a tiny infant, with wispy blonde hair, grayish blue eyes, a pretty, but toothless smile, skin the color of a pale pink blossom, and wore a white baby nightgown, wrapped tightly in some swaddling blankets. “I hope our son will have a long, healthy life.” Said The Soldier's Wife, as she cradled the infant son in her arms. “Our son even has your eyes oh dear husband.” “I bet our son will grow up into a fine man.” Said The Soldier, as he lightly pets the hair of his infant son. “I bet he will make a fine general, working his ranks up to royal retainer one day.” So the Soldier's son had a rather happy childhood growing up, with two loving parents, a doting grandpa figure being the Tsar, and all the wealth inherited by his parents that can at least last a long time. Everyone had it made....Or....So they thought. As The Soldier's son was eight years old, they young boy fell under a foul illness. An illness so foul, the poor boy was bedridden, drowsy, and had quite a nasty fever. “Mama.... Papa....” The Soldier's son groaned in weariness. “When... Are the doctors....gonna come?” The Soldiers wife started to shed tears at looking at her sickly son. Then she looks over at The Soldier, and said so glumly, “I don't get it. We gave this kid some medicine made from the finest of all healing herbs, and he is still sick in bed.” “I don't get it.” The Soldier said in a solemn tone of voice. “Hopefully the doctors will have a solution. They are coming here on the way as we speak.” “I hope you are right about this dear Husband.” The Soldier's wife said quietly. “I pray for things to work out in the end.” The doctors put down their medical instruments, after using them to examine the young boy. “I'm sorry dear Lord and Lady, but there is nothing we can do to help your son.” The Soldier's Wife burst into tears, and The Soldier was both racked with sorrow and disappointment. “What do you mean you cannot help our son Doctor?” The doctors shook their head, with the lead doctor telling the parents, “Try getting priests and holy men to check your Son out. Maybe they can heal him.” “I'm sorry our Lord, but we cannot heal your son either.” The Church Bishop said solemnly, as he shook his head, sighing sadly. “Your child has come down with something that is beyond our control. Forgive us.” The Soldier did what he can to hide how disgruntled he was becoming, while the Soldier's Wife started to cry a bit. “We got to do something! We cannot let our son be like this!” There, The Soldier called out for Rabbis to come and heal their son. Sadly, they too, were powerless againt their Son's sickness. The head Rabbi told the couple, “I'm sorry, there is nothing we can do to banish your son's illness either. I'm afraid you just have to wait if your son gets better on his own....Or....” “That's enough!” The Soldier cried out. “There must be something we can do...Right?” Now it has come down to the last resort, or so The Soldier and His wife thought. There, a gloomy mortician entered the room, carrying a hideous measuring stick in his hands. “How big will the coffin be for your young one? Let's see.....” “ENOUGH! ENOUGH!” Both the Soldier and his Wife cried out in both sorrow and rage. “Get out! Get out now, or else.....!” The Soldier yelled, making the mortician jump back in shock, almost dropping his vile measuring stick. “Fine, very well...” The mortician said in a glum voice, while he leaves the family alone to deal with the horrid situation unfolding before them. “We have done everything we can dear Husband.” The Soldier's wife said in a solemn tone. “My lips are tired from praying, we have been using a lot of our money. What are we to do?” The Soldier looks around the room and notices the demon's hand perched on a shelf just below the window sill. The clawed part of the demon's hand was laid flat on the shelf, while out of the once bloody stump, flowers grew from it. The flowers were in the colors of coal black, deep crimson red, and a poisonous shade of purple. The flowers looked lovely, but smelled foul, like brimstone being set a blaze. All of a sudden, an idea sprung from the mind of The Soldier, remembering what happened at the formerly abandoned palace many years ago. The Soldier snapped his fingers, and calls out, “Yes, I remember now, I have a demon servant, as proof of his severed hand over on the shelf. Demon, oh Demon, where are you? I command you to come forth at once!” The Demon's severed hand started to shake and quiver, with its fingers tapping the shelf and a foul stench filling the room. Right there, before The Soldier and his family, the duck billed demon appeared before them. The demon was now wearing tattered burlap rags, while a gray metal claw replacing the severed claw in The Soldier's possession. “What do you desire oh dear master?” The Demon said as calmly as he could, trying everything to hide his nervousness and discomfort around The Soldier. The Wife's eyes widened in fear, as she stifled a scream and hid behind her husband. The Soldier's Son took one look at the demon, and started to cry, bury his face in his blankets, and let out quiet sobs of fear looking at the creature. The Son quietly cried out from the blankets, “No...No....(sniff) (sob)I'm not going to Hell, am I? I'm scared (sob)(sob)!” The Demon forced out a very nervous laugh, noticing the frightened reactions of The Soldier's Wife and Son. “Heh heh heh! I see your wife and son has never seen in a demon in the flesh before, have they? Don't worry, there is nothing to fear my lady and son, I am here to serve The Soldier. What is it that you need Master?” “Oh please, save my son's life!” The Soldier said urgently. “He is sick and we tried everything we can to find a cure for his illness. Can you help oh Demon?” “Why, yes! Yes I can help your son get better Master.” The Demon said as he dug out a red drawstring bag concealed in his rags. He holds the bag in his metal right hand, while pulling out an object with his left hand. What The Demon pulled out, was an immaculate glass crystal vial with crystal clear water inside. “Here Master, I want you and your family to have this special vial.” “What is this vial?” The Soldier asked his demon servant. “It is the healing glass. Inside the vial, There is healing water that never runs out dry, no matter how many times you use it.” The Demon said, as he pointed down at the Son's feet. “Look through the healing glass, and you will see what is wrong with your son.” The Soldier looked through the healing glass, and saw an alarming image. It was a little old woman, resembling a living mummy. Her thin, stringy hair, was bone white, her wrinkly skin a pallid warm gray color, and wore a pitch black robe, and a pitch black hooded cloak. The Soldier knew what to make of this unsettling image. “Well Master....What is it you see? You look very alarmed Master.” The demon servant asked. “I see Death standing at the foot of my son's bed.” The Soldier replied in a concerned tone of voice. “What is the meaning of this?” The Demon looks through the glass with The Soldier, explaining to him, “If Death is standing at his feet, then, your son can be healed. If Death stands at your son's head, then Death shall claim your son's soul. Now take this healing glass and sprinkle the healing water onto your son.” The Soldier took the healing glass from the demon, opened it, and sprinkle healing water onto his sick Son. Right there, through the glass, Death started to fade away, going somewhere else to claim ailing souls. The Soldier's son was now healed, and looked like his typical bright, cheerful self. “Father! Mother! I'm not sick anymore!” The Son cheered out in relief. “YAY!” The Soldier and his Wife cheered in unison, with The Soldier picking up his son to hug him, and then, puts him down on the bed. The Soldier stares at the healing glass, as he was ready to make a bargain for it. “Let's settle the deal here. I will have the healing glass, while you can have your right hand back. You are free now, you hear?” The Soldier's Wife goes over to the shelf under the window, and carries The Demon's severed right hand to the creature. She hands the Demon his severed hand, with the Demon happily taking it from the woman's grasp. “Yes! Yes! I am free now!” The Demon cheered out in relief. As he was ready to leave, The Demon noticed the foul smelling blossoms growing from the stump, admiring their beauty. “Oh yes, what lovely flowers. Wait until I show this to my family in hell!” As The Demon left for hell, The Soldier had a new missions on his hands: To travel the world, putting the healing glass to good use. Curing as many living beings as he can.Volksmärchen: The Soldier and Death 02Chapter Two: A Game of Cards So the soldier makes his way into the abandoned palace, he was still quite confident and fearless, knowing God and the holy mother was on his side. Inside the abandoned place, there were broken windows, paintings with the people's eyes being shredded out, broken sculptures, strange leather pelts, and bejeweled human skeletons decorating the foreboding place. Most people would have made their way out of the palace, even if it was daytime, but not the Soldier. For the morbid environment is sparking his curiosity more than ever. The soldier made his was to the biggest abandoned saloon from within the palace. As the soldier sits down, he puts on his holy ring, puts his blessed scythe on the table, pulled out his deck of cards, and sets the blessed potato sack by his side. “Well, what a cheery place....” The soldier said to himself in a rather sarcastic tone, as he lit his favorite tobacco pipe. “Now....All I have to do, is wait for nightfall.... For that time of day, the demons are at their finest strength.” The soldier smokes his pipe, with the occasional practices with his hands at cards, until the sun has set, and darkness sets in. It was now night time. The Soldier light up a nearby lamp, as he continues to practice his hand at cards. He turns around to look at the night sky outside of one of the broken windows, thinking to himself, “Ah yes, anytime now....” Inside the huge palace, the bells of an old abandoned clock starting to ring loudly, indicating that it is now midnight. The soldier gathers up his deck of cards, as a terrifying sight appears before his eyes. Many demons scurry up the castle, and made such turmoil and row, setting up the dance with wild, sinister music. The demons all came in many different shapes and sizes, some looked humanoid, some looked part animal, or part plant, while others looked like they were made of part machines as well. Most normal, mortal human beings would flee in terror if they saw this many demons come for them, but not the soldier. He was feeling blessed with these sacred gifts from the beggars, as he felt safe with God by his side, protecting him from such unclean spirits. “Welcome dear soldier....” A huge, toad like demon said to the soldier. “Why hello.” The soldier replies back in a calm demeanor to the demons. “Why hello! OH HO HO HO HO!” The demons laughed in sinister delight. “Want to play a game of cards with me?” The soldier said smugly. “Hmmmm....what shall we play for?” “Let's play for your soul!” A older fish like demon hisses in delight, as he licks his maw and rubs his hands in delight. “I want to play for your teeth!” A plant like demon cheers in a sinister tone. “My Missus just loves it when I bring back teeth for her.” “I want to play for his heart, lungs, and liver!” A duck like demon exclaims. “These are the perfect things to keep my family fed.” “Now, dear Soldier, what shall you play for?” A red old man demon with a pointy nose and missing teeth asks the soldier. Right before The Soldier's eyes, a group of imps started to bring out barrels of silver, gold, and precious jewels. The gems, jewels and precious metals were quite a lovely sight for such sore eyes, it seems very irresistible to The Soldier. He dare not say no to such beauty and prosperity. A grin forms on The Soldier's weary face, as he points to the barrels, saying, “I will play for every last bit of silver, gold and precious jewels.” All the demons in the room burst out cackling maniacally. They applaud and cheer at The Soldier's decision. A bird like demon then starts to ask the soldier, “Do you have a deck of cards?” “Of course!” The Soldier said as he pulls out the deck of cards the elderly beggar gave to him. “I have a set ready! Now, let's play then.” The Soldier dealt his first round. The demons played a game out with the soldier, but much to their dismay, The Soldier won. “Looks like I win this hand my fellow dark ones.” “No....NO! This cannot be!” A plant like demon cried out, as he tried, but failed, to cheat at the game. “But I don't get it....Snort Snorf!” A swine demon groveled and grunted. “We cheat, we fail...Grunt.” “We play honestly, we fail too!” screeched the red old man demon. “Not far....NOT FAIR! WAAH!” The demons started to cry out the ugliest of ugly cries, fuming the most burning fumes of rage, and pounding their clawed fists on the table in their fits of wraith. Every hand being dealt, The Soldier kept on winning, while no matter what sleazy tactic they had in mind, the demons kept loosing. Now, the barrels of silver are in the hands of The Soldier. “Stop it now soldier!” The demons screeched in rage. “We still have barrels of gold and precious jewels.” Right there, a little boy imp was sent by his elders to fetch the gold and jewels for the next game. A new round of cards started. The Soldier kept on dealing hands with brimming confidence, while the demons were now sniveling wrecks, being lost in what to do next. With every winning hand by the soldier, the demons saw their dwindling supplies of riches ending up in his hands. Yet another game started, and the imps started searching around their lair, tripping over each other, in search of more of their riches. One boy imp cried out “It's no more use Grandpa! We have no more riches. It's over....WAAAAH!” “Oh this has to be some sort of sick joke? Right? RIGHT?” The Grandpa demon said in a voice of rage. All the imps shook their heads in dismay, ready to admit defeat. “We are not joking. The Soldier has bled us out of silver, gold and gems. It's hopeless!” “Well well, it looks like I won.” The Soldier said with a smile on his rugged face. “Let's call it a day, shall we?” “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” The demons screamed out in unison. The tallest demon, a swine demon, grabbed the table, flipping it into the air, breaking the table too, sending cards flying all over the place. The pig demon then said in a venomous rage, “No! We are not going down this easy! We are going to tear you up, limb to limb! Attack! GRUUUNT!” “Well well, we shall who has the upper hand.” Said The Soldier, as he pulls out his enchanted sack. “You know what I am holding here? Hmmmmm?” “It's a......” The demons stuttered. “A SACK!” "Well, in you all go, by God's own spell!" And he collected them all together—so many you couldn't count them all! Then the soldier buckled the bag tightly, and then, an idea popped into The Soldier's mind. The Soldier looked half across the room her played cards, and noticed something rather sinister. On the wall of the room, there were various torture instruments hanging on the wall, with crusty blood still caked on some of them. The soldier went over to the wall of torture instruments, and picked up a metal mallet, while putting the bag of demons onto a metal table made to strap in unfortunate prisoners. “Let us out! Ya hear! Let us out now....Or else....!” The demons cried out in rage and fear, being trapped helplessly in the enchanted sack. “Not before I have a little fun with you all.” The Soldier said in a mocking tone. Right there, The Soldier swung the mallet into the air, smashing it down on the bag of demons, making the foul fiends cry out in agony. He swing the mallet on to the sack yet again, and the demons started wailing in pain. But as The Soldier was about to smash the mallet onto the sack once more, the church bells nearby started to ring, thus, the crack of dawn was on the horizon, making the demons panic even more within the sack. “Please! Please! LET US OUT AT ONCE!” Just as The Soldier was about to untie the draw string, he said this to the demons in a stern tone of voice, “I will let you all out, but on one condition. You will never ever step foot inside this palace ever again. Correct?” “Yes! Yes! We will never come back ever again!” A duck billed demon said in fear. “Just let us out at once!” A fish like demon cried out. With the untying of the draw string, the demons started to flee the abandoned palace in a state of panic. They all flew, crawled, ran, and slithered away as fast as possible, down to the deep pit of Hades from which they came.....Well, except for one. The Soldier grabs the right hand of a black duck billed demon in brown clothes, holding on tightly to the demon as much as possible. The demon cries out, “No! No! Let me go! Let me go! I have a family waiting for me back at home!” The Soldier nodded his head, as he picked up the holy sickle with his freed hand, saying, “I will only let you go, on one condition. You will serve me at my beck and call, until I have no more use for you anymore.” “Fine! FINE! I will serve you!” The duck billed demon cried out. “But first, I need proof of your servitude before letting you go.” The Soldier said, as he held the scythe above him. The demon's eyes widened with fear, wondering what The Soldier meant as proof of his servitude. But the demon was soon to get his answer. With one fell swoosh, The Soldier chopped off the demon's right hand. Since this was a holy sickle, the holy powers cauterized the wounded stump of the demon, so he will not bleed out blood nor sulfur mist. The demon looked at his stump, and yelped out, “My hand! My right hand!” “Now begone unholy one!” The Soldier said as the demon started to flee. “And don't forget where you left your right hand. Finally, as all the demons left the palace in fear, The Soldier heard the voices of men, and the footsteps from the stairways. The men were two of the Tsar's soldiers and the Innkeeper. The Innkeeper was the first to speak. “I told that man that he stood no chance against the demons. But no, he decided to be a hero, and try to exorcise the palace.” “Up here! Up here!” The Soldier yelled out to the men climbing the stairs. The men look shocked and relieved at the sound of The Soldier's voice. “You alive? How? How is that possible. As the men got done climbing the stairs, they were impressed with what they saw. They saw The Soldier wearing a huge grin on his face, surrounded by barrels of riches he won from the demons. The Innkeeper and the Tsar's men were impressed with The Soldier's victory over the demons. The Soldier said to them, holding up the severed hand of a demon, “I even have proof of the demon's defeat. This claw, is proof of the fiend's servitude to me.” “Wow....WOW! HOORAH! HOORAY!” The Tsar's men and the Innkeeper cheered in glee. “Thank the Lord for your service oh dear Soldier! Now, let's get started with fixing up the palace, so it can be once more be suitable for housing.” The Soldier felt blessed by God by what he has accomplished. Tomorrow, will be a new beginning for him after years battling The Great Demon war.gif