gifVolksmärchen: 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.