Its been awhile since my pen has, (dare I say?) graced these pages. But I reopened this blog this morning and stuck with it until I had stamped every single entry of “The Demon Chronicles.” yep, all thirty seven of them. So to regain my perspective I went back and reread much of the later part of the series, and figured out some rather important things concerning this story.. And so I have started writing Episode Thirty Eight, hopefully It hasn’t lost any of its luster for me, because as I have rediscovered.. I really enjoy writing about this particular core of characters. And so without further hesitation I will once again pick up where the story left off on July 6th. Samantha Bliss and Team Alpha Live on.. Now if you will excuse me, I have some writing to do.

Long Live Threshold!.

~Scratch~

The Mist of Eastmarch.




When they find him lying there in the woods, the image seems so stark to her. He lay there, upper torso exposed above the mist, his lower extremities
beneath it. Almost like a blanket offering his lifeless corpse shelter from the unyielding chill that fills the air. Rays from the early morning sun flicker in the tree tops above the members of team Alpha as they silently move through their surroundings, weapons drawn, cautiously drifting through the second batch of corpses that they have found this morning. Klinger’s eyes carefully lock onto Samantha Bliss’s, she sees him hold up three fingers and slowly run them across his throat, she nods, leaning down she checks the dead male reds body at her feet, slowly, curiously she runs her finger tips across his now pink lips, his red skin is cold as ice, his eyes glazed over, now stare lifelessly up to the beckoning rays of sunlight.
“Team Alpha… Assemble.. Its okay guys.. She’s been gone for awhile.”
Priss appears at her side.
“He looks to be a captain Samantha, the two marks on his neck, sliced diagonally, they do that to themselves, they think it makes them look hard and tough. Like human males do with tattoos”
She doesn’t say anything to Priss but leans towards her, carefully watching for a reaction from Sil.
“He’s been dead for awhile now, at least for twenty four hours I’d say.”
Sil stares silently without emotion down at the body, until her eyes slowly rise to meet Samantha Bliss’s stare. Their eyes lock for a brief moment.
“She is some kind of warrior Angel.. Isn’t she Samantha?”
She stands upright and puts her hand on Sil’s shoulder.
“Sweetheart she hasn’t proved to me that she is ANY kind of Angel.”

Over.. Under.. In Between.



They have been scaling the sides of Eastmarch for two hours, the progress is slow but steady as they have encountered many trip wires and booby traps. It is still in the morning, and it is still very cold, and the occasional chirping of native birds is the only thing that tells them that there is anything at all living here. It is what J’Mac hears until something stops him in his tracks. He raises a closed fist and the entire team comes to a halt. Samantha Bliss moves up beside of him.
“You find something big man?’ She asks.
“Fresh tracks boss lady.. A varmint.. Of the two legged variety.”
Samantha looks on.
“They stop right here, but there are two different trails up.” she motions to Klinger. “Kling.. Take J’Mac, Roxx, Milo and Church, take the trail on the right, Priss , Ajax, Sil and I will take the left, move slow and watch for Bt’s and trip wires.. stay in contact give me a yell the second you find anything. Lifeguard, give Klinger a shout if you pick up any signatures in his path.”
The begin to slowly make their way to the right and no more than twenty five minutes in, Klinger and company find themselves with a shower of arrows raining down on them, with J’Mac taking one strait through the thigh. A second later Lifeguard is feeding him Intel.
“Picking up seven different heat signatures Klinger.. All human.. All above you twenty yards up.”
He motions to Church and Milo Tripper.
“Milo! get on the left flank behind that log give us some grazing fire along that ridge up there.. Church get out on the left anything you don’t recognize up there that’s moving Kill it.”
He barely gets the words out of his mouth before they are both in place and returning fire, he turns to Roxx who is helping J’Mac.
“Went strait through his cackys, he’s got a serious cut on his right thigh though, he’ll be ok.” she tells him.
“Think you can get to the top of this hill big man?”
J’Mac Grins..
“Does a bear chit in the woods Klinger?”

Waiting In The Weeds.



They come to a steep incline that is at a considerable angle, and scaling it will be a major undertaking, as there are many trees sprouting in different directions out its sides, space will be at a minimum. She gives a concerned look to Ajax. He tries to reassure her.
“I’ll give it a go boss lady.”
He begins to climb slowly up the steep incline but his massive frame betrays him, and soon the small more agile women of the group move out ahead of him. Samantha Bliss can almost sense what’s waiting for them at the top, and when she sees the form of a person standing at the very top of the hill she knows Morganna is watching for them. Priss moves out ahead of all of them and is the first to reach the top. Samantha Bliss hears her screaming at Morganna and from the sounds that echo down the sides of the mountain, she knows that they are fighting. Seconds later she reaches the summit to find Morganna stand over a fallen Priss, who is bleeding from a cut on her side. Morganna turns to face Samantha Bliss.
“Just step away Samantha, I don’t want to have to do this.”
She looks at Priss and then at Morganna, and then without even the slightest hesitation moves forward rather quickly.
“Samantha.. Please.. I don’t want to hurt you!”
Before the words escape her mouth Morganna already knows she has under estimated her, as Samantha Bliss easily eludes the first sweep of her blade, and drives her shoulder Hard into Morganna’s mid section knocking the wind from her lungs.. She is on the ground with a very angry Samantha Bliss pounding on her.. She knows.. No this one is different.. Not a red, knows how to fight.. The will and determination of a animal.. She’s human.. Not a red.. She knows how to hurt.. Not a red.. Certainly not an a Angel. She crawls away from Samantha’s onslaught trying desperately to reach her blade, she rolls onto her back and drives both feet into Bliss’s belly, sending her flying backwards over the side of the steep incline, she rolls twenty feet when a tree stops her fall. she is hurt by not seriously enough to keep her down. Morganna reaches her blade, and turns to find Sil waiting for her with her own blades drawn, not far behind her Ajax’s massive frame is nearing the top.
“You just don’t ever stop do you? What? Do I have to kill all of you?”
Sil’s steel blue eyes do not even blink. She moves forward. Morganna swings.. And with a speed she has never seen, Sil blocks her attempt with one blade while slicing through Morganna’s mid section with the other. She staggers and moans and looks at Sil in utter disbelief.
“You hear that bitch? my boy Ajax will be here soon, and what I don’t cut out of you he will tear to pieces with his bare hands.”
She sees Ajax’s hands clutch the side of the hill, and right beside of him is Samantha Bliss, and Morganna again surprises them by turning and fleeing into the woods with Sil right behind her.

Scratch ABT Copyright© 2007.

I found some really at Doobix.com

Eastmarch.



At first he doesn’t see Maako standing in the clearing, and when it comes to him, Basir realizes that this latest venture has met with much the same fate as the last. Maako is alone battered and bloody, as he stumbles down the winding mist covered path. He makes it another ten feet before he falls, rolling down the path as he goes before coming to rest at Basir’s feet. He raises his head to study the mist laden mountain top, yet another failure, he thinks to himself, he motions for two guards to help Maako to his feet.
“Help him to my chambers.” he tells them, his gaze solemnly returning to the steep hillside. His second Mulkai, appears at his side also looking up in disbelief.
“And he alone survived once again Milord?”
He does not respond, he stares blankly at his second, before turning to leave, leaving Mulkai to the privacy of his thoughts.

Misty Mountain top.



He studies Maako, silently mulling over every word, as if looking for signs of deceit.
“Most cold and foul these mountains called Eastmarch Milord, treachery abounds on these path’s, they were laden with traps of every sort.”
“Did you not send out scouts in advance as I requested?”
“Yes Milord.. We stayed off of the paths as much as the terrain would allow, but when we sent scouts to clear the way, they were met with ill begotten fates. Murdered they were.”
“Murdered?.. By whom Maako?”
“The humans of course.. steel shafts shot through their throats and other places.. Silent as the air Milord, all we heard were their screams through the mist. We saw nothing.. Murderers Milord.. Murder most foul.”
Basir turns once again to face his second in command Mulkai.
“It is winter here Basir.. Whoever is up there knows the terrain far greater than anyone we will send to their deaths, we are sadly falling short of capable bodies, so how do you wish to proceed?”
“Every ounce of intelligence that we have tells us that the third piece of the stone is here” he pauses. “Or more importantly up there, the people up there aren’t murderers Mulkai, the are hunters, they are people that have lived here their entire lives, they rear their children here in these cold forbidding mountains. We are nothing more to them than intruders, but rest assured.. There is no turning back, no going back the way we arrived, we leave with the stone or we all die here.”
He dismisses them and returns to his table slowly opening the journal that he has been keeping, one that will no doubt be cut short by his own impending death.
“My fate is most certain, I will be returning to hell’s fiery unkempt depths very soon, most certainly not in the same way the I have arrived at this cold dark place. I will give this short life that was never really mine, for this great cause in which I truly never believed. my fate it would seem, is as sealed as of those sent before me. Most certain death awaits me here, and it is in this stark, brutal realization that I find but one regret, That I never truly lived.”

Waiting for Fate



It is in the very early morning hours when Basir, Mulkai and Maako find themselves with six more soldiers about to embark up the sides of the mountain called Eastmarch. They have decided to take it slow at first allowing themselves plenty of time to make their way around any obstacles that might present themselves, they are trying a different path than the seven other failed expeditions up the mountain side have taken. They get one hundred yards in when they face their first serious obstacle, a large fallen tree is forcing them back out onto the main path, and right into the line of fire of any possible snipers waiting in the tree tops. They are ten feet onto the path when the first of several steel arrows slices through Mulkai’s jugular vein sending blood splatter in every conceivable direction. Everyone in almost complete unison lower their bodies to the ground, at that same instant the two lead scouts blindly stumble across a trip wire bringing a long tree trunk with wooden spikes protruding from it, swinging directly into them at full force, it strikes their bodies with a low but muffled thump, its momentum carries them up into the air with it, their screams fill the misty morning air. more blood splatter.. Followed by more arrows. Two more soldiers lay ten feet from Basir, one has three shafts sticking out of him two in his throat. He doesn’t see or hear anything, he certain that he is now alone. Basir slowly crawls back behind a stump he sees that there is however two soldiers left, they are off to his right side, crouched behind a tree, the air falls strangely silent, it is mere seconds later when he detects the sounds of footfalls against crumpled leaves coming down the path towards him. Slowly, through the mist a form begins to take shape.. The two remaining soldiers step into the path.. The reflection of sunlight off of a cold steel blade splashes through the mist as it slices the torso of the first red completely in half. Only time for one shot.. The second fumbles with his gun but the steel blade has found him, removing his head, it flies slowly into the air rolling to a stop mere inches from Basir’s feet. “Most certain death awaits me here, and it is in this stark, brutal realization, that I find but one regret, that I never truly lived.” he scuffs his boot heels into the loose soil driving himself backwards against the tree, but it is when he sees the form of the tall raven haired woman step through the mist and into view that he knows its over.

Scratch. ABT Copyright © 2007.

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Faith's Fire.



They are in a dimly lit room, there are candles everywhere, her young eyes closed tightly against the dim light as if trying to desperately lock out a bad dream. There is a stern female voice that seems to surround her, it pulls her young mind in every direction, taunting her.
“It is not a question of your faith Samantha, it is about those that will challenge it, young men will come into your life, they will promise utopia, they will test you.. Test everything that you believe in, the devil himself will come to you in many forms.. To test you Samantha… to test your faith.”
The voice turns into a male voice, and when she opens her eyes the room seems bigger.. Brighter..
“ So here you are Samantha Bliss… What do you believe in now?”
She closes her eyes again to ponder the answers.. Answers that perplex a young twelve year old mind. The answers do not come until she once again opens her eyes.. Now she is a woman.. Now she is in the back of a Threshold transport , on her way to a place in the high Desert called “Oxenburgh” She can still hear faint echoes of Father Muldowney’s question, as it reverberates through her conscious mind.
“What do you believe in now Samantha?”
She stares out into the pouring rain at the darkness of Oxenburgh, as the landing craft makes its final approach..
“Humanity.”

Rise.



Although the rain is still softly beating down across the red desert where Oxenburgh lies, the sun is still on the rise, and as it slowly spreads it light across the land, it give the whole desert an eerie red glow, at which the whole team marvels at in childlike wonder. They are jus three miles from the deserted ghost town that was once a mining settlement called Oxenburgh, they will proceed to the Rose hotel once inside the town limits, it is where they were hoping to lure the rebel demon known as Forge into capture, that was before Morganna.. Before they received a seriously frantic distress message from field agent Hanratty, something or someone had been chasing him through the desert and was moments from catching up with him when the call was received at Threshold HQ. they will land approximately thirty yards from where his last given transmission was sent and search for him before entering Oxenburgh itself.
They deploy from the transport with Samantha leading the point, Klinger is off to her left with Milo Tripper on her right, but it is Priss and Roxx that refuse to let Samantha out of their sight, they walk behind her with Sil, Ajax, J’Mac and Church holding up the rear. The members of team Alpha begin their sweep of the desert to search for Charles Hanratty.
“Lifeguard tells me that Hanratty’s signal dropped off about ten yards from our current position, keep your eyes open, he could be anywhere around here.”
She barely gets the words from her mouth when Ajax yells to the team.
“Agent Bliss!! We have a body over here!!”
The team move up behind Ajax and Samantha Bliss kneels down the examine the body, it is indeed according to his threshold Identification, Charles Hanratty. His body is cold and stiff, but rigor has not yet begun to set in. he doesn’t have a mark on him but when she turns his head to examine the face she sees the black eyes staring up at her, she yells back to Priss.
“Priss.. Come here a second, I need you to look at something for me.”
Priss appears over her shoulder and leans down to examine the eyes. She gives Samantha Bliss a confused look.
“What do you think?.. Is this the work of an Angel?”
She shakes her head at the notion.
“Not like any Angel that I’ve seen, Of course I am no expert witness to such things Samantha.”
“It feels like Morganna though, doesn’t it.”
Priss nods.
“Lets move the team into Oxenburgh.. We need to make some sense of this mess.”

Hanging From a Thread.



Before they even make into the town square where the deserted Rose hotel lies, the entire team recognizes the familiar stench of dead wrath’s. and when they step up onto the old wooden side walks that lined old Oxenburgh’s abandoned streets they see the first of many bodies. She studies the entrance to the Rose Hotel.
“Lifeguard?.. Are you picking up any signatures?”
There is a slight hesitation.
“Nothing Human.. Nothing Red.. Everything is dead.”
She motions for the team to spread out along the sides of the building.
“Klinger, you Milo and Church cover the back.. Ajax?”
“Yes ma’am?”
“ You take the left side , J’Mac.. You take the right. Sil I need you to watch the front door when Priss, Roxx and I go inside, can you do that for me?”
Sil is grinning from ear to ear.
“Yes Samantha.”
The three of them cautiously enter through the front door with weapons drawn, there are four dead red soldiers lying on the floor just to the right of them in front of the front desk of the Rose hotel. They do not see any sign of Forge.. Not at first. Six more steps in Samantha Bliss looks up, and to the very rear of the large lobby she can make the form of a male body hanging from the banister of the landing on the second floor just to the left of the top of the first staircase.. As she walks beneath it she sees that it has been wrapped up in barbed wire and then hung with it, the body is covered with lacerations and is dripping blood into a large pool on the floor beneath it.. Samantha Bliss knows that this is the body of Forge, Team Alpha is too late. Priss slowly approaches her and surrenders an envelope that her and Roxx found on the counter of the front desk.
“Why is this relevant Priss?”
“Because Samantha… the envelope is addressed to you.”
She opens it.. Already knowing who it is from.
“ I suppose that there is a little devil in all of us.. However, there are times in our lives, when we must all rise above even the noblest of our intentions to do what is necessary. If we hold ourselves accountable for our actions, but do not raise our fists in our own defense, we lose. If we all abide by conscience, and do nothing while evil thrives in the absence of it. We will all lose. This isn’t a war Samantha… it is a Reckoning.”

With all my love and respect..

Morganna.

Scratch.. ABT Copyright© 2007.

Watching The Storm.



We have always watched you, from the years of your infancy, there at the very beginning. Watched you we have, through success, through failure, through all of your struggles with love, pain, ecstasy and hatred. Watched you embrace life through the courting of death, watched you spiral downwards and rise up again through the perils of war brought on by the pettiness of your differences. You’ve lived and existed, conquered and persevered through famine and plague. And through it all what I have learned, is that no matter how much you strive to change and rule the world around you, you are still but children, who really know precious little about yourselves.

Angels Hide.



She stands at the head of the table, her back leaning against the wall behind her, her legs crossed at the knees. She has come with Samantha Bliss and her friends to Threshold headquarters of her own accord. She knows who is watching her from behind the tinted plate glass window in observation #1. Present are Samantha Bliss, William Strong, and Priss,
The woman in question has identified herself as Morganna, and she is an Angel. They softly discuss the complexities of such a revelation and what it could possibly entail involving the struggle with the Reds. William Strong approaches the glass and studies the form of Morganna. He watches her carefully as he addresses Samantha Bliss.
“Do we believe her Sam?. Or more importantly.. Do we trust her?’
Samantha Bliss walks up to the glass beside of William Strong.
“Yes on the Belief.. The jury is still out on trust though I’m afraid.”
He turns to face Priss.
“And what about you Priss? Has the appearance of this so called Angel shaken you any? You know that you are a very important part of this, but you know the history here… that is I mean to say-”
She steps forward..
“You mean given the fact that she is an Angel and I am… well.. Whatever I am.”
“Demons… Angels.. Heaven and Hell.. Exact opposites.”
She touches the glass and looks through it at Morganna.
“Actually William Strong.. I think that she can help me as much as she can you.”
Samantha Bliss enters the main detention room of observation #1, where Morganna has been patiently waiting.
“Morganna.. If you really are what you say you are, then you know that we will not just give you the pieces of the stone, just because you say that you are- well what you are. ”
Morganna steps forward towards Samantha Bliss.
“I am already aware of that Samantha Bliss.. It is also my dubious honor to inform you that a greater interest at this time lies with the demon called ‘Forge.’ I am first and foremost, here at the present time to deal with him…
Personally.”
Samantha opens the door to leave but stops suddenly to address the Angel.
“Morganna.. Just for the record..”
Silence.
“Priss, Thed and Sil, regardless of what you think are trusted members of my team.. If you work with us… you will play nice.. Or you will deal with me… Personally.”

Towards The Beast.



He is standing at the edge of the bars, watching Sil intently, She is there when the guard opens the door to let him out. There are three other agents present with Sil to usher Thed into the next room, they have first cleared the halls and agent Gerald Davies is nowhere to be seen. Thed steps into the room as the guards undo his shackles. William Strong, Klinger and Milo Tripper all enter the room together. Thed smiles at the sight of Klinger and Trippy as he has called him. William Strong looks him over.
“Did they treat you well?”
Thed smiles and nods.
“Thed you did a good job here, our little fish took your bait, hook, line and sinker.”
Thed sits up abruptly..
“Hanratty and Davies both?”
“We are taking you out of the detention center now. The wheels are in motion, you did your job, and soon Hanratty will deliver the bogus information to Forge, and then we have him and Davies.”
Thed smiles at Sil.
“So what about me? Do I go back into the field?”
William Strong puts his hand on Thed’s shoulder.
“Not yet.. You have to lay low until this thing with Davies and Hanratty sees itself out. Sil these two gentlemen are here to escort you to the dormitory where team Alpha will be assembling shortly.”
Sil walks beside of Klinger.
“What about this Angel Mr. Klinger sir?”
They walk down the hall until they are out of ear shot and then he and Milo tripper usher Sil into the empty Dorm room, where Klinger nervously addresses her.
“Sil.. Listen kid. Milo and me were talking.. About this Morganna person. Threshold is buying her Angel bit, and they are asking us to play along. I’m not so Sure..”
His thoughts are interrupted by a perturbed Samantha Bliss.
“Klinger.. Gather the Team.. We leave for Oxenburgh in two hours.. Morganna up and disappeared on us forty five minutes ago.. We think she knows where we are going to set up Forge.. And she may be heading there..”
They all stare in shock and silence.
“And no… she didn’t steal the stones.”

Scratch… ABT Copyright © 2007.