My scattered sleep has caught up with my ass. Sat here stalking reading folks on Tumblr when I felt a bone-jarring vibration in my body. I looked at my earthquake tells on my desk to see if it was something real or just me.
Everything on the desk was perfectly still. Just me.
Safe to ignore.
I looked down at the desk surface.
I looked up into a nearly completely dark world, with only the shadow of something like a man in front of me.
“Hello. I hear you wanted to meet me.”
No Man? No. Not No Man. Wrong ‘scent’. And the Svartalf wouldn’t hide himself, he would be quite direct and in my face. “That depends. There are a lot of folk I’d like to meet. Which one do you claim to be?”
A bright hand wrapped in darkest shadow was extended to me. I refused to take it. “Come. Walk with me. I have much to show you.”
HAHAHAHA No. “You can start right here, right now. Who are you?”
The offered hand clenches in anger. “I can undo you were you sit. Pour you out like a unwanted offering. To be rude to me is not wise.”
I knew who this… person… was claiming to be. And while I’ve never met the real McCoy, I knew enough to know what was in front of me was clearly an imposter.
I sat on my hands. My desk chair being the only tangible object in this pocket world. “I’m not rude. Yet. I’m being prudent. Surely those that told you of my interest also told you I test every spirit that comes to me. Not everyone claiming to be a Lord deserves such title.”
The face was cloaked in shadow, yet I knew he was smiling. “Clever twist. But I won’t take such low bait. Not every one is worthy of my personal attention. Come with me, I won’t harm you. There are things I wish to show you.”
Okay, I’m done with games. “You’re not [redacted]. And you’re not sent by the usual asswipes that like to play chess with me, either. My guess is you somehow caught wind of my conversation last night with one of his followers and decided to get the drop, and maybe my allegiance, first.”
Behind the cloaking shadow, his brightness increased with his rage. “You dare to deny me!” I laughed, still sitting on my hands. He threw aside the shadow and lept at me. Horrific visions of demonic visages filled my field of view. I continued laughing until the specters retreated to a menacing ring around me and my chair.
“That’s it? That’s all you have? Sweet words and teasing deception? And now that you’re called out, you have empty threats and broken rattles?” He tried to multiply himself over and over around and over me.
A series of marks on my body began to glow, reminding me of a gift. “You’re not worth my time. And you’re an insult to [redacted] for trying to emulate him. I may not know his story, but I know enough to know the sweat off his brow has better class than you. Assuming he breaks into a sweat at all.” I place my hands in my lap and start playing with my fingers. “But since you want to play, I’ll give you something to play with…”
He launches his gritty phantasms at me, and I find there is some substance to his presentation after all. But I have no fear, and am already bored. A simple shrug throws them off, and a ring of indignant fire holds them at bay.
“Did you know I have a puppy? A delightful chap, quite a lot of fun for me to play with. But finding suitable food for my puppy can be daunting at times. Quit this nonsense. Return to the shadows from whence you came. Lest you find yourself personally attending to my dear lovely puppy.” The phantasms try to surge through the flames.
My “puppy” leaps from the shadows I had woven in my lap to hide it. It bites down on one phantasm and gulps it all in one bite. The other phantasms pause. Behind them, the imposter looks at my “puppy” with concern.
“Feeding time.” My puppy barks happily and waits until I turn my back to change form to its preferred mode of destruction. I walk away from the scene as horrific sounds of things shredding reverberate behind me. My bones vibrate again.
I look down at my hands.
I look up at my computer screen.
Well, lemme write this down. Then get ready for bed. I really would like to visit the Svartalf tonight. I miss that snide bastard.