Supplying Supers - Ch. 28 - Revelations - Beta (Patreon)

??? The Gale

James Everett - Now known as Gunner Webb

OSDB Hero Rank: N/A - Civilian

OSDB Threat Rating: N/A - Civilian

James awoke shivering. When he opened his eyes, everything was pitch black. He gazed up through the stairwell that led down into the cellar. The twisting clouds above continued to swirl. Whatever light source that sat behind them was replaced with a whiter shade, casting them and everything below in a deep purple and blue.

The Gale’s temperature had shifted from one extreme to the next. A white fog materialized in front of his face with each breath. The cobblestones underneath him felt like ice. He had no clothes or anything to keep him warm. The seance left him as naked as the day he was born.

I’ve got to get warm or I’m going to freeze to death, James thought.

As he scoured the room, unable to see much in the low light. He recalled there being bundles of broken wood shelving, along with the dagger he pulled from his chest. Crawling on his hands and knees, James made his way across the room.

When he reached about halfway to his assumed destination, he jerked his hand up when he felt something wet underneath it. He tried to wipe it on his thigh, only to find his palm wasn’t wet at all. James didn’t recall there being water when he first entered the room, but if there was, his luck had turned around.

He reached his hand out and dabbed the same spot it was in. Only this time, all he felt was the cold stone. He tapped the area around it and felt the same thing: no liquid, only stones.

What was that? James wondered. Maybe my exhaustion is playing tricks on my mind.

He pushed the thought aside and continued to scrounge for supplies. After a few minutes of searching, James found several pieces of wood and the ceremonial dagger. He brought everything to the stairs.

Given the low ceiling, the last thing he wanted to do was light it inside and suffocate. However, the intensity of the wind prevented him from building it outside. He could attempt a fire hole, but wanted to try the stairs first. The small steps didn’t provide a wide enough surface to build on top of, either. But he knew that was as perfect as a spot could be.

Since everything else was decayed, James took the dagger and chipped away at the mortar between the rocks. It broke with little effort and he pulled the bricks out one-by-one. He wiped away all the sand that had blown in, and used the bricks to create an outline of where he was going to set his fire.

After setting his logs off to the side James grabbed a piece of wood. He wasn’t sure how well it would burn, but knew he had to try. Thankfully the dagger was sharp enough to cut several thin pieces that would be quick to burn. He then took the leftovers and shaved thin strands to use for the kindling he’d hoped to light.

With the wood ready, James used his dagger to stab at the cobblestone floor. His plan was to use it with his dagger to generate a spark. While the thought of dulling his only blade didn’t appeal to him, the dagger was double-edged, and thus gave him enough confidence to continue.

Once he retrieved the smooth rock, he set it near the bundle of kindling and sliced the blade across it. Sparks flew with each pull and push. Smoke signaled the flame.

James picked up the bundle and blew on it until the entire bundle burned. He tossed it in the center of the bricks and snapped the sticks on top of it until it grew. Once the flames stretched to the opening, he put some of the thicker pieces on.

James smiled at his own success, stretching his arms out and basking in the warmth. The feeling in his fingertips and toes returned. The high winds above sucked the smoke from the room like he expected. As everything fell into place, it gave him a moment to breathe.

The light filling the room gave James an opportunity to get a good look at everything inside the cellar. With the fire tended for the moment, he stood and turned around. The shelving was in worse disrepair than he’d initially realized.

The different piles of wood and rusted nails sat near the back walls. The fire’s flickering flames shone in broken glass bottles. But, out of everything, it was the purple puddle that lay off to the side that caught James’s attention.

It was smaller than he remembered. It spanned two foot lengths and had a slightly rounded top. He kneeled next to it and touched it. The surface was cool to the touch but wasn’t as viscous like blood. It felt spongy.

That must have been what I stuck my hand in, James thought. I would have assumed it’d dried up by now. But what is it? It’s not blood. Maybe some kind of aftereffect from the spell?

The stranded survivor ignored it for the time being. He returned to his fire. Over the next hour, he ensured it would stay with him for the night. Once he was confident it would last enough time for him to sleep, he lay in front of it and curled around it. As soon as his head rested on his arm, he fell back asleep still exhausted from the prior night’s events.

The darkness wasn’t kind to James. Visions of the last six months together with Mellicent, Annabelle, and Dorothy raced through his mind. He remembered their first meeting, their first kiss, and their first night in bed together. But as they stood over him, tucking him in, blood splashed on their faces. He couldn’t breathe. He glanced down at his chest to see three daggers stuck inside of him. They raised their arms again and again, laughing maniacally when all he could think of was why.

But as he lay there bleeding out, there was another standing in the room. It was him. Or something that looked like him. Only it had deep purple and yellow eyes. It walked up behind the three witches and swiped its hand across them. The three women’s bodies split in half, hitting the floor with heavy thuds.

It climbed on top of the bed and reached down with its hand. It touched James’s bloody stab wounds and when he blinked; they were gone. He felt no pain, but the blood remained on his chest. It stood once more, extending its hand down to him.

It spoke no words, only staring, unblinking, with a wicked smile. James knew deep down that if he took this… thing’s hand, he’d never be the same. But as he thought back, what he’d gotten in his life was sacrificed. Seeing the power that the witches wielded left him curious and envious. He could feel that this creature held something more, something unique.

He answered its call.

When James touched his doppelgänger’s hand, it exploded into a puff of purple smoke. It shoved its way into the hole that now appeared in his chest. His soul contorted as the beast fused into him. He jerked and strained as his body lit with the most pain he’d ever felt. But when it was done, he and the creature were one.

James startled awake. The fire had gone out, its embers providing a bit of light. When he realized he was okay, he leaned back on the ground and pulled his blanket up over his shoulder. But when he touched it, it didn’t feel like cloth.

James’s eyes widened as he slowly turned his head. The purple slime covered everything from his shoulder down to his toes. He screamed.

The slime snapped to the floor when James jumped to his feet. He snatched the dagger from the ground and backpedaled against the wall. His assumed foe squealed and darted underneath the nearby rubble. The speed at which it moved made his skin crawl.

“Divine, help me… what is that thing?” James mumbled. He shuffled closer to the broken shelving. After picking a spare piece of wood, he tossed it on the other pile. The purple blob yelped, climbed up the wall to the ceiling, and bolted out of the cellar.

James jumped over his fire and scoured his surroundings. The heavy wind and sand made it difficult to see far. The breeze cut along his skin, sending goosebumps all over as he shivered. But when he didn’t see the creature, he let out a sigh and made his way back inside.

“Thank goodness it’s gone,” James said, making his way back toward the broken shelving. He took more wood from the piles he had and relit the fire using the burning coals.

While he tended to his fire, he watched the night become day. He jerked back at the sudden change. It was nearly instantaneous, as if someone had replaced the moon with the sun.

The rising temperature was anything but subtle. He scratched his upper chest as his skin prepared to sweat. He hung his head, contemplating his options.

This is going to make it almost impossible to leave, James thought. I’m not going to be able to hunt in this heat. I might be able to at night, but I’d need warm clothing or I’m going to freeze to death.

The more he thought about his situation, the more his anger built. His own self-pity fueled his rage. This was unfair. He didn’t deserve this, and he didn’t want to die here.

James raised his fists and slammed it into the floor as he shouted, “Dammit all!”

The cellar floor underneath him cracked, shattering mortar and stone. His eyes widened as he stared down at his hands.

A chipper yip pulled his attention up the stairs. The slime sat at the edge of the stairs with a bulbous end peeking around the corner. It was watching him.

James lunged for his dagger and scattered away. “Stay back! I’m warning you!” When the small creature whined like a mix between a puppy and a bird, he slowly lowered his weapon.

Is this thing sad? James wondered. Is it friendly? It didn’t hurt me while I was a sleep. It could have attacked me.

As he was lost in thought contemplating his next move, his stomach growled. He hadn’t realized just how hungry he was given all the recent events. His mind was only focused on staying alive.

The slime let out a chipper yelp and disappeared around the cellar door. Several minutes later it returned to the top of the stairs. It made its presence known with a few high pitched coos. When James looked up, the creature raised a tentacle. On the end of it was something that he thought looked like a cross between a pill bug and a crab. However, it was the size of a fat house cat.

James pointed his weapon at the dead creature and asked. “What is that?”

As if there was some understanding, the slime grew in size, opened its maw revealing thousands of tiny teeth in a void, and took a huge chomp out of the hard shell. The half-eaten bit floated into the slime until it dissolved into nothing.

James winced when the creature’s blackened blood spilled down the stairs. He did not know what would happen if he tried to eat that thing. But with each passing second, his stomach groaned.

“Put it down here,” James said, waving his dagger in front of him.

The slime extended its tentacle into the room. However, when it hovered over the fire, it snapped back, dropping the half-eaten bug-creature onto the floor. Its painful yelps echoed off into the distance.

Did it burn itself? James wondered. With his stomach directing his motivations, he moved over to the dead animal and picked it up to examine it. The carapace was hard, just like a crab, but flexible and layered like a lobster tail. Its legs snapped off like its crustaceous neighbors. The meat inside was spongy and light.

Intrigued, James cut it as one would a lobster and a crab. He grabbed spare wood and whittled skewers. After piercing the meat on the sticks, he hung them over the fire and cooked them.

When their appetizing smells filled the room, he took them out of the fire and set them off to the side to cool. He wished for nothing more than a healthy heaping of melted butter. But his growing need for sustenance made the wait nearly unbearable.

He took a small bite of the muscle, given it was something he’d never eaten before. The meat tasted sweet and delicious. His hunger broke James’ will. He devoured every remaining morsel, scooping and slurping any remaining fluids left in the shell. By the time he finished, he let out a satisfactory belch.

The clashing sound of more hardened shells falling down the steps pulled his attention upward. The slime had brought two more of the small shell-covered creatures and tossed them forward. Its head peeked around the side, just like before.

James got on his knees and leaned forward. “Can… you understand me?”

The blob didn’t respond. It just sat there, staring.

James turned around and picked one of the dead creatures up. He extended it forward. “Do you want to join me?” It didn’t move until he waved it forward. “Come on. I won’t hurt you as long as you don’t hurt me.”

The slime slid along the side wall, flattening itself to avoid the flame of the fire. It crawled down to the floor. A tentacle reached out and took the dead animal from his hand.

As James prepared the other one for himself, he watched the creature eat its meal. Only this time, instead of the rows of teeth chomping it down, it absorbed the organism through its skin. It slowly dissolved until there was nothing left. A few bubbles popped on the surface of its skin, echoing the sound of its satisfaction.

“Pretty good, huh?” James asked, smiling. “Let's see if you like it cooked better.”

James went through the process of cooking his second meal. When he finished, he set it off to the side to cool. Once it was, he extended a skewer to the pile of purple goo. It grew in size and opened its maw chomping inches away from James’s hand. Once the food was inside its body, it sizzled until it disappeared.

“You eat wood too?” James asked after taking a bite.

A big bubble popped on the slime’s surface, letting an obnoxious burp.

James nearly fell over with laughter. “You know, you’re kind of cute.”

The two sat in the flames as the days became nights, and the nights became days. Charcoal scratches marked the entire wall, estimating the passage of time James had spent in the Gale. The survivor spent his time venting about the situation and how things could have been done differently. His small friend sat patiently, only offering clicks and cute chirps of reassurance.

Even though the slime had proven to be helpful, James still felt hesitant letting it touch him. However, it showed persistence in wanting to climb on top of him. He found the soft whines and whimpers to be cute and eventually chipped away at his will. He figured it had been with him this far and the creature showed no signs of a threat to him. If it started consuming him, he’d hoped the burning sensation would awaken him quick enough to jump into the fire which it was clearly afraid of.

It bothered him that he found himself completely reliant on his purple friend. The slime caught their food, and they drank the remains for nourishment. However, James knew his time was precious. He wasn’t sure how long it would take before dehydration settled in and would grow weaker. He needed water.

His urge for survival spurred him into action. With the assumption that wherever he was reflected his own world, James whittled the longest sticks of wood into spikes. His thought was he would mark his trek out to the lake from his house. That way, he could find his way back.

Even without a compass, he figured he’d at least find his way back even if he did circles. It was a likely result given the poor visibility in the sand storm. He performed small scouting runs into the ruins of his home, gathering additional wood he needed. In its remains, he found strands of tattered cloth. He cut a whole in the center of the thick piece, wore it like a poncho, and secured it with a sash.

With everything ready, he waited until nightfall, giving him precious minutes of warmth before it would become freezing. He gathered bundles of stakes, looked down at his companion, and said, “Are you ready?”

The small slime slithered in a circle, whistling in the air.

James snorted. “Good. It’s going to be dangerous, so we need to do our best. I don’t think you can understand me, but on the off chance that you do, we need to find water. That’s the goal.” As he glanced up the stairs, he let out a sigh as the torrent of sand screeched past the open door. “I just really wish it wasn’t so hot and the wind would calm down.”

James tugged at his chest as his heart pounded. He dropped his bundle of sticks. Something was building inside of him. His whole body tensed, the vessels in his arm popping.

He gasped when a purple flame covered his hand. It didn’t burn and wasn’t painful, but the intensity of his pounding heart kept his teeth clenched. As he focused on his arm, he looked out into the storm above. Something inside of him guided him upward.

He stumbled up the stairs, still gripped tightly around his arm. The blistering heat hit his face like he shoved it into an open fire. But as he looked through the grains of floating sands, he saw something he did not expect.

Long silky strands of white thread sprawled along the strong gusts of wind, like a spider’s web torn from a tree. His feet moved him toward the closest one. He reached out to it and took it into his grasp. His desires filled his mind, and he pulled.

James’ jaw dropped when the shriek of the storm fell silent. He scoured out at the horizon. The sand dunes stretched like golden waves, frozen in time. Off into the distance, he could see the storm’s edge that stood like a fortress's impenetrable wall.

The heat relented. It wasn’t cool by any means, however; he didn’t immediately break out in a sweat. Hope filled him for the first time since he’d arrived.

His heart settled, and the flames on his arm dissipated. When he let go of the thread, it returned to the sky, floating aimlessly on wind that wasn’t there. Then it disappeared like a mirage. He cupped his brow to look over the hill. He couldn’t see where the river and lake would be, but he could see the dunes he thought they were behind.

James turned around and sprinted down the stairs. He slid the dagger into his makeshift belt and grabbed the bundle of steaks under an arm. After jumping back up the stairs, he turned and waved hurriedly at his friend.

“Come on!” he shouted with glee. “I don’t know how long this is going to last. We’ve got to move as fast as we can.”

The purple blob slithered up his back leg and onto his back. It peaked a small strand around his shoulder. As James trekked down the hill, it chirped as he worked.

The survivor placed the stakes every ten feet, which was his estimated visibility in the sandstorm. They went in easily in the soft sand, heightening his worry that they’d disappear quickly should the wind and it shifted.

He tried to ignore the slime as it moved around his body. It targeted the areas wet with sweat. His laughs filled the air as it tickled him.

“Cut it out,” he said, trying to brush it off. “You’re supposed to be focused.” The slime purred as it relented, resuming its place on his back.

It took him nearly a half hour of marching and placing stakes by the time he reached the last hill. He turned around to see his work behind him, giving him reassurance that his plan was working. However, the concern that he was running out of them replaced any excitement he had.

After placing his last one, he made a quick decision to rush up the hill. He climbed on his hands for leverage to make it up the soft sands. When he reached its crest, all the hope he had vanished.

There was nothing but sand. There was no river or no oasis. When he turned around, there were no stakes or his house. The environment had shifted without his knowledge. His heart sank.

He scoured the area for the wispy threads. Maybe I can ask for rain, he thought. Or maybe I can ask it to lead me to water. But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t find a single strand.

His hopelessness built into anger as he shouted, “Damn this place!” Thunder roared above as the clouds twisted‌ and turned. The sky shifted to a bloody red. His slimy friend fell off him and buried itself under the sand as his rage continued to build.

“I’m sick of this! This isn’t fair! I hate this place and I hate Her for doing this to me. This is all her fault!”

James grunted as his whole body burned. Steam rose from his skin as he grunted with fury. He could feel himself changing. The soul inside of him twisted into knots, pushing his mind deeper as it pressed to take control.

James wanted it to. His vexation of himself, how powerless he was in the situation, left him wanting. He wanted to feel the power it offered. Then he would not be blamed for his failures. There was solace in letting go.

The purple flames spread across his body and disintegrated his clothes. And just before the last bit of him was ready to let go, he heard a voice call from above. Hope vanquished his flames.

“You there!” she shouted. “Stop at once!”

James’ head darted to the sky. The same hooded woman back from his home floated above the sands, electricity sparking from her fingertips.

“You!” James shouted, raising his finger. “You’re the one that shot me.”

“And yet, you survived. Where is Mellicent?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her.”

“That blast should have killed you and her, yet you stand here, alive. Interesting.”

Assuming she thought he was lying, James rebuked, “I wouldn’t speak falsehoods. You saw what she did to me. Who are you and why are you hunting her?”

The woman floated down to the sands when James raised the ceremonial dagger. She walked up to him with full confidence and stood a body’s length from him. Her eyes shifted to a glowing white as she scoured his body. Her lips parted as she muttered. “A better question is what are you?”

“I’m James Everett. But I thought you knew that? You asked about me around town.”

“Not who… what.”

“I don’t understand.”

The woman raised her arm and spoke an incantation. A golden light illuminated from her hand. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She jerked her hand back as her lip trembled.

“Such power… but your soul… it’s not tainted… at least not completely.”

“What are you talking about?”

The light in her eyes faded. She pulled her hood back revealing their brown sparkle. “My name is Yokai. I’m a sorceress from far across the sea. I’ve been hunting Mellicent and her followers for generations. I know of you, James Everett. I sought you out because you were their next mark. Their next attempt.”

James cocked his brow. “Attempt at what?”

“Bringing forth one of the Old Gods, Shivatha, into our realm. I managed to stop the ritual, but you… you are the resulting consequence.”

“What happened to me?”

“You were supposed to be the sacrifice for Mellicent’s ritual. You were to be the vessel for her patron deity, Shivatha, to inhabit. I can see why. Your body is almost completely covered in threads connecting you to the Gale.”

“Threads? Do you mean the white strands I saw floating in the sky?”

“Yes. So, you can see them?”

“I did. I grabbed one and stopped the sandstorm and the heat.”

“You did this?” Yokai asked, looking around. “If so, that is powerful magic. Very few can manipulate the Gale. Even I could not suppress the storm like this without immense strain.”

“Yes. At least I believe so. But since I grabbed and pulled on it, I haven’t seen any more.”

Yokai lowered her head and brought her thumb to her chin. “Hmm… maybe your gift is corrupted or you’ve not yet mastered how to wield it. The weave floats endlessly around us.”

“Gift?” James spat. “This has been no gift. This is a curse.”

“I understand why you feel this way. For many it would be. But for you… you’re something else entirely. I do not fault you for being ignorant of your potential.”

“What potential?” James asked, throwing up his hands. “I almost died out here.”

“That may be true, but if it wasn’t for the sudden surge of power I felt while traversing this plane, I would never have found you. You harbor Shivatha’s power inside of you. I can feel it.”

“You mentioned this… Shivatha. She must have been the voice inside of my head when the tentacle reached the dagger. Who is she?”

“She’s known as the Architect of the Gale.”

“The Gale?”

“This place that you’ve been trapped in. She is… or perhaps was its creator. She was an Old God tricked in its creation by the others. Unbeknownst to her she created her own prison. She was locked away for eons trying to get out. If it wasn’t for our lone planet careening through the cosmos, she would have stayed there. Mellicent opened the doorway for our world to her through you.”

“I’m so confused. I don’t get any of this.”

“It’s a lot to take in at once, I know.”

“We’re nowhere near Salem, are we?”

“Not the one you know of. This is the Gale’s interpretation of Salem. But it’s a river of chaos, ever changing. But that’s not important for now. What is important to know is that you may possess the strength of an Old God, yet the ritual did not completely consume your soul. What’s missing is replaced by her power. It’s ingrained into your soul much like the Gale integrates into our realm. You both have become one, but somehow you’re still human.”

James lowered the blade and pleaded. “Can you help me? Maybe you can get rid of this for me? Make me normal again. I just want to go back home. I’ll forget all about this.”

Yokai shook her head. “You can’t go back. All of Salem saw what happened. The Church of Light would label you as a demon or sorcerer and crucify you on the spot. As far as fixing this… I don’t know. This has never happened before. You are an anomaly, James Everett. A potentially dangerous one.”

“So, what am I supposed to do?”

Yokai leaned back on her hip as she thought for a moment. She raised her hand once more and spoke another incantation. A yellow circle formed underneath James’s feet, illuminating him in a bright light.

Yokai’s eyes turned white as she said, “James Everett, if I were to bring you with me would you promise to not to harm me, intentionally?”

James didn’t have to think about it. The response rose from his core as if it was forced to. “Yes.”

Yokai lowered her hand, and the spell disappeared. “Then come with me. There is too much uncertainty around you and your abilities. We will study it, and I will keep you safe.”

When the witch extended her hand. James hesitated. The people he trusted the most had lied to him. There was no way he could trust another like he’d done prior.

He didn’t know if he could trust again. However, his options were limited. He had too many questions, and the witch in front of him seemed to have the information he sought. She provided him a ticket out of this place. He assumed if he didn’t find a way out, it would be his deathbed.

“Okay, but I want answers,” James said. “I want to know everything about this place and about Shivatha. And if I find that I can’t trust you, then I’m gone.”

“That’s amenable,” Yokai said with a slight smile. “I will grant you what you seek, but the path will be long and arduous. Keep in mind trust goes both ways. My offer extends as far as your kindness. Should you prove to be a threat, I will not hesitate to end you.”

James nodded firmly. “I accept.”

He winced when Yokai turned around and cut the top of her arm with a long nail. As she waved her hand in the air, she drew thick strands of blood into a circle to conjure a portal. When the golden circle solidified, James didn’t recognize the other side. There was a lone building with odd architecture sitting above a flowing river.

“Step through and we’ll leave,” Yokai said with an outstretched hand.

“What is that place?” James asked.

“It’s my home. I have countless tomes and scrolls with the information you seek.”

As James took a step forward, a soft whine caused him to turn around. The purple slime nuzzled itself along his leg.

Yokai jumped in front of him, holding an arm across his chest. “Get back!”

When Yokai’s hands lit with fire, James shoved his way in front of her, stretching his arms out. “No! Don’t hurt it.”

“You don’t know what you speak! That’s a Gale creature. It will kill you without hesitation.”

James shook his head. “Not this one! It’s friendly.”

“This isn’t some pet that you can command. It’s a beast born from chaos.”

James stared intently down at her. “I’m telling you the truth. It saved me. If you want me to go with you, then it needs to come, too.”

“You’re a fool! I should leave you here for even making the suggestion.”

“But you can’t. You said it yourself. There are too many questions left unanswered. We both need to know more about me, including that thing. It poured from my chest when I pulled this dagger out.”

“What did you say?” Yokai asked, the flames dissipating.

“It came from me. Since then, it has only shown me kindness. It kept me warm on frigid nights. When my stomach growled, it hunted for me.”

“So you can commune with it?”

“Not exactly. All it does is chirp and bubble. But it seems to understand me somewhat.”

Yokai took a moment to think. She leaned around James’ side, looked at the ball of slime, and grimaced. When she pulled back, she sighed. “It is unlike anything I have ever seen… study would be beneficial… Fine. But if it shows any hostility, I will put it down.”

“I promise it won’t hurt you.” James said before turning around and kneeling next to the blob. “Come on, little fella. We’re leaving his place.”

Bubbles formed on the surface, echoing a bright squeal. It snapped to James’s arm and slithered up his back, resting around its shoulders. With his newfound allies, James stepped through the portal.