The Dark Lord of Oklahoma

by Ethan Richards

  Reporter: Where any goblins still watching the hostages?

  Marion: The people that had been detained? Yes. When Elden left, the remaining monsters started looking at us funny. In fact, they started licking their lips. They started getting closer to us, oblivious to the destruction that Asher was bringing to them. One of the goblins had grabbed my viola player. It pulled its mask off and opened its mouth. I swear I saw it expand its jaws, just like a snake. As he was drawing closer to my friend's face, an arrow suddenly appeared in its head.

  The arrow ran through its mouth and out the back of its head.

  Reporter: Was it still alive?

  Marion: Yes, and it pulled at the arrow, trying to pull it off. Then I heard a voice cry out, 'get back!' We stepped back from the goblin, and then the arrow exploded, covering myself and all of the quartet in black goblin blood.

  Reporter: Yuck!

  Marion: Yes, it looked like something out of a Bruce Campbell-horror film. I was completely covered in blood. But then, I looked up, and all these Nomads were in the room. From there I was better able to peak out. Later I learned it was an AA-12.

  Reporter: An AA-12?

  Marion: Yes, that was the weapon, now I remember an automatic shotgun. Well, Asher Cries-For-War blew through all of those monsters. He looked like a 80s action hero. Muscled up, crazy weapon, and red band bandana keeping his long Native hair pulled back. As he fought off the remaining monsters, his soldiers came in and freed us. They helped us. Their team medic came and helped us. They gave us water and tried to calm us down. Then the guys with the pointy ears gave the wounded guys some special bread. Then I heard one of the Soldiers scream out, 'Wildcat, Wildcat, Wildcat.'

  Reporter: Wildcat? What did that mean?

  Marion: I don't know. I am not sure what it meant, but I can tell you this, in an instant, I knew that something was over, that Asher's men had defeated the goblins and with Asher, I felt safe.

  Reporter: You weren't afraid of Cries-For-War?

  Marion: No, because in an instant I knew all the reporters about him were lies. Instantly, I knew...I knew the truth.

  Reporter: I knew Asher Cries-For-War was one of the good guys. I knew the Nomads were here to help.

  CHAPTER 28: THE HALL OF MERRIMENT, Part II

  Chance And Elena - Ponca City, Ok

  Marion: While I said that Elden made me feel safe, he also scared me. As soon as he took charge, he was like a whole different person. He was laser-focused, and while Gorgon's corpse lay on the floor, Elden stood there directing his operations and his men. What was weird was when I looked around, I did not see any of Elden's men. They were elsewhere. It was Gorgon's men I saw. They were not as talented as the goblins that were Elden's men-goblins but there was one thing Gorgon's men could do that was impressive.

  Reporter: And what was that?

  Marion: They could climb. I could see them on the top of that gold ceiling. I couldn't see everything, but I started to hear a lot of firing.

  Reporter: There was a big commotion in the bottom stairs bathroom right? Could you see over there?

  Marion: I couldn't see what they were doing, but I could hear it. In what I thought was the bathroom, I heard goblin screams, and then I listened to a barrage of gunfire.

  Reporter: Was it louder than the original attack?

  Marion: Well, I wouldn't say it was louder, because later I found out they had like old tanks outside, but they were definitely closer. And then I saw him.

  Reporter: Saw who?

  Marion: Public enemy number one, Asher Cries-For-War. There was this weird Orlando Bloom/Axel Rose lookin' dude who had...I know this sounds crazy... a bow and arrow. But some of the arrows were not just arrows, they would shoot out these...they looked like pellets. While those goblins may have been on the ceiling, those arrows took out more than one. And then that's when he attacked. That's when Asher Cries-For-War saved us.

  Reporter: Saved you? But I thought you felt safe with Elden.

  Marion: I did, but when I looked around, Orkenkind was gone. I still don't think he was a coward. He must have had something, in another part of the Mansion that he had to take care of. Gorgon's men may have not been smart, but they were bundled up so close if someone got close enough they could grab them and that would be the end of it. It’s weird to think that modern-day weapons couldn't take on a human wave, but they didn't. They started to rush, and I am sad to say it, but one or two of those pointed-ear people and some of the soldiers were killed. They died right there in front of me. Then, with no regard for his own safety, Cries-For-War pushed forward. He yelled at everyone to get back and then he began to open up.

  Reporter: Open up?

  Marion: Yes, open up with an automatic weapon, but it wasn't just any type of weapon. It was a shotgun.

  Reporter: An automatic shotgun?

  Marion: Yes, just like Terry Crews had in that one movie. Two men had fallen, and then the horde rushed towards him, coming from the ceiling and the ground. But, the weapon was the right answer. Boom-boom-boom-boom. His weapon cried out, dropping goblins left and right. But in their fantasticism, they kept pushing forward.

  Reporter: Where any of the goblins still with the hostages?

  Marion: The people that had been detained? Yes. When Elden left, the remaining monsters started looking at us funny. In fact, they started licking their lips. They started getting closer to us, oblivious to the destruction that Asher was bringing to them. One of the goblins had grabbed my viola player. It pulled its mask off and opened its mouth. I swear I saw it expand its jaws, just like a snake. As he was drawing closer to my friend's face, an arrow suddenly appeared in its head.

  The arrow ran through its mouth and out the back of its head.

  Reporter: Was it still alive?

  Marion: Yes, and it pulled at the arrow, trying to pull it off. Then I heard a voice cry out, 'get back!' We stepped back from the goblin, and then the arrow exploded, covering myself and all of the quartet in black goblin blood.

  Reporter: Yuck!

  Marion: Yes, it looked like something out of a Bruce Campbell-horror film. I was completely covered in blood. But then, I looked up, and all these Nomads were in the room. From there I was better able to peak out. Later I learned it was an AA-12.

  Reporter: An AA-12?

  Marion: Yes, that was the weapon, now I remember an automatic shotgun. Well, Asher Cries-For-War blew through all of those monsters. He looked like an 80s action hero. Muscled up, crazy weapon, and red band bandana keeping his long Native hair pulled back. As he fought off the remaining monsters, his soldiers came in and freed us. They helped us. Their team medic came and helped us. They gave us water and tried to calm us down. Then the guys with the pointy ears gave the wounded guys some special bread. Then I heard one of the Soldiers scream out, 'Wildcat, Wildcat, Wildcat.'

  Reporter: Wildcat? What did that mean?

  Marion: I don't know. I am not sure what it meant, but I can tell you this, in an instant, I knew that something was over, that Asher's men had defeated the goblins and with Asher, I felt safe.

  Reporter: You weren't afraid of Cries-For-War?

  Marion: No, because in an instant I knew all the reporters about him were lies. Instantly, I knew...I knew the truth.

  Reporter: I knew Asher Cries-For-War was one of the good guys. I knew the Nomads were here to help.

  CHAPTER 29: EW MARLAND’S STUDY

  Chance And Elena - Ponca City, Ok

  "There, in my assault bag," whispered Chance. "Grab it."

  He had already begun to stuff his wound with Old World herbs. While the injury would have killed him in this world, the Old World medicines and the elf-herb compositions immediately started to address the problem. There may have been immediate ease of pain, but the threat to life was still there.

  "Is this what you wanted me to find?" asked Elena. "Your climbing gear?"

  "Yes," Chance nodded his head.

  "So, when you took us mountain climbing at the Winding
Stair Mountain, you weren't just having fun? You were training me for something like this?"

  Chance nodded again. "Yes. That, and I enjoyed the view."

  "Of Winding Stair Mountain?"

  "No," said Chance. "I meant of you."

  The Marland Mansion was caught in the middle of an onslaught of mythological creatures, and there was Elena's ex-boyfriend trying to flirt with her. She shook her head, her fair skin turning scarlet.

  "Enough jokes," she said. "Let's get out of here."

  Freeborne came forward. He pointed his weapon at the door, in preparation for any approaching enemies. While he locked down the door, Elena began working with the rappelling equipment.

  "Get that dump truck right up next to the wall. We got a special delivery," said Chance in his radio.

  "Say again?" came the voice over the radio.

  "Wildcat! Wildcat! We are coming down the wall," said the Nomad Team Leader.

  Elena tied used the rope available and tied herself into the harness. Once she was down, she could adjust the line before untying it. The garbage truck went in reverse and backed up against the wall. The rope went right into its back.

  "Set," said a voice over the radio.

  Elena looked outside the garbage truck was pressed up against the wall. She looked at Chance, who held up his weapon towards the doorway.

  The radio squawked and Chance could hear Asher's voice come through the radio.

  "If you are on the top floor, an orc will be with Elena. DO NOT ENGAGE THAT ORC! THAT IS THE STOCKBROKER! I SAY AGAIN, DO NOT ENGAGE THAT ORC!"

  "He's looking out for you," said Elena.

  "Yeah, I guess he is," said Chance. "Now let's get you out of here. Are you tied into the harness?"

  "Yes-"

  "Then start moving. I taught you how to self-rappel."

  Elena nodded.

  The cellist went out the window. She started downwards.

  "Chance!" she screamed, "one of Gorgon's boys is down here!"

  Elena partially blocked Chance's view. He leaned to the left and saw an orc of Ragnog scaling the outside of the mansion. It was naked and unashamed of its beast-like appearance. Its long evil fingers cleft to the rocks as its yellow eyes gleamed in anticipation.

  While this was a war, a conflict between two or three different identities, it was apparent that this is not what the orc wanted it.

  This orc wanted the taste of elf-flesh. Its eyes sparkled the way a Ranger student stares at a piece of cake. It opened its mouth and traced its teeth with its long tongue.

  Freeborn wanted to raise his weapon but did not want to engage while Elena was in the middle.

  "Get ready to jump one way or the other, and then I'll shoot," he cried out.

  Elena secured the rope and then jumped. Chance raised his weapon.

  "Don't worry, I got you covered!" cried a voice.

  Chance looked down. There below was a Zorin. Dorin was next to him, in his exoskeleton. A Victorian-looking harpoon gun was attached to his shoulder. Zorin shot wildly in the direction of the orc but hit nothing.

  Chance yelled back at him, cursing him for his lack of control measures.

  "No wait!" cried Chance.

  Dorin fired his contraption. The missile went out. It bounced off the wall, impaling the orc through its stomach. With orc attached, it shot up wildly. The missile shot high, up into the Ponca City sky. As it moved higher, it continued to turn over and the attached orc did likewise. Its screams could be heard throughout Ponca City. Over the city sky, could be seen the impaled body of the orc flying up before finally coming down.

  "In you go," said Chance to himself, as he watched Elena crawl into the back of the trash truck. "Go, my love, go!"

  "WILDCAT! WILDCAT! WILDCAT!" sounded through the radio.

  "Welp," said Chance weak, as he felt a sudden drop in energy. "The mission is complete! We won!"

  Chance voice was hoarse, just above a whisper. Now the mission was over, his mind could focus on the injury. He looked down at his tourniquet and then fell to the floor.

  CHAPTER 30: HALL OF MERRIMENT, PART III

  Chance and Elena - Ponca City, Ok

  Marion: The orcs had all left us. Asher had left us. And now there was just their medic dudes, giving some of us water. Then I saw one of those guys.

  Reporter: Which guys?

  Marion: The pointy-ear fellow. He took out an arrow, broke it with his hands before throwing it onto the ground.

  Reporter: An arrow?

  Marion: Yeah, but there was something special about it. I have heard other people talk about those arrows. They were kind of like a comic-book character's special arrows. They had one for everything. Someone told me they had arrows that they saw full of ball-bearing, others shot flames, and then this one was different.

  Reporter: How was the arrow different?

  Marion: When he split it, it started filling the room with smoke. The smoke filled the room, but it didn't make anyone cough, it just continued to expand. The gray cloud grew and grew. And then, I don't know if this was planned or just coincidence, there was this annoying sound that went off. It was so loud I could barely hear myself think.

  Reporter: A sound? Was it in the room?

  Marion: No, it was down in the Hall of Merriment. It was a loud grinding noise. The sound was overbearing. But then the smoke began to die.

  Reporter: Did the sound ever go off?

  Marion: Yes, after the smoke vanished, the sound stopped too. Unfortunately, I don't think the Hall of Merriment's name will exactly be the same after this because there were two to three of those monsters dead out on the rails. I went with the quartet to the sound, and it was this boom-box radio looking thing. At first, I thought it was a bomb, but the noise drove me so nuts, that I just picked it up and turned it off.

  Reporter: You picked it up, are you crazy?

  Marion: It was pretty loud. I turned it off and you know what happened then?

  Reporter: What?

  Marion: Nothing. The room went silent. The tank-looking hot-rodders-whatever-you-want-to-call-them were all gone. You know what I am curious about?

  Reporter: What's that?

  Marion: If they turned on that radio so that we would hear that loud noise and we wouldn't hear the tanks as they pulled out.

  Reporter: Hmm, that would be clever.

  Marion: Yes, it would, and that's why I think they did it. It was all silent and then the sound of the sirens, EMSA, fire trucks, and the cops all came at once. Then they came and tried to doctor us up, send in shrinks and chaplains to calm us down, but the thing is, that didn't work.

  Reporter: Because you were too scared?

  Marion: No, because we weren't exactly sure why we were all there. It's like a dream. If we had been abducted by aliens our minds would have a better grasp because there have been other reports of alien abductions. But something straight out of a fairy tale pointing a Desert Eagle at a professional cellist’s temple? That's pretty unique, pretty original. I've never heard of anything like that before. It's hard to understand why we were there.

  Reporter: You were there because you were kidnapped?

  Marion: Yeah, but usually abductors keep their hostages.

  Reporter: Elden sounded like he was pretty scary and your Cries-For-War buddy is a criminal.

  Marion: Did you not listen to anything I said?

  Reporter: Have you heard of Stockholm syndrome?

  Marion: Are you seriously insulting me while we are doing the investigation? Elden Orkenkind seemed to be in charge and I don't believe any of the accusations against Asher Cries-For-War.

  Reporter: Well, that maybe, but after Oklahoma state, municipal, and county officials have failed at detaining him, more powerful agencies and more capable individuals are going to chase him down and they are going to catch him. They will catch Asher Cries-For-War. What do you have to say for them?

  Marion: [laughter] I'd say, "Good luck."

  CHAPTER 31: EW MARLAND’S STUDY, PAR
T II

  Asher And Chance - Ponca City, Ok

  Chance is still up there!" cried Elena. "You can't leave! He is still up there!"

  The extraction of Nomads had begun. The two other fighting vehicles were preparing to leave and the Nomads, minus Asher, were jumping into the truck.