Crowley

By Nathan Elrod

You find yourself in a large city. You’ve been running for longer than you care to think about and you are taking a brief respite. You are Aleister Crowley, a famous name rumored to practice the dark arts. However you are more famous for your former name, Merlin. Your magical prowess has kept you alive and young for more than a millennia . As you take your rest, you hear a familiar sound. The howl of a hellhound. What will you do?

Fight? Flight?

You ready yourself for the coming danger, but what comes isn’t what you expect. What you see is a young girl running in your direction. “Get out of here! You’re in danger!” You yell at her desperately but she returns your cries with a puzzled stare. Over her shoulder you spot the encroaching hellhounds. She takes a short glance around her and you take the opportunity to make yourself invisible. You bring your attention to the hellhounds and visualize them trapped in ice. Your magic makes it so, and you breath a sigh of relief. You then return to visibility. You bring your attention back to the girl, more hounds are undoubtedly on their way and she may be in danger. What should you do with her?

Take her and run? Draw them away?

You look around the area for somewhere to run to. You see an entrance to a subway terminal and decide that will be your escape route. You run down its steps looking behind you cautiously. In your hurry, you don’t notice a young girl coming up the stairs and you run right into her. You briefly lighten the weight of her body so that she doesn’t fall and continue running. You hear her aggravated cries come closer to you as you look around the station for a train. “Who do you think you are!? Not even an apology!?” she asks you as you look around. “I’m very sorry, but I cant stop to talk” you say as you hear the hellhounds getting ever closer. Just then you notice an express train approaching the station at full speed. The hellhounds are almost upon you and the girl could be in danger. You only have one option.

Take her with you

You grab her hand and run toward the track. You wait a few moments until the train is almost upon you .“Wait! Stop, please don’t kill me! I’m sorry!” she screams in horror as the train gets closer. Pulling her closer to you, you jump in front of the train. You effortlessly slip through the speeding train and fall into two open seats. You let out a breath and allow your heartbeat to return to normal. You look at the girl next to you and notice the dumbfounded look in her face. “I am truly sorry I had to do that, I’ll explain everything “ you tell her in the calmest voice you can.

Next

You see a subway terminal and entrance and decide that that is your best option. You grab her hand and run down the steps. You reach the subway terminal and look around but there aren’t any trains. “What the hell are you doing? What’s going on?” she yells at you in a panicked voice. “I’m very sorry, but I cant stop to talk” you say as you hear the hellhounds getting ever closer. Just then you notice an express train approaching the station at full speed. The hellhounds are almost upon you and the girl could be in danger if you left her. You only have one option.

Next

You look around for a direction to draw them to. You see an entrance to a subway terminal and decide on that. At this moment the girl is bombarding you with questions but you don’t have time to answer them. You run toward the entrance and to your dismay, the girl runs after you. When you reach the terminal floor, you look around but there aren’t any arriving or departing trains. “Wait, You have to tell me what’s going on! What were those things? And how did they freeze like that!?” The girl asks you as soon as she catches up. “I’m very sorry, but I cant stop to talk” you say as you hear the hellhounds getting ever closer. Just then you notice an express train approaching the station at full speed. The hellhounds are almost upon you and the girl could still be in danger. You only have one option.

Next

The girl looks at you expectantly as you decide how to explain yourself. “To make a very long story much shorter, I am Aleister Crowley and I sold my soul to the devil. I am obviously very reluctant to actually pay, hence the demonic hounds chasing me.” She looks at you in utter bewilderment as you finish your sentence. The train starts to slow as it approaches the next stop. “I hope that will suffice, for I really must be going.” The train stops and you step out onto the terminal. The girl snaps out of her bewilderment and chases after you. “Wait I’m not done talki-” her sentence is cut short as he notices you freeze up.“Mephisto it has been far too long.” You say in a serious tone. In front of you stands one of the upper echelon of demon kind. “It really has Aleister.” he says with a grin. “ Or should I call you Merlin? Houdini? I never know what to call you, you’ve been so many of this world’s great magicians.”

Merlin Aleister

“Merlin is my true name, and you of all people should know that power that name holds.” Mephisto’s face becomes a mix of fear and agitation. “There is always one blaring weakness to your kind becoming corporeal.” you say confidently.“You powerless if you can’t touch me.” You grab the girls hand and walk towards the demon. He lunges at you but passes through your body as if it was air. He takes a few more swings and growls angrily “One day Merlin your soul will be ours, count on it.” Mephisto then disappears in a plume of fire. You look back at the girl who has finally seemed to calm down a bit. “Come with me, I’ll explain everything.” She nods then follows you up the stairs into the sunlight.

End

“My name is Aleister!” you growl angrily at him. You then outstretch your hands in front of you like a puppeteer. Two arcane circles appear on the ground then begin to glow.“My friends Arthur and Guinevere, I beseech you. Come forth, you are needed.” Two coffins then rise out of the glowing circles. They open revealing two armored figures. The figures stare blankly at the demon. You then point your hands at the intended target which causes the figures to run at him. The two figures swing their swords through the demon who screams in pain. “One day Aleister your soul will be ours, count on it.” Mephisto then disappears in a plume of fire. You let your hands drop back to your sides as the two figures disappear. You look back at the girl who has finally seemed to calm down a bit. “Come with me, I’ll explain everything.” She nods then follows you up the stairs into the dark of night.

End