Archer Lumen: Earth's Version of Hell (Unfinshed)[Edited Up to Escape]

Chapter 1 | What Did I Do To Trees?

Chapter One

The damned thing was after me.

  Probably not the best way to begin something, but I feel that it’s worth the risk. Especially since said damned thing was a tree lady that wanted to kill me.

  I slid under the dining room table, going into a dead run as I reached the other side. The tree lady continued to hiss and wail behind me as it destroyed my mother’s china. She was going to kill me! I don’t even know what I did! After waking up this morning and going to school, I’d come home to find a tree inside my living room.

  Not exactly what you’d expect on the first day after spring break, right?

  I’d stood stock-still as the tree began to shimmer and shake. A piercing sound traveled through the air, causing me to fall to my knees and clamp my hands on my ears. All while keeping my eyes on the tree. Objects shook, the air grew stuffier, and I could even feel the day’s lunch coming up to escape through my mouth.

  Then, it all stopped, and in the tree’s place stood a creature of pure beauty. She had a gown of…bark? Her hair was as green as the grass outside, and her eyes were even greener. I could lose myself in those eyes. I really could. The tree lady looked at me with a smirk on her heart-shaped face.

  Moon Guardian. Interesting. How do you feel about death? Her voice, which sounded like the rustling of leaves, pounded in my head like a drum. I gritted my teeth and lowered my hands. They weren’t going to help with her voice.

  “Um,” I said. “I’d rather not. Like, seriously, I really like life.”

  Hm. She said. Too bad. Die!

  Now I know that seems a bit random, but hear me out! This is exactly how it played out.

  She lunged forward, her hands―which were suddenly clawed and gnarled―outstretched. She vaulted over the couch and I saw that her legs were thick roots. She moved on them uncomfortably. I backed up slowly and looked at my walls, hoping to find something to use. Nothing.

  Black hair, mixed skin. Hmph. You’ve got nothing going for you, huh? The tree lady hissed. Except for those silver eyes. Why do I get the feeling that you hate them? Ha! You’re not even muscular. Wow, this should be an interesting kill.

  She’d be right, of course. I hated my eyes. Those two silver discs that did this weird flashy thing when I got too worked up. They were annoying as hell. But I was used to them now. The rest of Havenburg―my hometown―wasn’t though.

  The tree lady then began to lurch forward a bunch of times, each attempt to end my life being thwarted by quick reflexes that I didn’t even know I had. And all the while, she yelled, DIE! in my head. You can imagine how annoying that’d be. I’d barely dodged her last right hook when I entered the dining room.

  Now I was in the kitchen, and she was advancing fast. I dashed for the silverware drawer, fumbling for a steak knife of something to help me survive. I ended up finding a rubber spatula―which wasn’t even supposed to be in the drawer. I whirled around as the tree lady arrived. She backed me up against the oven.

  I honestly thought you’d be tougher, Moon Guardian. Gods know I haven’t killed a hero in a long time. Do you even know what you are? She laughed as she closed her eyes. Enough of this! Let’s see how you fare against real magic!

  The tiled floor suddenly began to crack. I looked down and saw three roots erupt from the ground, bringing clods of dirt with them. They reminded me of snakes when they stopped rising, the way they moved. Slowly and carefully. These roots were large too, thicker than my arm.

  One snapped at my face and I shot back into the oven. The other two began to elongate, wrapping themselves around my legs and hauling me upward. “Whoa! Whoa!” I said once I was upside down.

  Suddenly my kitchen disappeared.

  In a whirl of colors, we were in the forest, surrounded by trees. The tree lady didn’t appear to be fazed, but I sure was. I sputtered, looking around wildly while upside down. “What―how? Hey! Are you seeing this, right now? Hey, tree lady!”

  Even from this vantage point, her luminous eyes were still alluring. I felt the blood rushing to my head and began to get woozy. It didn’t help that the roots were starting to swing me around.

  Tree lady? That’s not my name, Moon Guardian. I am a dryad. The most glorious creature of the Realm! How dare you call me ‘tree lady’? Maybe you should pay with your life. The dryad hissed at me.

  “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” I said. “You’re going to kill me because I didn’t know your name? Which, by the way, you didn’t even give me in the first place! Are you serious? And what’s this crap about Moon Guardians, anyway?”

  Looking back, I can see how that little outburst might have warranted the strangling that was soon to follow.

  The third root, which had been hovering idly a moment before, suddenly shot forward, wrapping around my neck and proceeding to squeeze. I felt my lungs constrict instantly and began to shake. My eyes began to water as the root squeezed tighter and tighter. The dryad lowered her head and smirked. Any last words?

  I thought that was a stupid question, seeing as she was currently squeezing my throat. I couldn’t say any last words!

  Apparently she realized this, because the root loosened. I coughed, working my tongue around my mouth. My throat hurt, but I wasn’t going to complain. I looked at her in the eye, calmly and solemnly. This wasn’t such a bad way to die. Looking up at the face of a beautiful tree lady―even if I was upside down. There were worst ways to go, right?

  That’s why, instead of begging for my life, I croaked, “You. Are. Ugly.” A lie, but hey, the look of rage in her eyes was worth it. 

  Before the root could start squeezing again, a loud flash of light traveled through the clearing. Yes, a loud flash of light. The light attacked both of my senses at once. I felt my ears begin bleed as I was suddenly dropped onto the…glass floor?

  I groaned and looked up. There was a man in front of me, standing over six-feet tall and wearing beaten leather armor. He had a large sword strapped to his side, and on his right ring finger there was a shiny silver ring. I felt drawn to it.

  “Archer,” the man said. “I am the god of the Moon.”

  I couldn’t really hear anything but a ringing in my ear, but I still managed a, “Yo.”