The Second Task

  I know I haven't posted in a while, huh? Not that much of you are listening anyway. For a while there, I stopped writing because, first of all, I've been really fucking busy with this new "friend" of ours, and second of all, I stopped seeing what the point of this was. But anyway, I'd better get on with the post.


  The second task was...Much more difficult than the first. And even then, "much more difficult" doesn't even begin to explain how hard it was. Usually, in books and movies and things, when a character is given tasks to complete, they go from easy, to slightly more difficult, to fairly difficult, and so on. All the way up until the last task, which is most likely life-threatening, and which takes pretty much pure luck to accomplish. But this task was only the second of three, and I already saw my fucking flashing before my eyes.


  It was almost three weeks after the first task and I'd just gotten word that my uncle was in a coma after a terrible car accident, involving a drunk driver who died. Luckily, my uncle didn't. I couldn't go see him...not with Rusalka around and with everything going on. She came to me to tell me what I had to do next.


"You've completed your first assignment well, despite your fear of the water."
"I'm not afraid, it just freaks me out. Bitc-"
"You're second task will be led by a few of my friends."


  Fucking friends. Guess what they were? Goddamn creepy blue, emerald-eyed pixie things. They looked like they wanted to eat my flash right off my fucking face. Yeah right they're leading me...that's what I thought at first. But you really can't say no to a Satyr.


"They will lead you into the forest, where you will find a beast awaiting you. From Him, you must take the knife."
"Sounds easy enough, I guess..."
"Listen, boy. Where you travel, you will find a fortune that awaits you. Whatever you do, you must not touch anything, else you wish to wake the creature."


  That night the fairies arrived at my window, their teeth bared at me like a rabid fucking dog's. I followed them outside, where they grabbed my sleeves and dragged me all the way to the edge of the street behind my hotel. The trees stretched for miles where I stood. The green-eyed mini monsters gave me no time to look, as they continued to pull me through the woods.


  It took about 20 minutes of dragging and stumbling to reach our destination. I brought the key from the first task with me. I had a feeling I would need it soon, and I was correct. In the middle of a dark clearing, there was an overgrown house, almost a mansion. The key unlocked the door, which I had to hold so that it wouldn't fall over and wake up anything waiting inside.


  Rusalka was right about the fortune. Piles and piles of golden coins and diamond rings and stacks of cash raised up to the broken ceiling on either side of the pixies and me. There was a clear path on the dusty floor, leading to a sharp silver knife which sat on a chair made of gold. The fairies flew ahead and pointed urgently at the knife...if I just fucking followed their instructions. But there I was, a treasure hunter, standing among mounts of millions of dollars worth of treasure! I thought one huge diamond would be enough. Then I could grab the dagger and get out of there.


  I reached out and touched the diamond...a shadow fell over the room now. Frozen in place, I heard as five soft footsteps headed towards the pixies passed right by me. Still silent, I heard the...crunching, and the snapping...of their bones and flesh as this monster ripped them apart, then dropped them to the floor. I got the courage to look up when I remembered where the knife sat.


  This thing was huge. With the shape of a man, almost nine feet tall, it wore a suit and a tie. I didn't have a chance to count how many long tentacles sprouted out of its back. And it's face...it lacked a face, only a pale as white, blank spot on its bald head. It came at me, grabbing my arm and tugging at it, while another arm lunged for my head. I pulled free, stabbing it as hard as I could with the skeleton key and running for the dagger. It followed, I dodged. Then, it grabbed my leg, pulling be backwards while it kept approaching, faster, faster. Grabbing the knife in my hand, I hacked away at the tentacle holding my leg. I was pulled up into the air before being smashed down on the floor again. My nose is broken now. It swung me at the wall, releasing, giving me just enough time to jump out of the window, smashing the glass everywhere. I took a big piece of the blood-stained thing while I got up and ran.


  I saw it around every corner. Every tree suddenly became a copy of it, but I kept telling myself it wasn't true. I finally found my way out of the woods after stopping for a thirty-second rest ten times the whole way. Making it back to the hotel, I was still in shock...Which I believe I had full authority to be. Rusalka was there. She grabbed the knife from me as soon as I plopped myself down on the bed, panting. She looked fucking pissed the hell off.


"I told you not to touch anything else! You fool!"
"But...I got the knife...didn't I?"


  That didn't amuse her. But I was right.

The First Task

  It was early morning, and I was just lying in bed. Rusalka left earlier, the same day that she had appeared, after talking to me about what this Ring really meant, why it would not be removed until my death - or hers. Apparently, she could not be killed physically, and she would not tell me how she could be destroyed, which left me curious for quite awhile...until I saw what truly could kill her. And I knew very well how my death could happen; I needed no clarification on that.
  The Fae came to me when it was dark, and I was barely awake enough to keep my eyes open. I had just awoke from a nightmare...my mother was sick back then, with cancer. In the dream, I was not there for her, but instead trapped deep underneath the Earth while she silently slipped away...and I never was to see her again. I woke up in a sweat since just before I awoke, the ground began to crumble in on my head. It was terrifying, but I'm usually used to night terrors like this. I knew the odds were against me, and my mother would probably not survive. She was already too weak to even speak much.
  Rusalka's voice is soft, but rushed. She speaks to me like a child most times...And instructs me on what to do...


"I know I've told you that I am now yours...But I only need a few tasks completed in order to be totally in your favor, Master. Three mere things retrieved, and I will be content."


  She didn't want me to feel rushed, or so she said, but she would prefer that these tasks were finished within a two-week time period. That's great. So now I'm given a freaking schedule?
  The first task, which was to be completed sometime that day or the next, was to get a key for the faun. And where might this key be found? In the fucking ocean. So I had to pay for god damned scuba gear and all, just to swim down probably a hundred feet underwater, right up to a shitload of coral, and go searching for fucking thirty minutes just to find a stupid key. Covered in salt water and fucking seaweed. At least Rusalka seemed entertained when I had a spazz attack due to the huge ass fish thing that came two inches from my face. I swear that thing looked like a sea monster or something. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if it was, anyway...I'm just itching to find out Rusalka has a leprechaun friend, too!


  Did I mention I kind of have somewhat of hydrophobia? At least, in the ocean...or any place that has dark water and dangerous things in it. So, I pretty much almost had a heart attack every time something touched me. Not to mention how grossed out I am about coral and seaweed. Ugh. Not my type of activity, that's for fucking sure.
  I just wish I knew what those next tasks would be. I would've never chose Ireland to fly to.

One Lucky Guy

  Come on, you gotta admit it. How easy was that? Only five, easy as hell riddles and I'm suddenly in possession of a Ring...that just happens to give me ownership over a...somewhat attractive half-naked Fae. But, anyway! Heh...This isn't really about that...And anyway, if I'd known why those riddles were so damn easy, that Ring would be KILLED WITH FIRE.


  Rusalka was standing at the edge of my bed, and I thought at first she was just an image of my dream. She's quite amazing, actually...Her hair is so blond it's almost white, reaching down and covering her chest. Her face is...normal. Green eyes, tan skin. Body of a goat. Ears of a goat, pierced all up the sides. She also has a goat's nose, but...Well, she was born that way. Heh.
  Let me get serious now. The Fae-faun-hobgoblin stood there with a slight grin on her face, and she giggled, though I was still half-asleep and thinking, Please don't make this a nightmare. Seriously, every wet dream I have ends up with the chick eating the flesh right off my face. Ugh. But anyway, when I finally woke up and could think straight, you better believe I flipped the fuck out. And...she smiled. Still.
  "I am Rusalka, Servant of the Seelie Court, and you are now my master."
  I bet you know what I said.
  "What the fuck are you?!"
  "I am a Fae, but you may refer to me as a Satyr."
  "What are you doing in my room?!"
  "As I may have stated earlier, I am bonded to the Ring you posses by...a spell. Since you have taken ownership of this Ring, I am now bonded to you by this spell, and if you desire, may serve you in whatever way you wish."
  Wow. I never thought Satyrs existed, never thought some trip to Ireland would end up with a mythical creature at my bedpost. And to make it even more exciting, soon I'd realize that I was never meant to live wearing this Ring; I would end up like the other men and women who wore this thing on their fingers.

The Riddle

  As I said before, I used to be normal. Shocker, huh? That's right, I used to be the wangster in high school, the "popular" kid in middle school, and I never quite made it to college. Mostly because I was: 1) too lazy and 2) too lazy to get the money I needed to pay for tuition and whatnot. But, pretty much, I just didn't give a shit. I learned enough in senior year anyway.


  I'm a pretty accomplished treasure hunter. I like to travel across the world, sometimes researching the many old sections of Ireland, since the rural areas really interested me. Surprisingly, I had enough for a trip there (funny how I can't pay for college...) and to get a room at one of those little cottage inns that smelled like s'mores and peanuts. It was pretty nice there, but I hadn't come to chat it up with the hot ginger at the desk. I had somewhere to be, secrets to unlock, money to gain.


  The place was just like a pile of rubble, not even ruins. Like a heap of jagged rocks. At first I just went around to inspect, there were not that many people at all; only about two or three, still far away from where I was. Yes, the ruins were big, and it took me a while to scan the whole place. Yet as I passed by a certain "wall" of the crumbling stones, I noticed little markings carved into a thin slate of some other material I wasn't aware of. Anyway, at first I thought it might be Greek, but after looking really close, I didn't know what the hell those markings were. They weren't like pictures, just symbols, more curvy and fancy than any other writing I've ever seen. One symbol curved in, almost looking as if it formed a small indent for your index finger to fit. So I thought, What the hell? I'll try it. And I did. And it worked.


  I heard sort of a dragging noise then the settling of stone, and sure enough a wall had pulled back from inside the ruined temple-like structure, revealing more carvings, this time in clear, almost untouched Greek. Here's what it said (I have the quote written down somewhere, but I'll try tot remember for now):


Solve these five Riddles carefully, or so you will not be allowed entrance to the Court of the Fae. The first of them are not difficult, though will grow fatal as time drips away.


1. A dreaded dangerous whirlpool am I;
I swallow up ships as they pass by

2. We nine cause storms and fog and mist
If we dropped dead we'd ne'er be missed

3. I'm a sea-living female, with an ugly face,
and barking dogs bout my waist

4. All kinds of foods we seize and defile
We female birds have an awful lifestyle

5. I have a hundred watchful eyes
To Hermes I owe my demise


  Well, how unexpected, huh? Five Greek riddles in an Irish temple? The Court of the Fae? It was all a blur back then, I had no idea what shit I was getting myself into when I solved those five and walked down that dusty staircase. No idea what that ring meant...But I'd soon see.


  Number one, the answer was Charybdis, the child of Gaia and Poseidon, taking form as some sea creature, spitting up water to create whirlpools. Number two, the Hydra. Google it. Three, Scylla, Google it. Four, 
Harpies, I knew that one well. And lastly, five, Argus.


  The wall pulled back again, this time revealing a long staircase leading into the dark, unlit torches lining each dangerously unstable wall. At the bottom, more Greek.


Now you have made it to the chest, thought opening it will disturb the faun's rest. Lift it with ease and treat it with care, or soon it will too turn against you.


  I opened the chest at the bottom, the light from above still slightly glinting down on the floor. It was locked, but I finally found the key under several stones in one corner. The chest opened, and inside was a velvet pouch, still appearing new and fresh; it's smell was not, however. Inside that was a ring, a ruby-looking one.


  Now, if I had realized that shoving that ring on my left index finger, and having it stick there for the rest of the day was not because of my finger size, I would've regretting ever opening that chest. I would've sold the goddamn thing in an instant. Still, having a hobgoblin around does have its advantages...But I'll get to that in a moment.


  Anyway, The ring stuck for the rest of the afternoon, evening, and night. Next morning, first thought was, What the fucking shit is this thing doing in my room?! Seriously. There was a motherfucking half-goat-half-naked girl in my bedroom fucking smiling at me. Creepy ass faun. Almost gave me a heart attack...She said her name was Rusalka, a servant of the Seelie Court and now officially my slave for the bond that ties her to the Ring. It was a bit much to take in at once, but I got over it. Having a creature with the ability to mindfuck your enemies around couldn't really be that bad. Too bad I didn't know the entire situation well before using the thing to make me wealthy...


-Clive

Introduction

  This isn't much of an introduction, but considering it's 2:15am and I haven't slept properly for three weeks, it's the best you're going to get. My name's Clive Moore, I'm a treasure hunter, and currently I hold ownership of the Seelie Ring - a ring created by the Seelie Court, that contains a creature who would serve loyally whoever wore the ring, for the rest of their life or until the ring could be removed. Which is pretty much impossible, if I may add. But, things weren't always this way. In fact, I used to be a normal guy. Greedy, I admit, yet average. It was my lust for wealth and excitement that brought this whole ordeal upon me. The Seelie Court originated somewhere in Ireland, the Unseelie Court located in southern Scotland. Now, if you're not familiar with the two...Go Google it. I'm tired as fuck and I'm sure not going to explain it to you morons. Anyway, if it weren't for my love of gaining more and more money from old shit I scavenged from some old ruins, I wouldn't have met Rusalka - my 'lovely' hob friend. Well, perhaps 'lovely' isn't the best way to describe her.


  Also, please don't assume just because I'm tired that explains why I'm impatient. Here's my moral: Say what you want to say, get it out of your fucking mouth already, or shut the hell up and stop wasting my time. That's the one rule I'm asking you to follow. Other than that, do whatever the hell you want, just don't piss me the fuck off. If you don't agree with me, keep it to yourself. If you don't believe me, I don't give a damn; my family doesn't, my "friends" never did in the end, so I've already adapted to that. I've been sent to a fucking shrink for Christ's sake. Don't think you're going to piss me off just by doubting what I say. Thanks.


  Now that that's out of the way, I think I've said enough. If not, and if you're still wondering about a few things I might not have mentioned...Then wait 'till the next fucking post.


-Clive