Should Have Let Me Die

Holy fuck, I'm going to die! I was spinning out of control through the air, plummeting toward a cloud. Fuck.

'Use the power you just got!' -Gripton.

Shit, that's right, but how do I use it, fuck that clouds are coming fast, and it looks pretty grey! If I hit the cloud, I'm going to be soaked! Fuck! Ok, fiery thoughts, Hyde, think!

I felt something inside of me respond, and then fire covered my pants. Oh, great, really? No time, I'm a fucking rocket! Go fucking rocket pants!

Fire blaze from my pant legs, and now I was blazing toward the cloud instead of falling! I brought my feet around and felt my stomach try to push out my asshole as I change directions and shot up. Ok to much gas, slow down!

"Hyde!"

I slowed to a somewhat steady float and turned to look for Kadence's voice. She was below me now and flying up to meet me. Kadence's face was filled with worry and confusion, and she reached my height and floated with me.

"Well, now that I'm not about to become a grease spot on the ground, this is pretty fucking cool! Trem is great and all, but now I can do it myself! Hell, we can even fly together now!"

"You're not mad?"

"Mad?"

In response, I flew towards her and scooped her out of the air and took off. I was like a rocket, but I had to be careful how fast I went; I remembered those big welts left from bugs. I flew down to the ground and moved to a place where everyone could see us from the moving wagons.

"How could I be mad at you for me doing something stupid and reckless? Honestly, I thought I was going to get a tongue lashing for what I just did! But, no, I ain't mad, you have given me the greatest gift I could ever ask for, FIRE!"

Kadence smiled up and then stretched up in my arms to kiss me. Soon I could hear the sound of cheering coming from below, and we both stopped our kiss to see all the people waving from the wagons. I smiled at Kadence again before kissing the top of her head.

"Ready to go back?"

"No, but I guess we have to, hehe! The other girls will want a ride too."

'That's what she said!' -Gripton.

'Wow, really? Who are you? Am I just stuck in some fucking game I'm in right now? Are you some three hundred and the fifty-pound guy living in his mom's basement?'

'Okay, I'll stop, sorry. I am just quite familiar with your old planes culture and am a bit of a fan.' -Gripton.

'Wah? Plane? Fan?'

'I told you before I was on the way back to the mountain spring on the celestial plane. Instead, I'm stuck here with you, and I can't go back now until this is all sorted out, so sue me if I make lewd jokes! You don't have to be inside my head while I sleep with your daughter!' -Gripton.

'...Ya, okay, I get it, sorry. I know you're giving up a lot to help me. I'll try to ignore your jokes.'

I was just above the deck, so I stopped burning and fell the last fifteen feet and landed stand and let the force bring me down into a squat. I let Kadence out of my arms before standing up straight and looking around. I was pretty surprised only to see Markeye at the front watching the armored bugs move along.

I smiled at Kadence and asked her to see what the other wives were doing, squeezing her bottom as she left. Kadence turned back to me and gave me a suggestive look before turning back and walking to the stairs. I turned around with a big smile on my face and headed over to talk to Markeye.

"Hey, old man! How's it going up here?"

"Good, good, Great Master Hyde."

Nope, this was enough of this bullshit! I didn't want to do this, but I felt like this was one thing I could get away with.

"I order you to call me Hyde when you address me!"

"Yes...Hyde. Hmm, that feels more natural now. I felt like I wanted to address you that way, but it was almost forced."

"Yeah, I figured as much. It's part of my magic and a part I don't like, so that I will be doing this for everyone one now."

"That is a good idea. So, what brings you over to my boring job?"

"First, you are not worried? I just admitted that my magic controls people; hell, I forced it on that Tigerfolk! Doesn't that worry you or bother you?"

"No."

"Why not? You're not worried I might do something bad?"

"Would you?"

"No!"

"Then, okay. I believe you, and I believe in what you are trying to do here, son. This quest you have set yourself on is a long and hard road that you have your sights on. None of this will be easy, and you will have to make a harder choice the turning one man against his will in the future."

"Yeah, I keep hearing that, but was the world always this bad?"

"No, there were heroes at one time that helped keep balance amount the kingdoms and everyone were treated fair. The beastfolk was a creation of one of those heroes, and another created deadly weapons and hid them in buried ruins for the other heroes to find."

"So, these heroes, they were like me then, I guess? I mean, hiding stuff for the other heroes seems like a weird thing for someone like a brave hero to do, right?"

"Yes, they were like you; most stories talk of their strange behaviours and habits, but that did not diminish their feats of bravery in the face of danger."

"What? Fighting with the idiots that stepped out of line?"

"No, the heroes were summoned to kill a monster hoard that were summoned from another dimension."

Woah, that sounded crazy after everything I had heard and knew about this place.

//Crazy, but true, that was the creator's last attempt to end this world, but the previous guardians were able to stop him, but he has left the world alone since. Maybe he knew this would happen after the heroes died

'Died?'

'Yes, this was 450 years ago, they got old.' -Gripton.

"Well, knowing you have faith helps, old man, thanks. So what is it you do up here?"

"I watch the road ahead, I got good eyes, and the job is easy. I don't mind, and I get to see a lot more of my daughter being happy for real. Keep up the good work, Hyde."