The Poleman

Sine awoke with a startle, glancing around to observe more of his surroundings. A dark, desolate forest engulfed the environment. Wind brushed past his ears and leaves rustled together as Sine felt around his spine area. It felt... weird. 

'What the heck...?'

His spine was rigid, like his skin was crystalized. He reached at his vertebrae that pressed against his skin on the back of his neck, and felt something... strange. 

'Huh?!'

He started pulling his spine out...? No. 

'This is...'

The Pole. The Pole that the white knight had wielded at the bottom of the abyss. Sine also felt much stronger, and more agile.

'Where was that white place? Who was that knight? '

It all felt strange, why did he give The Pole to him specifically? 

'Is it because I fell in that hole? No, I know numerous people who have fallen in that hole to never be seen again. Is it because I made it to the bottom?'

He didn't know what to think, and he had a massive migraine. As he rubbed his temples, his senses scanned the area. Where was he? He observed a tree, running his fingers through the ridges and numerous holes in it.

'I'm somewhere in the Pride region. Crap, I've never been here before.'

This was bad. He didn't know what horrors that may be hunting him as he thought. As the brush pile near him shook a little, he bit his tongue and started to sprint. He didn't know where, but if he could find any kind of civilization that had a Magepunk among them. 

The forest seemed to come alive after he started his dash, a growl escaped a near clumped area of trees, and a hideous mushroom creature with thousands of pores and spider legs started a chase, as well as numerous other creatures that resembled plants with massive maws.

Somehow, he was faster. He had gotten faster, even. It felt as if the situation he was in wasn't life threatening. A viny creature with amber gem-like eyes appeared from the leaves and lashed out at him.

He jumped sideways, planting his feet on a nearby tree, and using it to push himself towards it. His muscles swelled and roared as he swung The Pole at its glaring eyes. With a whack, the creature screamed and shot even more vines at him. 

He was airborne. Time seemed to slow as multiple vines crawled towards him in the air. He had to make a split-second decision. The Pole started to rotate, faster and faster, it cut the air around him. As two vines reached towards him, he demolished one of them and instantly swiped the next one away with his revolving Pole. Five more surrounded him, this time, he couldn't hit all of these at once.

So he didn't even try. 

Using a nearby tree as a lever, he swung and wrapped The Pole around the tree, blasting himself off of it, only being caught by one of the vines.

The vine caught a hold of his wrist, Sine used this to grip the vine, wrap it around his hand, and yank the creature toward him. With all his might, he swung The Pole and eradicated the creature. This all happened in the span of about five seconds, so the creatures giving chase were almost upon him.

He felt something happen to him when he killed the creature though. Like he absorbed the very life out of it. This happened only one other time in his life.

**

"Stop!" Sine's body hit the floor as he shielded himself from a kid that was older than him. He hadn't done anything to provoke the boy, so why had he hit him?

"Shut the fuck up you rat! You snitched that me and my friends had a revolver!" He clenched his fist and hit Sine again and again.

"I didn't say anything! I swear!" Sine tried his best to block, but the boy's fists were much bigger than he had anticipated, resulting in bruising. Sine flailed around trying to hit the boy back, but he was simply pushed aside and hit again.

Footsteps echoed throughout the hall, and the boy stopped. He clicked his tongue before saying, "Fuck you" and running off. Sine sat picked himself up in a cradle position and cried. As he wept, footsteps approached him. 

"You want to get back at him?" Sine looked up to see a boy the same age as him, midnight hair flowed and his onyx eyes shone eerily against the yellow lanterns, an unnatural paleness to his skin. 

Sine sniffled, caught up in the moment. "Y-Yes." 

The dark-haired boy flashed a perverted grin on his face. "Follow me."

He stood up shakily, his muscles spasming with adrenaline as he followed the boy. "Shhh." The dark-haired boy whispered as he approached a back alley. Voices resounded from the alley as Sine recognized one of the voices.

It was the kid that beat him up earlier.

"Here." The dark-haired boy said, giving him a pen. "Stab him in the neck with it." 

Sine's eyes flashed. "What?!" He whispered loudly. Sine had never done something like that... wouldn't he die?

"He won't die... I'll take care of him after, just make him suffer a little bit." He whispered back.

As the voices died down, one last voice echoed. "Now, where would that kid be...?" 

Sine turned the corner and dashed towards the kid. He flew towards his neck, and before he had time to react, a pen plunged into his jugular. A gargling sound escaped his mouth, small spurts of red liquid shot out of his neck as he held his throat. 

"Alright, I'll take care of the rest so just run on home!" The dark-haired boy said happily. "I'll take care of him okay!"

Sine looked at him worriedly, but decided to believe him. 

Sine had learned throughout the years that the boy had likely not survived the encounter due to the low chances of surviving something like that without a Magepunk's power.

But now, he was certain he had killed that kid.

**

He felt sick, but he couldn't despair right now, as abominations were approaching him. He gathered himself and started his marathon once again, bobbing and weaving throughout the hole-filled forest. He found himself in a clearing leading to a massive ravine.

"Shoot!" He hurriedly looked around for something he could do, a rope, a bridge, anything! The taps, hooves, and bangs of creatures behind him were only getting louder, and he couldn't find anything.

He was going to die.

He recalled earlier how The Pole had revolved, spinning rapidly and generating an unbelievable amount of force, being able to clear trees. 

He started it. As the abominations snarled and salivated over him as they approached, his Cadence had started. It slowly started like a hammer, banging against the air. But over time, it sped up, faster and faster. The Pole whipped around, becoming a blur of motion.

As the cavalcade of horrors found their way into the opening, Sine calmed himself, planted his feet, and watched and waited.

A dance of death awaited him.