Wirt

        Crack! It. It's neck snaps in two. It's face cuts as well. Exposing the billions of long spiky teeth in it's head. Inky oose squirms out of it's sliced neck like a torn leaking hose. The black goo then crawls back with strain claws back into it's neck. The monster's face sews itself together with tiny spiders coming out of it's head, zipping it up. Once the spider's glue liked spider webs stick to each corner of it's sliced head, it slaps together. The abomination releases a shaky sigh, and exposes it's cocky side by revealing a thin, long, pointy-toothed grin.

       It's making a fool out of us. It knows that we can't defend ourselves properly, well at least two of us.

       'You still think it's not that big Bill?' I sigh.

       Full of himself, the demon snaps his neck at me, and shrugs sheepishly with a beaming smile. His rough brown hair flows in the wind, he still has the tall bright red band hat. He slips it off, and says, 'Okay one, fuck the bucket hat. Two, at least I'm standing with a seemingly brave face.'

       With that he tosses playfully the hat on my lap, and winks,'Yes you have my permission to faint.'

       'Get me up.' I order, slapping the bucket hat off my lap.

       As I predict, Finn quickly wraps his pale cold hands around my shoulder. He pulls me up. Briskly the wind blows on my heated face.

       I didn't see it coming, the first attack from the large creature above us patiently smiling down. The hit I only remember it being boiling hot on my skin then stone cold. The black water that hit me also disappeared. This isn't a normal creature that's one thing I'm sure of.

      'Mutalate.' I bring my attention back to the monster. What did it just say?

      'Mutalate.' It repeats.

      'Aye you okay there buddy? Sorry I turned my back on you, I was just busy deciding which way I'm going to kill you ou' Rotating his head in a cocky like manner and chuckling, Bill grips the machete with his two hands down. He looks up, 'Do you need a cough drop or do you need me to shove this up your esophagus?!" He yells.

      'B-Bill I think you need to shove it d-down. G-Going up w-w-would go to the brain a-a-and --"

      'Shut up Finn! SHUT UP!' Bill yells.

      'Finn your still holding my arm.' I comment, feeling a pinch of pity for the poor scolded blonde.

      Just a pinch okay, don't get too excited readers.

     'I-I'm s-s-s-sorry.' Finn's ocean eyes sparkle as he let's go of my arm. The cold welcomes the place where his hand used to be. He shyly sneers off my midnight cloak from the deck floor, and nervously hands it to me. I accept his returning gift with a nod taking my coat back and clicking it on.

    'It's torn.' I comment under my breath at the fabric. It has holes, and tears at the ends with splotches of dirt with thin sneers from the pointy branches a while ago decorate all around it. We might need to go visit the Tailor guy from the tavern --wait, what am I thinking? I haven't seen that guy in a long time, yet it feels like just yesterday me and...It feels like an adventure.

     'Mutalate!' The monster repeats. His husky voice grows louder. He's growing impatient.

     'Let's not keep him waiting for too long now Twigs~.' Bill chuckles.

     'I don't care.' I notify, letting my poor cloak drape over my back. It's length returns to it's original size, but since it was cut by the branches along the trail, it only covers my back all the way just below my torso.

     'W-Wirt we aren't really g-g-oing t-to fight t-t-hat thing right-right?" Finn asks. I ignore the concern leaking from his voice.

     'Do you see any land around here? We are in the middle of the river. It's deep end is unknown, hint to where you are. We have no place to go.' I explain.

     'I-I know but..." His voice trails off as he slips his hands in the bottom pocket of his hoodie. It's his crown. I'm amazed and kind of surprise that he still has it after all this time. His crown is magic if I'm correct, can make snow and cold air, probably ice. Maybe he's only fought with his crown on. Does the crown work? If it doesn't then he doesn't put in on right? He probably thinks that he's useless without his power. And he's right, he is useless.

     'You can't fight without it can you?' I take a wild guess to prove my theory correct. I watch him close his eyes, and give a little nod.

     'MUTALATE!' The giant scarecrow unleashes a harsh crow cry. It's high pitch howl squeals bouncing like a game of ping pong in my ears. Only it's with needles.

      The monster's stick thin arms start to twitch, and spin. They spin clockwise then counter super fast. They go so fast that I only see flashes of them wave around hysterically in the air with mixed directions similar to a diffused and corrupt clock. It continues it's uncontrollable shriek, craning it's neck back. The booming noise makes Finn jump, and hide behind me quickly. I let him.

      'Calm yourself, you're important I know! Don't remind me!" Bill rolls his burning golden eyes before sprinting at the monster.

      Before he even makes it to three steps, one of the scarecrow's arms slam into him. He hits the wooden rail with a painful crack! "GAH!" Bill hisses, and coughs up transparent liquid from his mouth.

      'Duck and get me my weapon!' I order. I yank Finn by his arm, and dart to the floor escaping a swinging arm.

      'A-Alright!' Finn crawls on fours quickly to Bill who keeps groaning at the inflicted pain on his chest. His chest goes up and down gasping for air. The back rail cracks behind him.

     I glare at the monster. The scarecrow stops, and smiles. His arms slow down, and dialate back to their original form. But he doesn't stop there. The scarecrow keeps growing small, and smaller, and smaller. His hat morfs along with the rest of his body. It's bones crack! I swipe from the ground the stick with the marshmallow on top from the drum.

     'Your deepest desire~" A voice whispers in my ear. Hollow. The Beast!

      I swing the stick and turn around. There's nothing there. Was it a trap?

      I snap my head back to the scarecrow. A boot connects with my stomach slamming me back. I roll on the ground then spring back up with my arms. I gracefully land on my feet. Squinting at the new form the monster has taken, I shake my head and give a sharp glare.

      The mirror image of myself stares back at me with it's leg up giving off the idea it was that thing that kicked me. 'Don't copy me.'

     'Do you really think I care?' Grumpy, ill-humored, and straight out dead...the voice even sounds like mine.

     The copy has the exact same red cone on it's head, the midnight coat, the khaki overalls, the boots (in which I don't have I'm honestly jealous >:/), and the exact same tree antlers on its head. He's just in a shade darker than me, and his eyes are darker. The bags under his eyes make his scowl more menacing. Through if you look closer we are different, we are identically alike on the outside. Is this how I look like? Scary, and threatening? Is that why everyone runs away?

     More thoughts pop in my head not filled with sadness of discontent, but of genuine curiosity. Is this how people look at me? If it is, they have the right to be afraid. Who would adore to see this dark essence of mine? --Definetly no one. No peaked interest. It is better to be feared than to be loved.

      'We look defying don't we?' My own voice wakes me up. I blink my attention back to the copy in front of me that smirks looking me up then down, 'You like it dont you?'

      'I thought you said you didn't care.' I keep a straight face.

       From the corner of my eye, I spot Bill limping as he gets up, reclining himself for support on the wooden rail. Finn takes the long slender knife he holds in his limp hands. He never let go. He tells something to Bill out of ear shot, and then smiles. A loud cackle bursts out of Bill's mouth.

       What are they doing?

       'Don't look away from me.'  A fist curves around, and it aims towards my eye. I quickly slap the forearm away with my right then with my left hand I jab a solid punch on my copy's jaw.

        It studders taking a few steps back to his original spot. I bend my knees, and curl my fingers into white knuckles raising my arms up to my face and chest. The copy glares at me before copying my fighting stance. It's exactly like mine.

        Let's tease him, I smile internally at my clever thought. He might copy me from the outside, but let's see the inside.

        'Don't you mean watch out for me?' I boredly comment, letting down my stance and relaxing.

        'Cocky? I don't think so.' He frowns before charging at me with long strides.

        'You should also check out your sentence structure. 'Don't ' is a contraction, for example don't use it so often.' (And I should know, I like poems :/) Advising, I sprint to him.

       The Wirt in front of me throws a swing, I duck, and throw him to the floor. Quickly I'm on top of him, and I start to punch him mercilessly. Punch after punch after punch my arms grow tired. But I can't stop. He's just staring at me, unfazed by my strength. I need my power.

       'I never noticed you were both so alike.' The copy smiles. I jab down the hardest punch I've ever given. I bring back my arm, he's just smiling at me.
       'You and him.'

        Just then, the copy suddenly opens his mouth, a pointy spear sticks in the air. I move my head back in fear of it hitting below my jaw. This gives the monster the opportunity to stab something in my side. I hurl forward in shock, my mouth hangs open.

        'Wirt snap out of it--!'

        BAM! 'GAH!' I waddle backwards to the rail on the deck. What?

        The copy of myself throws a punch, I tilt my head to the right barely escaping his bony knuckles. I shake my head briefly and slam the back of my fist into his ear knocking him off balance.

       'Argh...' The copy hisses as he leans over the deck. I step back, and glance quickly at Bill who still leans gasping for air on the rail. The demon glares at me with burning yellow eyes as if scolding me. Finn holds a concern gaze as a tear rolls down his face.

      What happened? Why is Finn crying? Why is Bill looking at me like that, where is his charismatic smile?

      I quickly slap my hand on my side, and feel my ribs. Their healthy. But how? I'm sure that thing stabbed me!

      Then it hits me.

      It's messing with my mind.

      It's messing with me.

      It didn't stab me. They weren't casually laughing during my fight with the morphing scarecrow. It didn't stab me. It wasn't real because...

      'It's a fucking morphing illudionistical scarecrow.' I whisper.

      I need to know how it creates these illusions, and it's weakness.

      'DON'T LOOK AWAY FROM ME!' The copy swings a punch with wobbly aim. It misses my chest as I arch back to not get it.

      'No, you do-don't look a-away from m-me!' Finn out of nowhere stabs the creature in the side with the machete.

      'MUTALATE!' The monster yells, it's body melting black pools of acid. Bill then sprints the the monster, and punches it in the face twisting it's head backwards. The monster squeals. Its arms extend again and by surprise they catch us off guard. One of them pushes me to the other side of the deck. Half my back slams into the rail caught while the other bends back with a loud painful crack! 'AAHHG!' I yell. The arm holds my neck, and tries to shove me with its strong force off the deck, I hold on to both sides of the rail.

      The other arm punches solidly Finn square in the face. It curls around and extends to slam Bill on the other side of the rail across the deck. I hear a similar crack as his back slams on the rail,'AAGH!' He cries.

      'Bill!' I try to reach out to him, but the arm squeezes my throat tight.

      'G-Get off of me!' Bill wheezes slamming his fist on the beast's suffocating hands.

       Finn groans as he tries to get up. His breath hitched as tears begin to roll down his face. Why is he sad?

      'Let gh...let...m-me gh...go!' Bill yells.

      'My master needs your head.' The creature with its melting face smiles with its hundred teeth and black pooling eyes. He glance at me then at Bill, 'My masters needs both of your heads.'

     The creature then smirks down at Finn who stares up with blood trickling down the side of his mouth. He glares at the creature, but I can see that brave face cracking.

     'But no master has requested your head so-called 'Ice King'.' The creature mocks.

     'Think they'll care if I fix you up a little?' The creature smirks.

     Finn's eyes widen, his head shakes a bit, 'I-I am king...of c-course no one has re-requested my h-h-head. N-No one w-wants me dead!' He defends.

     'That's enough out of you.' The creature ticks his head to the side.

     Everything starts to cloud black. It's suffocating. It's too much. Too much black. So much haziness it's blinding. The world feels like it's spining.

     'Does this make you panic?' The creature chuckles.

     'Nh..not at-at all?' Bill laughs.

     I can't hold on anymore. It's too much. As everything fades black.

     'WIRT! SNAP OUT OF IT!' I jolt up with an excruciating pain in my hand. I yelp at the sting, and stare at it. I'm on the floor with Finn next to me. Bill is also next to me, his head is down as he holds the machete that's stabbed on the floor next to me...right throught the middle of my hand.

     'What are you doing?' I glare at Bill. The demon lifts his head with a wobbly smile, his eyes glossy glimmer burning yellow.

     'You welcome Bill, thank you for saving me.' The demon stands up, and pulls with all his might on the hilt of the silver weapon. I squint as the weapon is drawned from my skin between the floor. In a long time, I see black ink trial down the thin cut in my hand.

      'Why is-is it bl-bla--?' I cut the prince off, and suppress his curiosity with my own question.

      'What happened?'

      'You blacked out to my annoyance when you got hit by one of those dammed pillars.' Bill smirks.

      'You took longer to recover from that, you wouldn't wake up. We thought you were dead.' He continues.

      'That thing can screwing with our minds.' I sigh getting up.

      The scarecrow in front of us stares, with a big toothy grin. I squint my eyes at it. It hasn't moved? The past memories were fakes I know that for sure. How did this thing get that power? To morph and then psychologically hurt someone. It did the same thing in the canyon now here. Is it related to the Beast?

       'No.'

       Bill turns points the machete at it ticking his head to the side. 'Shut up.'
       Deja vu?

       'It-It can w-what?' Finn studders. His hand crawling to mine as he stares with Bill at the large creature.

       'It can screw with our minds. Theory; we can break out of out of the fake dreams it gives us. And maybe we need to damage it for it to let us go.' I quickly recite my theory.

       There's fifty fifty that my conclusion is correct. In the underground, I had to stab it through the middle of it's crown. Now Bill had to snap me out of the trance by pearciit only if we damage ourselves or stab ourselvesng my skin with the machete. So how do we take this down? I'm still not sure. Why should we? Because we have nowhere else to go.

       'I need your head.'

       'You need to be quiet, hold on sweety I'm getting there.' Shrugging his attention from me. Bill turns to the scarecrow.

       'No, you do.' Suddenly, the sky lights up with a giant spot light over the ferry, and the circle area around it. The wind picks up dramatically.

       'Enjoying the gift?' A low voice calls out from above on a large speaker.

       Iron.

----------###---------

I hope y'all enjoyed. I was so busy the past month because of the sport I had at my school I couldn't update and didn't have a chance to properly write. I'm trying a new style of writing, one a little bit more descriptive and understandable. Please let me know what you think, and comment! :)

I'll take any feedback to get better and make the story more enjoyable.

Anyways I hope you've had a good day and keep reading the story isn't over ;)

-SnowFrostI14