"What'll it be?"
"I'll have a snake bite."
"All right."
Darvus looked around as the bartender went to fix the drink. On a normal night, he would be drinking water. This was not a normal night. It had started that afternoon, in his time.
It had been a sunny day, one where nothing could go wrong.
Except it had. Walking past the rift on his way to the docking bays, he noticed someone who was out of place in this dimension.
The figure wore a purple cloak, a silver dagger on his hip. His skin was fair, his ears pointed. He stood about 5'7, and had black hair, green eyes.
Most people in Darvus's time would confuse him with any normal Elf, sent on some obscure mission. Darvus recognized him as Talin, a member of the rogue thief guild he himself was a member of.
Stopping, he looked at Talin. What could he be doing here? he asked himself. As Talin glanced around, he met the Martian's gaze.
"Darvus, just the creature I wanted to see... I need to speak with you.
They walked along silently, people casting them strange looks from the corners of their eyes. Darvus was used to this. He was tall for a Martian, standing at 5'9, and he had multiple scars decorating his hands, one going from his right temple to his right jaw.
But, half of the looks were at the Elf by his side, he knew. As they walked, the Elf kept flipping his dagger into the air, catching it, and flipping it again. Talin had always been a bit of a showoff. As he flipped it again, Darvus's hand shot out, catching it by the blade.
"Stop drawing attention. You're not from here; you're strange enough as is."
Talin huffed, but put the dagger back. Darvus stopped outside of a small motel he'd been staying at, letting the computer scan his eyes before going in with Talin.
They were transported to his room. It was small, but cozy, with a queen sized bed at the back wall, a small television on a stand across from it, and a desk between them. Darvus took the only chair, and Talin sat on the bed.
"Who was it, Tal?"
"What?"
"Who died? That's the only reason they would send someone to come after me."
"Tor..."
Darvus's eyes widened, then narrowed, as he heard the news that his leader, the human who had been more of a father to him, was dead.
"Murdered?"
"Aye."
"By who?"
"That's the thing. It was a market full of people, but nobody saw anything?"
"What kind of weapon was it?"
"One of those fancy rocks you guys have."
"A grenade?"
"Yeah, yeah. One of those ones that shoots flames."
"An incendiary grenade." He sighed, closing his eyes, fighting back the pain.
"Humans are terrible. To make a device that powerful, and actually use it."
"Tell me about it." Darvus sighed, standing. "Very well. I will find his killer. I will make him suffer for his transgression."
Talin nodded, standing and walking out.
　
"What'll it be?"
"I'll have a snake bite."
"All right."
Darvus looked around. This was not a normal night.
He looked at the drink in front of him, picked it up, and tilted it back, swallowing it in one gulp. He felt the fire go down his throat, and slammed the glass on the table.
"Do you know of anyone selling incendiaries in this area?"
"Can't say I do. I didn't think you were the type of guy t--"
"I don't wish to purchase any. I wish to destroy the person who did."
"Something happened?"
"Someone killed my mentor."
"Harsh."
"Yeah."
"C'est la vie."
Darvus nodded. "C'est la vie..." he repeated quietly.
He stood. "Well, if you don't know anything, I'll be taking my leave."
"All right. Drink's on the house."
"Thanks." He turned, walking out, his eyes flashing in the light.
 
He looked around as he came from the rift. He was back in time, a few miles south of Olde Yorke. He walked into a small, worn down shack, his guild's headquarters.
In the only bed was a Dwarf by the name of Thunderbeard. Two humans were gambling off to the right.
"Where did it happen?" he asked.
The humans looked up, and one spoke. "Hey, Darvus. Come join us for--"
"Where did it happen?!"
"Just outside of the Blue Dragon Inn, in town."
"Thanks." He walked out, tail flicking. He was getting somewhere now.
　
He looked at the spot quietly. He knew it was the spot, because the stones in a ten foot radius were completely black. How there was anything left for them to identify Tor was a mystery to him.
He sniffed the air and winced. Along with the smell of burnt flesh, gunpowder, and such that could be expected, he also smelled burnt pumpkin. It didn't much surprise him. All Hallow's Eve was close, and even in this day and age, people would put pumpkins out as offerings to gods, thanking them for harvest, or carve faces into them to ward off evil spirits.
Except, it didn't work with corporeal beings, such as humans.
He sighed, walking into the Blue Dragon.
"Hey, Al."
"Darvus. What can I get for you today?"
"I want to know what you know."
"About what?"
"The man who died just outside your inn."
"Oddest thing. One minute, everything's going normal. The next, someone screams about a body with the flesh melted off his bones."
"You don't recall an explosion?"
"Nope. Almost like those time rifts might be freezing us, y'know?"
"Thanks, Al." He set down some gold. "That should be able to get you another pumpkin."
"Another pumpkin?"
"Yeah. You lost yours during the... Whatever it was. Burned them away."
"I haven't set out any pumpkins yet this year."
Darvus's eyes turned to slits. "I see... Very well, thank you for your time." He turned, rushing out. He looked at the burn again. It was only in the area in front of the Blue Dragon. Nobody else would have lost their offerings in the blast. He didn't know what it meant, but he was going to find out.
 
He stepped out of the rift into his time, looking around. "Need to find a com." He started walking towards the library, tail flicking. He walked in, going to the com area and sitting, opening a search site.
He started typing in searches, always making sure to include the words incendiary, grenade, and pumpkin.
After hours of search, he was no closer to figuring it out than that morning when he woke up.
Finally, he stood, striding out quickly, eyes darting around.
　
The next day, he stood, stretching. "I will avenge him... No matter what the cost." He pulled on his gear and walked out. The city was starting to look like Halloween was coming. He looked at a Jack-o-lantern, eyes narrowing. "Burnt pumpkins..." He sniffed. There it was. It was a very faint smell, from the candle inside of it scorching the edges.
But how did it connect?
He went to the library again, and searched jack-o-lantern.
The first result was a picture of a large robed figure, holding a lantern, with a jack-o-lantern for a head. The title was Jack of Halloween.
He scrolled down, looking at the myth.
 
Legend has it that many years ago, an evil spirit was summoned on All Hallow's Eve by a black mass of demons. In order to summon him, they sacrificed a human, giving the spirit a taste for mortal blood.
For years, he terrorized the world, killing any mortal in his way. Then one day, as he slept, a mortal crept up on him and chopped off his head.
The mortal paid dearly for this transgression, and the spirit wandered headless for many months, before finding a jack-o-lantern on somebodies doorstep. He took it, using it as his head, and taking the name Jack of Halloween.
Once again, he wreaked havoc on the world, until a mortal in the armor of the gods, using their power, sealed him away. He sacrificed himself to do so.
But, it's only a matter of time before the seal breaks. And when it does, Jack will be loose again...
　
Darvus sat silent for a moment, then closed the window, walking out of the library. He saw how it connected now. But he couldn't believe that an evil spirit with a pumpkin head was responsible for Tor's death. Especially not if he used an incendiary.
He walked along quietly, shuddering now as he saw the harmless pumpkins in a new light. He went to the rift, going through.
The figure looked down at the pathetic being before him, his jagged teeth froming into a deadly grin. "A Martian? I'm not familiar with that term."
"He's from a different time, sir. Meanin' no disrespect, but he might be a challenge for y--"
The man was cut off as Jack shoved three long claws through his throat. "I will find this boy who dares to hunt me, and I will make him pay."
　
Darvus wandered through Olde Yorke quietly, thinking. "If the legend is true, it's most likely going to happen here or in prehistory. Something like that lives on superstition, and nobody believes it in the more advanced times."
He sighed, thinking of how he could beat something like that. "I don't have an armor of the gods or whatever."
He shook his head. "But there must be some way."
He almost didn't hear the rasping breath from the alley way. He almost didn't smell the burnt pumpkins. He almost didn't see the flash of light as the figure pulled back into the shadows.
He almost got hit by the blast of fire.
He dodged, rolling at the last instant and looked up. Standing there was a tall robed figure, with a molded jack-o-lantern for a head. In his right palm was a small pumpkin, glowing with a green fire. In his left hand was a lantern.
His teeth formed into a grin. "Hello, Martian."
Darvus's eyes narrowed and he turned to run.
Jack smirked, chasing after him, lobbing the pumpkin bomb. It hit at Darvus's feet, causing green fire to cover a large area. Darvus barely managed to avoid it, jumping at the last instant. His cloak disappeared in fire, and he hissed as he hit the ground, still running.
"That's right! Run! We'll see if you hunt me anymore!"
Darvus bit his lip, wondering how Jack knew about him. Only one answer came to mind. Talin always had been a rat. He ran towards the time rift, Jack following him, slaying anyone who wasn't fast enough or scared enough to move. Darvus hit the rift, slipping through, praying for his own time.
He flew from his time's rift, still running. He would have to figure out a way to elude Jack, to trick him into a trap.
He really hoped the spirit couldn't see in the dark.
Night was falling as Darvus approached an abandoned warehouse, Jack still following him, though not as swiftly. He had plenty of people to kill now, and would take his time with it.
Darvus busted in a window, being sure to leave a bit of his shirt on a shard of glass, so Jack would know where to find him. He didn't have much of a plan, but what he had would have to do.
 
It was midnight when Jack finally entered the empty space, eyes glowing in the dark. While it didn't allow him to see the whole area, he could focus them like headlamps. His lantern had gone out during the day, and his pumpkin bombs didn't cast any light.
Darvus looked out from his hiding place, his eyes slitted to keep them from glowing. He had just cast a scroll of nightvision on himself, so he could see Jack clearly. He silently gripped the short sword at his side.
His plan was to cut off Jack's head while Jack was distracted. Not a great plan, but hopefully enough.
He picked up his dagger quietly, throwing it. It clattered to the ground. Jack turned to the source, focusing his eyes on the knife.
"Nice try, kid. But I know that trick." He turned to the crates to his left, where the Martian was hiding behind, lobbing his pumpkin bomb. It hit the crates, turning them to nothing. He laughed. "I win, kid!"
Darvus roared, swinging the short sword. It cleaved the head from Jack's body. Jack managed to catch himself and turned, looking at the youngling, holding his sword fiercly.
"Honestly, kid? You think just cutting me off will do? I'm far more powerful than--"
He was cut off as Darvus brought the sword down, slicing the head in half. He kept hacking until there was nothing left. The body fell. Darvus smirked.
"I win, Jack."
He walked out silently after retrieving his knife, looking around. He decided to go celebrate, so headed to the space bar.
　
If he'd stuck around a little longer, he would have seen Jack appear and lift the body of Talin into the air.
He would have seen Talin get absorbed.
He would know not to rest easy.
"Next year, Darvus... Next year, I will get you."
He cackled, disappearing in a puff of green fire.