Hi, and welcome. If you're looking for a story, a dose of
the stranger than fiction side of the world we live in, then you've come
to the right place. Today's is a new story. When a well known
collector of rare artifacts acquires an amazing but mysterious clock that starts ticking for no
reason, and he can find no one with answers, he calls on me.
No one could ever have guessed what this clock was, but we were
about to find out. They call me the Ghost. I'm a dark operative
on the dark Web, taking on the mysterious and outrageous jobs that no one
else will or can, and this is one of my adventures. Take a
listen and enjoy. Okay, guys, I'm in the warehouse. It's late,
the lights are kind of dark. You know how it goes. I'm
there and Jaggers there were the only ones that were there that night. Jagger
was boxing up a few items we were going to store. We're doing things,
you know, around the warehouse. When I get that famous ding on
my encrypted screen, I had a new request. When I get a request,
I have this specialized encryption software and I activate that as part of my
security and just takes a click, and then this new message unfolds before me,
revealing a cryptic sender known only by the code name cipher. So sometimes
I do get a codename like this, and sometimes it's just more of a
quick subject. But anyway, this message read like this. Greetings ghost,
I have a puzzle that needs your expertise. My name is Julian Caldwell,
an avid collector of rare artifacts and curiosities. Recently, a mysterious clock has
entered my possession. It bears no identifal origin, and to my wilderment,
it has started ticking. Its rhythmic sound echoes through my study, and it
haunts me day and night. I've exhausted all conventional means of investigation, and
I fear there may be more to this clock than meets the eye. Its
ticking seems to defy the laws of time and physics, leaving me unsettled and
desperate for answers. I've heard whispers of your unparalleled skills in unraveling the inexplicable,
and I beseech you to lend your expertise to this enigma. I can
offer you access to my vast network of resources a handsome compensation befitting the gravity
of the task and my unwavering gratitude. But above all, I seek the
solace of understanding, for this relentless ticking has become an insidious presence in my
life. If you are willing to undertake this endeavor, make contact using the
secure channel provided. Together, let us unlock the secrets of this elusive clock
and bring peace to my restless soul. Awaiting your swift response, Julian called,
well, now, just the detail alone in this request that was provided
had me very curious. This request was detailed, but it was still cryptic
and there was no lure about it, because this was truly just an unsolved
mystery that is starting without any prompt it would seem. I talked to the
team, and all of us are interested in trying to unveil the truth hidden
within this enigmatic clock, this ticking. In order to start this job,
of course, we would have to meet, and after talking to the entire
team late that same night, Jagger and I were out the next morning to
meet our mister Caldwell. We arrived at the address he had given us.
It was an older building deep in Chicago. We knocked on the door and
after a moment it creaked open, and mister Caldwell stood in the doorway,
his eyes scanning us from head to toe before he stepped aside to let us
in. Julian Caldwell, this enigmatic collector, had a distinctive sense of style
that reflected his eccentric personality and a fascination with antiquities, both in where he
stayed and worked and how he presented himself. I mean, the building he
was in, with its industrial exterior, definitely gave way to a spacious interior
filled with eclectic artwork, antique furniture, and shelves filled with all his rare
artifacts from around the world. As Caldwell explained, the loft serves as his
final sanctuary where he immerses himself in his collection and pursues his passion for unraveling
mysteries. The surrounding streets of Chicago provide a vibrant backdrop and a good energy
to the place. And as he said, there's a good Italian place just
a few blocks down, and all that was pretty cool. But really our
eyes were drawn to Caldwell's commanding presence. It was enhanced by his carefully chosen
attire. I mean, he was a character, so I just I have
to explain this to you, guys. He was dressed in this tailored three
piece suit, and he exuded this air of timeless elegance. So I thought
it was interesting we were there to look at a clock. He had a
navy blue suit, a very white shirt, trousers, perfectly tailored, tapered
down to polished leather shoes. I mean, his attire showed this sense of
refined sophistication. He looked like a man who deserved respect, but he also
had this underlying aura of intrigue. So the combination of classic and unconventional elements
in his wardrobe kind of gave us a good picture of his personality. Okay,
so as we walked through his dimly lit hallway, I couldn't help but
feel this kind of sense of unease. I mean, after meeting him,
I was thinking, Okay, this guy's all right. But as we got
deeper into the place, yeah, I just had this odd sense of unease.
And the air was thick with the scent of musty old books and something
else I couldn't quite put my finger on. But anyway, he led us
into a small study that had old tomes and strange artifacts. His piercing eyes.
They were fixed on us as he turned to face us. He was
serious as he should be, and then he nodded it was time. He
walked over to his small table in the corner of the room, picked up
a key and motioned for us to follow him to this large wooden cabinet.
He inserted the key into the lock and it turned. With just a slight
click, the cabinet door swung open, revealing an array of different artifacts that
this guy had carefully arranged on velvet lined shelves. It was an impressive situation,
I have to say. Now amidst the collection, resting on a cushioned
pedestal that he had set up, was this enigmatic clock that he's talking about.
The clock appeared ordinary, you know, at first glance it had intricate
brass casing and delicate hands pointing to the numbers. But as we approached and
got closer, we could hear the faint and persistent ticking, growing louder and
louder with each step. It was definitely odd. As mister Caldwell gingerly lifted
the clock from its pedestal, cradling it in his hands as though it were
a fragile treasure. He said that he acquired the clock through an auction,
completely unaware of its mysterious nature. His voice twinging with both fascination and trepidation,
he told us that the ticking started soon after he got it into his
possession, and since then it's been a constant companion, a perplexing one at
that. He says, his obsession with this clock is starting to take over
his very existence. Apparently, the only thing mister Caldwell did with the clock
when he got it was bring it home, make a place for it,
open it up, clean it a bit, put it away, and that
was it. He had no idea why it was ticking. He placed the
clock back on the pedestal and we leaned in to examine it a little more
closely, you know. Once he started hearing that ticking, it's all you
could hear. As Julian stepped back, he added that he had consulted other
experts, and he put that in his request, historians, horologists, but
none could provide an explanation. He'd hoped there would be a simple one,
but the thing defied all conventional understanding. Hence his request to me. Not
only did he want the ticking to stop. He just couldn't let the clock
go. He had to know what it meant. I mean, he was
a collector, So what is this clock he collected? Well, first off,
I let him know that we as a team, we were honored by
his trust. Caldwell was protective of all of his items, and I wanted
him to know that we would take the same care that he would himself.
The clock was no doubt interesting, and as we know, on the jobs
we've done, you can't expect just about anything. I mean, what did
this clock mean? Well, we didn't know yet, but we would do
our thing to find out. I told him that Rust assured we will spare
no effort in deciphering the secrets of this clock. After all, as mister
Caldwell knew, our expertise lies into delving into the unknown and in understanding the
extraordinary, always the crazy and unbelievable, right, guys, I mean I
could already see Jagger's analytical mind just racing with possibilities. I mean, yeah,
this wasn't going to be any kind of ordinary job. Guys, but
then again, when are they After our meeting with Julian Caldwell, Jagger and
I I left the old building and we started our trek back to the warehouse.
And I mean our minds were just buzzing with questions and possibilities the entire
way home. And Harley and Ryder and Frankie and Scarlett, they were all
ready for the debrief the minute we got home. Of course, they already
knew that this was about a clock that started ticking. But okay, so
we're back. We took pictures of this clock while we were there with mister
Caldwell. So I was projecting the images of the clock onto this large screen
that we have over by our couches area. I wanted everyone to immediately see
the clock's intricate design. We also recorded the ticking for the team to hear.
Now, why I didn't bring the entire clock back with us was because
Julian wanted us to work only out of his location. It was a rare
collectible, after all, so he said, and he wanted to keep an
eye on it. And I told him that's fine. Less, of course
it became unfine, and so he agreed. And here is where we started.
Jagger started in about the few things that we learned so far. So
he's explaining this to the team. You know, the clock's origin remains unknown,
it lacks any identifiable markers. It's ticking seems to defy the laws of
time and physics because it does. And this has left mister Caldwell unsettled and
desperate for answers. And I mean, okay, what could be better for
us? All right, guys? A ticking clock sounds like a Hollywood movie,
but that's exactly what we had on our hands. It could even sound
fun and mysterious until you think again. I mean, this thing started ticking
on its own. It was either a preprogrammed or someone or something has engaged
it somehow for some reason. That's all we know. So what would our
plan be? Well, pack things up and head back to Caldwell's. For
number one, we will need to conduct thorough research into the clock's history.
If we can. We will have to consider the possibility that there could be
hidden mechanisms and symbols or codes within the clock itself. There could be hidden
markings or ancient inscriptions that could provide some valuable insights, even if they haven't
been found yet. And then we would also have to get in and explore
any supernatural connections or spiritual influences that may also have been at play here,
and that really sums up our meeting in the warehouse. It was time to
pack it up and get moving. We had zero idea. I mean,
should this be some kind of countdown? How long was the countdown? We
had to move fast. As we all arrived back at Caldwells, we were
greeted by the man himself, who was eagerly awaiting for us at the entrance.
He ushered us inside and led us to the room where the clock was
kept. The clock was placed in the center of the room, its rhythmic
ticking filling the room with its eerie energy. I mean, we spent hours
examining the clock right there, taking it apart piece by piece, examining each
gear cog in spring. We found nothing out of the ordinary, no hidden
mechanisms, no symbols, no codes. It appeared to be just a clock,
an exquisitely crafted one, but still just a clock. Put it back
together and it just started ticking all over again. As the night wore on,
the ticking grew louder and more intense, as if the clock was counting
down to something. Oh and if I didn't mention, we set up shop
all right there in mister Caldwell's loft. So we're working there and we're staying
there with him. So we're there experiencing the same things that he was experiencing.
Okay, so we're hearing this loud or more intense ticking, and we're
thinking, hey, this could actually be counting down to something. We can't
shake off the feeling that there's something sinister at play here. We don't know
what though. Then suddenly Jagger jumps up from his seat and he has this
look of horror on his face. He's still obsessing over the clock, and
he says, guys, look at this. He points to this small inscription
on the inside of the clock's face. It was written in a language none
of us could understand. We saw nothing earlier, but now these words were
there, showing themselves to us with this sort of glowing otherworldly light, like
they appeared only with the light. Otherwise when we checked everything out earlier,
there was nothing there. Caldwell's face grew pale as he recognized the script.
This is ancient Samerian, he said. His voice was shaking. He said,
it's a language used by the most ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, and it's
said to contain powerful magic. So we all look at each other and Caldwell
he's still talking, and he's telling us that legend has it that this language
was used to cast powerful spells to control the elements and even demons. Now,
suddenly, the clock's sticking grows even louder, and the room started to
shake. This is right after Caldwell read that out loud. Okay, we
all stumble backwards. It was that much. The floor cracks open, revealing
a dark abyss beneath us, And out of this abyss comes this sinister figure,
his eyes glowing with this demonic light. He said, the clock has
been awakened. His voice was echoing through everywhere. Then he continued on and
he said, and with it, the ancient magic of Sumeria has been unleashed,
and you have been foolish to disturb it. Well, we all back
away because we're not sure what's going on. We weren't ready for this,
didn't see it coming. But as we start backing away, this figure raises
his staff and he starts chanting this incantation, causing the very air around us
to start to vibrate with this dark energy. And then he points his staff
at us, and we feel ourselves being lifted up into the air, our
limbs held out by rigid and unseen force. We were no longer in control.
And now don't forget we literally were just there quietly trying to figure out
what we were going to do next when all this is going on. So
we're all caught by a major surprise, especially mister Caldwell. But he speaks
first. He asks this figure, who are you? You know? His
voice is still shaking, and the figure replies saying, I'm a summoner of
the dark arts, and I have been awakened by your curiosity. His eyes
were just burning into ours. He told us that we have disturbed forces beyond
our understanding, and now we would face the consequences. And then, with
a wave of his hand, the figure said us hurtling through the air back
towards the walls. Well, we braced ourselves for impact, but instead of
crashing into the hard stone, we passed right through it, as if it
were made of smoke or something. And we all found ourselves in this dark,
twisted world where the sky was blood red and the ground was covered in
this thick black mist. The air was thick with the stench of decay,
and we could hear the haunting whispers of the dead. I call out to
this figure, what have you done to us? Where is this place?
While he raises his staff one more time and chance another incantation, causing the
ground to shake violently. The mist parted, revealing a horde of undead creatures
that began to shamble towards us with outstretched arms. Their cold and clammy fingers
were reaching for us, tearing at our clothes, scratching our skin, you
know, because we couldn't move really okay, we were being held. We
were pretty much frozen. And in that moment, of course, we knew
we had a problem. The undead horde was closing in. And I mean
these were grotesque. That's really the only word I can think of. These
grotesque figures reaching out with clawlike hands. It was like they were hungry for
our very souls. As the first undead creature lunged for me, my instincts
kicked in immediately. There was really nothing else I could do but think fast.
I felt this fire ignite within me because I was getting angry that I
was being held frozen. Right, it was my determination refusing to be snuffed
out by fear. That's what I was feeling. We as a team have
battled in countless life or death scenarios, and this would be no exception.
I concentrated, and I was able to actually pull myself away from the grip
of the unseen force. My body moved before my mind could even keep up.
I was a bit disoriented, clearly, but somehow on autopilot, I'm
sure I was able to pull out my electromagnetic disruptor from my belt, and
thank goodness, we always have our supplies with us on our belts, on
your backpacks, because it's at times like this that we realize we always have
to be ready for anything. Now, the disruptor is designed to interfere with
paranormal energies, so the air it cracked with electricity as the disruptor unleashes this
powerful surge that immediately filled that air with electricity, and my undead dude staggered
back, momentarily giving me just enough time to make my first escape. Seizing
the opportunity, Jagger and the rest of the team followed suit, deploying their
own arsenal of weapons and gadgets until we felt like we had shown at least
some power in this place. The once oppressive darkness began to recede as our
combined efforts kind of unleashed a surge of energy on them, pushing the undead
creatures further away, giving us a better break. So the stronger we became
as a g the more force we could have against them. Now, in
the midst of all of this complete chaos and surprise, Caldwell, who had
been pretty much paralyzed by fear, he had fallen to the ground, and
he stayed there the whole time. Now he reaches into his pocket and he
stands up, and out of nowhere he pulls out this little ancient artifact,
because of course, you know he has them around, And it turns out
it was an amulet inscribed with protective rounds. And as he held it up,
this really bright light emanated from it, illuminating the darkness, and it
actually repelled the undead. So that dark and gloominess that was in there somehow
is a way that they lived. And when we were shining that light,
it propelled them back. I mean lights that would have been great to know
right in the beginning, don't you think. But it was great though,
because, at least for the time being, the tide was beginning to turn,
and the undead Horde, overwhelmed by our resistance, they were starting to
retreat. We had Caldwell standing there, you know, all dressed to the
nines, and then all of us, you know, dressed for anything,
but you know, we're all sort of breathing hard and looking around. I
hope he can picture that scene. But then the Summoner, the one who
had brought us to this nightmarish realm, he was still there, his eyes
burned with a fury as he realized his hold over us was slipping. With
a snarl, he unleashed a final surge of this dark energy, attempting to
regain his control. Yet, in one small moment of absolute bravery, Caldwell
stepped forward. The amulet was still in his outstretched hand, and he yelled
out enough, his voice filled with determination, wasn't shaking this time. He
followed up by saying, you shall not prevail. It was kind of like
watching some kind of exorcism. It was very strange, but it was powerful.
The amulet unleashed a blinding burst of light, obliterating the dark energy from
the sumner, and in an instant, the figure sort of disappeared, leaving
only this echo of his presence. The realm of the Dead began to crumble,
its twisted landscape started crumbling away like ashes, and we found ourselves back
in Caldwell's study floor, back intact, and the ticking clock was still there,
ticking as the last remnants, I guess you'd say, of the Realm
of the Dead completely faded away. We all stood there trying to catch our
breath, feeling a renewed sense of purpose though and camaraderie. We had faced
another dark time threats, but we did it together and we emerged victorious.
But this mission was not yet complete. It had barely started. The mystery
of the ticking clock still loomed before us, its secrets waiting to be unraveled.
And with our newfound resilience and determination after that little event that we were
shown, we were ready to delve deeper into the Sedangba and uncover the truth
behind this crazy clock and its mystical powers and apparently forces that have set in
motion. There was definitely more to this, and little did we know that
our journey into the unknown had only just begun, and the clock's secrets would
lead us down a path that we could never have expected. So we gathered
around the ticking clock, Caldwell at the forefront as he traced his fingers along
its intricately carved surface. It had been awakened, that's for sure. That
inscription was still in view. He said, this clock is unlike anything I've
ever even seen before. Its construction is ancient, yet it functions flawlessly.
It's as if it's been imbued with some kind of magic. And he was
right, what was up with this thing? So as we start to examine
the clock, more more things starting. The ticking gets just a little bit
louder, and everything starts increasing in tempo. The hands on its face began
to move at this alarming rate. I mean, everything was spinning and worrying,
as if it was possessed. We had no idea what was going to
happen next. We weren't exactly looking forward to it, if you know what
I mean. And then, without warning, the clock began to emit this
piercing scream that shook the very foundations of the room we were in. We
clamped our hands over our ears in pain as the sound reverberated through our entire
bodies. It was so loud it was stinging. It felt like the sound
alone could just rip us apart. The scream lasted for what felt like eternity,
until finally it subsided. Then it left us, you know, gasping
for air, and we were all kind of trembling a little bit. It
was very shocking to the body. What the heck was that? Well,
we have to move on, and now, you know, it's like we're
trying to look at some kind of ticking time bomb. Literally we have no
idea yet what this thing can do. Caldwell takes a step back. His
eyes are scanning the clock's face frantically. He keeps saying, you know,
it's activated something, something's happening, and he kept muttering it to himself.
He knew this wasn't great, and he gently set himself back down into his
chair. The guy was very deep in thought. I went over to where
he was and I knelt down beside him, and I wanted to remind him
that this is why he hired us. This could be a wild ride,
maybe even a long journey, So maybe he should try to stay back with
his other artifacts and let us do our job. He looked up at me.
Then he looked at all of us. There was a little hint of
a tear in his eye. He had a warning. He felt that evil
or bad was going to happen here in some way. This ticking was not
counting down to Christmas. I remember he said that it's not Santa who's coming
at midnight, but what And then he patted his hands down on the arms
of his chair, and then he stands up. He looks at all of
us, and he smiles at each one of us, and he said that
he's lived a long life and that he knew this clock was something that he
was definitely going with us. However this went down. How could he have
an artifact without knowing what it was exactly? This is what he did,
This is where his passions lie, and so we had to take him with
us. That's how he wanted it, and this was his job, and
he has every right to come with So that's how we decided that that's how
it would be, even though we weren't exactly sure what we were even going
to do next, but he would be there with us, right alongside us,
and his decision couldn't have come had a better time for him I would
suppose I had just wrapped the small clock in a cloth and I'd put it
in my backpack. After we had all got done talking, and everyone's still
there, when suddenly the room around us starts to kind of shift and warp.
It was as if reality itself was being distorted. The walls looked like
they were about to dissolve into nothingness, and we all found ourselves falling into
a swirling vortex of different colors and lights. It was like being on some
kind of psychedelic roller coaster ride, and none of us were enjoying it.
It was pretty obvious to all of us that we had upset someone or something.
Without any warning. We were all hurtled through that vortex. My arms
were flailing pretty wildly. I try, I was trying to grab onto something,
anything to anchor myself too, but there was nothing. The others,
you know, because I kind of fell first, they kind of clung onto
each other, and we all just tumbled through this whole place, screams echoing
and the void. People trying to talk to each other what's going on,
but there was nothing we could do right then. However, just as soon
as it started, the vortex kind of dissipated. So it all happened really
fast, and it left all of us standing in that desolate wasteland, you
know, where the ground was scorched and cratered, the sky was dark.
We look around pretty much in horror. Here we are again, unsure of
what happened or where we even are. We did have supplies with us,
at least the ones on our backs. Literally, we hadn't had the time
to really figure all this out at Caldwell's until we were thrown into all of
this again. But then we start to hear this faint whispering in the wind.
So, you know, you're trying to think and put something together,
and this is how this job went. There was just no time for yourself.
You just kept getting thrown into something else. So we hear this faint
voice and we're like, oh boy, what is this now? This voice
that seemed to come from you know, somewhere but everywhere, nowhere, all
at one time, and it just said welcome, and not in a fun
way, right. It sent chills down our spines, said welcome to the
end of all things. As we looked around, we realized, nope,
we were not alone. In the distance. We started to make out these
little shapes of figures shambling towards us through the waste land. They were like
the undead creatures we had faced before, but they were just a little bit
different. Somehow. There was a sense of more malevolence to them. I
guess you'd say, more of a sense of purpose than we had encountered before.
We quickly realized that we were in some kind of post apocalyptic hellscape,
and that our journey had taken us far beyond anything we absolutely expected. The
figures approaching us in the distance moved with a hungry force, their movements disjointed
and unnatural. As they drew nearer, we could see the twisted expressions on
their faces, contorted with this hunger that went beyond mere survival. Now,
I know what you might be thinking, Okay, guys, but no,
these were not mindless zombies, but something even more sinister, a manifestation of
the darkness that had consumed this whole forsaken realm. This place, and this
place was the end of all things, and it looked like the end of
all things for us was that we had to prepare to fight. So,
in the face of this ominous threat, we regroup, forming this protective circle.
Our backs all pressed against one another, including Caldwell. Each member of
the team, just the team did bring some weapons with them, but what
we had with us ready to face these members of Horror, whatever they are,
in whatever ways that we could. Caldwell he had nothing, but he
wasn't a fighter. We would just have to protect him. The air felt
heavy with anticipation as we prepared for this imminent clash. It was coming with
these unknowns. This all was happening so fast from the get go. Our
hearts were pounding. Believe me, I like to be prepared, you know.
I mean we all do you guys know? I means you could just
imagine. Okay, well, we're in our defense circle and while we're in
there, a lot's happening really fast. Everyone's looking for solutions. Right Jagger,
he's a good strategist. I mean, the guy is great in the
field. If you haven't ever listened to meet the Meat Jagger story, it's
definitely worth it. The guys from us, it's awesome. But anyway,
he very quickly assesses the situation and he reminds us in his own defensive way.
He's also reminding himself that hey, these creatures may be formidable, but
they're not invincible. We've done this before, Let's find their weakness. It
was good to hear because it was a tense moment, sort of that slap
in the face. We needed to keep thinking. I had Rider, who
with her very keen understanding of psychology and pathology, also very quickly analyzed the
behavior of the approaching figures, and she advised that their movements indicated a shared
consciousness. I just looked at her, but the girl was dead serious,
her eyes just darting from one creature to another, and that one power of
theirs could be a weakness we could exploit. Like Jagger said, so thinking
this way, if we can disrupt their connection, we just might have a
chance to dismantle their force upon us. And we do need that to happen.
And just to answer a question before you're about to ask it, I
left out the part here where we did try to use our lights, but
these creatures were different. Nothing happened to them with the lights, and so
we had to put these other backups into play because that was going to be
no use. We thought, at least that would help for Caldwell, but
unfortunately, no, it would not but we're always ready with backups, or
we like to be, and so that's why we had our huddle, to
make sure we always have to have that second layer, you know, we
have Scarlet. She used her skills as well. She is armed with her
knowledge of ancient civilizations and artifacts and things like that. She was scanning the
surroundings for any dangers anywhere else, you know, we had We knew what
was coming at us from one direction, but what was going on everywhere.
She was our eyes and she was also keeping Caldwell close. She and Harley
both actually were our lookouts to our surroundings in case, you know, we
had a surprise, another vortex coming or something like that. And then they
were also bodyguards basically to Caldwell while the rest of us prepared for what was
headed our way. Frankie our global tracker, and he really is a good
warrior. He comes from battle and he kind of enjoys it. He stands
there, he's ready, his eyes blazing with determination, and all he said
was let them come. And he looked over to Jagger, who nodded,
and he said, Hey, we faced worse before and we've always come out.
Let's do it again today. And you know, you never know if
you're outcome is going to be positive for you, but you have to go
with it otherwise you really don't have a chance to start with. Okay,
well, at that point, really we were all there when we're bracing ourselves
for this impending clash. We stayed in that circle until the creatures made it
just so far. Okay. Then after trying the lights and things and we
got our discussions in, we started to break away from each other, and
everyone on the team now had to unleash for real. I looked at Jagger
and then burst ahead. I started running through. So I'm running towards this
little crowd coming at us, and then I start running through them. This
onslaught of crazy creatures and I'm just weaving through them, and I'm striking them
with my high tech wrist gauntlets that I brought. And if you don't know
what those are, they're awesome, and they're capable of putting out these energy
blasts that can disintegrate an impact. Now, I wasn't sure my tactic would
even do anything to these guys, but it did actually put a dent in
them and weaken a lot of them before they got to my team, so
it was worth it, and I surprised them, so I got away with
it. Jagger, utilizing his keen tracking abilities and proficiency in hand to hand
combat, he used his skills on the crazies after I ran at them.
So I ran at them, trying to hurt as many as I can.
And then Jagger was in the front line, right, He's standing on the
front line, and he has these you guys are going to love these,
these specially designed combat gloves, and let's just say they can deliver very high
powerful blows, the kind you know that can shatter things, incapacitate adversaries.
He also had his Compact Energy staff, and like his gloves, this thing
is like bionic. He could send out these pulsating shockwaves with it that sent
the creatures flying backwards, even just a bit. It was all helpful.
You know. There were a lot of these guys, so we were all,
each of us taking on as many as we could individually, trying to
weaken them and interrupt that collective thought. So, for instance, Rider stepped
away from the creatures, totally opposite of what Jagger and I were doing.
But that's because she knows bodies, right, and she had this portable crossbow
thing that she can actually expand, and then she has these specialized bolts that
go with it. She can take that and aim for the creatures vital points,
immobilizing them with precision shots. Now, if any of these creatures got
too close to her, like if they were if they got right up to
her, her weapon also housed a built in energy blade, which she knows
how to wield skillfully, I might add, So she was pretty prepared on
her own. Now, Frankie, you know he's over there and he's kind
of upset. He didn't have his exoskeleton with him. I mean, the
guy loves that thing, but when can you really use it? Anyway,
we didn't have that, but he did have his vibral blade, and this
thing is a highly advanced energy knife, a little different than jaggers. It's
a pretty big knife capable of slating through the toughest of materials. So with
each swing of the blade, he was able to hurt these creatures enough to
hold them back, to show them that we also had power to fight.
And you know, I've talked about a lot of weapons here, but we
also have Scarlett, who, as you know, as a history and archaeology
and curating herself, and so she brings knowledge of ancient artifacts and mystic relics.
So although she did have some weapons on her, she used her skills,
particularly her mastery and ancient incantations and protective spells. So she basically stood
away from all of us, still helping to protect Caldwell because we're all up
front trying to fight and defend. But even though she was standing a little
away from us, she was also adding an additional layer of defense and protection
for all of us. And it did have an impact. And so this
went on. It intensified, of course, more attacks and fighting, but
like Jagger said, these creatures, once formidable in their numbers, begin to
falter under relentless assault. We just had to keep going. And you know,
I said this earlier, but this really does kind of remind me of
a Hollywood movie. And I know that sometimes you guys even ask me if
I've seen different movies, because some of my jobs remind you of them,
and a lot of times they don't for me, because they're just jobs to
me. But when I look back on this one and I just picture in
my mind what it was, I really do picture this like I could be
watching this in a movie theater because it's that unbelievable and that grant, these
scenes, this everything, it was just incredible. You just have to picture
this big, dark, apocalyptic place and me and my risk Gauntlet's throwing out
big energy blasts. Jagger's out there on the front line trying to take people
down and incapacitate our foes. That energy staff, I mean, he would
unleash that thing and you could almost see the pulsating shockwaves disperse the creature's back.
It really did help keep them at bay. And you know, riders
out there and Frankie, you know, doing his close quarters combat that he
loves so much. With his unwavering determination, I mean, just watching him
makes you kind of want to fight. And then Scarlet's over there so concentrated
doing what she does. I mean, that girl can focus like nobody else,
and it helped a lot. She was sort of like that piece that
helped bridge the gap between the tangible and the mystical. Harley. She had
a good hold on Codwell, trying to keep him calm. He's not young,
you know, this whole thing was very intense, if you know what
I mean. Anyway, I have to tell you, guys, it was
with one final surge of strength between us all that we pushed in for a
victory in what seemed like complete jaws of darkness. We're a tight team,
though, and our bond was strong, and with each passing moment we were
still going and still feeling our resolve. And as the last of those creatures
fell, it was kind of dramatic. There was this stillness to his fall,
almost like it was in slow motion again like a movie, right,
we see this big, ugly creature just fall to the dusty ground, with
things flying all around, pieces of the ground breaking and things like that.
It was exactly like that in this completely apocalyptic place that was so unreal to
us. And we did it, guys. We got to our goal in
this place, even though we didn't know exactly where we were or what else
was going to happen, but we did get past that. Everything got very
quiet, everything was desolate. We were all breathless. We did a lot,
but at the same time we were kind of feeling invigorated because we knew
we did something. We won this battle. But the happy moment was short
lived because now we need to get back to work and survey the aftermath,
we still have stuff to do. What exactly is this place? What is
going to happen now? And what have we done? We make sure that
Caldwell is okay. He's pretty shaken up. He's the one now holding on
to Harley very strongly instead of the other way around. There was this sense
of unease again settling upon us, even though we just did all this great
stuff, as I'm sure you can imagine, because of course we knew that
our mission was far from over. We were not done. Amidst that eerie
silence that was now everywhere around us, we start to hear the ticking of
the clock was reverberating through the desolate landscape the whole place, a reminder of
the impending fate tied to this place. It had never stopped ticking, of
course, but during the fighting and everything, we didn't hear it. And
now it's sort of here we are. It's quiet. We have this whispering,
ticking sound echoing everywhere around us. I mean, the clock is still
wrapped up very carefully and tightly in my bag. We look around. Nothing's
coming well at the moment, so we pull the clock out to see if
we can notice anything else. That's going on with it. I mean,
at this point we are well aware that this is not a time keeping peace
alone, right. We know this for sure. It held some kind of
connection to the very fabric of this ominous place. Its ticking seemed to resonate
with the ebb and flow of the dark energies, just like in this place.
As we contemplate the significance of this clock, we see another figure start
to emerge from the shadows. And I mean, we just got done without
other fights, so we're not exactly ready to jump in and do it all
again. But then we see that this figure has a different sort of presence.
This presence seem to be exuding an air of malevolence and authority. It
was the final Sorcerer. We knew it. Caldwell was breathing hard, and
he was confused, but he was also invigorated in a way. You could
see it in his face. We had to keep him safe. He was
the key to this clock. We knew that somehow his role mattered here.
We just didn't know how. We could see now that this was the same
lovely visitor that showed up in Caldwell's study, this mysterious master of the arcane
arts and the guardian of this crazy realm, whatever it really is. I
pack up the clock again, not sure what's going to happen, but I
would like to keep it safe and give it back to Caldwell when we're done
with all of this. It became our opinion that this sorcerer and he tried
to get us in the study. He tried to get us again in the
waste land, and that wasn't really working. So he's back and he's going
to try to do something to us directly. That's what we are preparing for.
At that time. As he was getting closer, you could see his
eyes were just ablaze with fury, you know, not exactly awesome. He
was just foreboding as he descended upon us, and we all stood back up
and in a line, ready to find out whatever it was he was about
to bring. The closer he got, the more heavy the air got.
It's like it was filling with this oppressive energy coming from him, and then
there was this chilling wind that kind of started to whistle through the desolate landscape.
He kept coming, and then finally from the darkness and the shadows,
we could see him more clearly. His form alone now was sort of bathed
in this other worldly, strange glow. And I say that, but it
was really bizarre. In this sort of apocalyptic place, he had kind of
this lighted, grayish glow. Very bizarre, very fitting in that place though,
And this guy is huge. Even in this place, he seemed to
have this newfound int density as well. Clearly he was seeking to finally exert
control over us, and he started out with a bang. With one mere
gesture, the world around us began to tremble again, as if reality was
being distorted, just like it did in the study. Now in that same
moment, we felt this invisible force start to tighten around us as we stood
there, and it reminded us of when we were kind of made frozen before.
Right, this again was starting to constrict our movements. Rob us of
breath try to even take a step forward. That became a very hard struggle.
We couldn't really move. It kind of felt like you would be wading
through an ocean of molasses. If he did try to move, he froze
us in our tracks again, even Caldwell. Caldwell wasn't a threat, but
okay, we all pretty much just sort of fell down to our knees,
his world, I suppose right, And boy did he revel in his dominance.
And then he spoke. The Sorcerer's voice echoed through the desolation, a
haunting melody that carried the weight of his hostile intentions. He began to explain
the nature of the end of all things place, so he confirmed where we
were, no question on that now. But what is this place? We
still don't know that, but soon would. We would soon learn the purpose
it served and the twisted judgment that governed its existence. With each word,
his voice dripped with disdain for humanity overall any perverse pleasure in our suffering.
I mean, there was nothing good about this place or this guy, this
sorcerer. As he spoke, his powers seemed to intensify, which only subjected
us to more unimaginable torment. It literally started to feel, after a moment
of him getting closer to us, that there were these invisible chamans constricting our
bodies, cutting off circulation. Every breath became a struggle. Our lungs were
gasping for air that seemed to be withheld from us. It was much worse
than last time, and there was almost this odd sense of depression that came
over each of us, and we would discuss it later, but we were
saddened somehow, and it came on pretty suddenly with his words there was nothing
we could do. He welcomed us to the end of all things, a
place he said, for those with no more chances, No more chances.
I mean, what did this guy mean? Were we in hell? Well,
we were about to find out. So as this fun confrontation with our
sorcerer reached its peak, I suppose you could say, with us sitting there,
there was this rise of very negative energy that emanated from this guy's very
being that we could feel like this thick wall around us. With a twisted
smile, he stretches out his arms toward the ground, summoning forth more of
his power that again defied the laws of anything we'd know, And in that
chilling moment, the earth beneath us trembled and cracked, so more of this,
Just like in the study, It was the same as if reality was
being ripped apart. And then there was this thunderous roar and the ground split
open, which I can tell you we pretty much expected at that point,
right revealing another endless abyss beneath us. We were left stunned and in disbelief.
We were teetering on the precipice. The weight of the darkness was just
beckoning us into its depths. One by one, we were drawn toward the
gaping maw, unable to resist its pull. Just imagine that. I mean,
can you picture this, this giant well of darkness. It's Frankie Scarlet,
then me, because we're in this line. We're not falling quickly.
Okay, I'm next to you know, the big guy, and then after
on the other side of him is Jagger, Hearily, Caldwell and Rider.
We're all in line with our sorcerer at the helm. As we descended into
this unfathomable darkness, there were layers upon layers of tormented souls that materialized around
us. So we're descending, We're not standing on anything. We're sort of
slowly floating down with him as our lead. And this start, this stuff
just starts unfolding around us. Their anguished cries filled the air. It was
a haunting chorus of suffering that echoed through the void. We floated down through
this harrowing realm, surrounded by the lost and the damned. Those who had
tormented the living and inflicted pain upon the innocent. The souls trapped within their
own personal hells, clothed and writhed in perpetual torment. Each layer we passed
through revealed a new level of suffering, each soul trapped in a cycle of
remorse, regret, and relentless punishment. Their agonized cries pierced our souls,
and in all of that, the final sorcerer's voice cut through the air,
all of a sudden, cold, Devoid of any compassion, he seemed to
take delight in recounting the sins and transgressions of the tormented souls that surrounded us.
His voice dripped with sadistic pleasure as he detailed the specific torments suffered by
these damned souls. These are the consequences of their actions, he proclaimed,
His words just whisted in justification for the suffering that we were witnessing. Each
soul here, he said, is condemned to relive their darkest moments, forever
tormented by the pain they once inflicted upon others. As we floated deeper into
this macabre descent, the souls were reaching out to us, their spectral hands
desperately grasping for any semblance of salvation, their eyes hollow and filled with remorse,
pleaded for release from the unending cycle of suffering. At that point,
the weight of their collective agony it pressed on us. It was a suffocating
heaviness that threatened to break our own spirits. We'd had about enough at this
place. I mean, we could actually feel the remnants of these apocalyptic prisoners
anguish seeping into our very being. It was a reminder of the depths of
human depravity and the consequences it bore. I mean, the mood was very
heavy, I'll admit, but we refused to succumb to the overwhelming despair that
was everywhere around us. And I mean this took a lot. I know
I've told you guys about how we as a team try to pull our energy
together to stay focused so that we're not taken over as a group. Well,
this was definitely one of those times, and it was hard, but
we were doing it. As we would learn, we were in a particular
level of hell, and the souls trapped within this level of hell are those
who have committed unspeakable acts of cruelty, tyranny, and betrayal. So pretty
much it's a very special area of hell. The sins here ranged from perpetuating
endless wars inciting mass destruction, to subjecting innocent lives to unimaginable horrors. Each
soul condemned to this realm carries the weight of their transgressions, forever tormented by
the consequences of their malevolence. Within the depths of this infernal realm, the
tormented souls are subjected to a relentless cycle of suffering. Their punishment is twofold,
enduring the physical torments inflicted upon them by demonic entities and reliving their darkest
moments, forced to confront the pain they once inflicted on others. And you
know, guys, I know this sounds completely horrible and it is awful,
but I have to tell you we cannot save these souls from their fate.
That was not our job, and it really won't be anybody's job ever.
They are doomed. But we did want to unveil that mystery of the clock.
We still had to do that even though we had been subjected to so
much. So first, let's talk about this trip we went on. First.
This is an evil sorcerer, okay, and he's not going to give
us the love boat tour of what's going on and be a good host.
So that had to happen. I mean, this guy only knows how to
do bad and mean things, and so even if he's trying to show us
something, that's why at the same time, you know, we can barely
breathe, we cannot move. As we go down and he's talking to us,
you know, we start to understand this is why it is the way
it is. Here we learned that this is a very special level of hell,
and the crimes and acts committed by the souls trapped here are considered even
more heinous and important compared to any of the crimes found. And I guess
what you would call regular hell. The souls that we saw, the ones
that have, you know, their eyes, they've torn their eyes out,
They've chewed off their fingernails. They're greasy, they're slimy, they're pretty much
animal listic at this point. And they have been assigned to this particular piece
of hell because they are not ordinary sinners. They're individuals that have committed the
most unspeakable acts of cruelty and tyranny and betrayal. So that's what I'm trying
to tell you. You know, these are special souls. I guess you'd
say, right. Their transgressions go way beyond the scope of any typical sin,
and so they have been plunged into this realm reserve for the most depraved
and wicked souls, a very ugly place, I can tell you that.
And you know this isn't a place we want to know about. It's certainly
not a place I wanted to go. But this is how it works,
right, were bodies were energy, were souls. What happens to us,
well, I guess it happen. It depends on what we do according to
this right. And look, I know this is kind of hard to understand
because it's hard for me to explain. You know, hell is hell.
But what sets these condemned souls apart from other condemned souls is the scale and
magnitude of their crimes. These people, when alive, have played instrumental roles
in perpetuating endless wars, like I said, you know, the mass destruction,
things like that. Their actions have caused immeasurable suffering and left indelible scars
on humanity itself and the world itself. So you know they didn't shoplift and
cheat on their spouse. You get it. The level of malevolence and depravity
exhibited by these souls surpasses that of ordinary sinners. They have actively pursued and
propagated immense pain and suffering, willingly, engaging in acts that defy all notions,
all notions of compassion or empathy or morality. Their sins have consequences that
reverberate through the ages, forever staining the fabric of existence. And that,
my friends, is no joke. Each soul condemned to this realm carries the
weight of their transgressions. They will be forever tormented by the consequences of their
malevolence, forced to confront the magnitude of their actions and the lives they have
destroyed. The remorselessness, the lack of remorse exhibited by these souls make their
punishment all the more severe and everlasting. So, I mean, Hell is
bad enough. This place is literally crushing. But okay, the clock.
We did come to find out more about the clock. We came to understand
this intricate mechanism of the soul's suffering, because that's what it was, The
ticking of the clock synchronized with the pulsations of their malevolent energy, and it
served as a reminder of their eternal damnation, a constant countdown to their next
moment of torment, the next cycle of they are agonizing existence. So really,
this clock kind of was like a ticking time bomb in a way.
Like we wondered how often it went off? I would not know. But
why have the clock at all? And who should have it? What it's
doing is it's ticking when the cycle is starting again for all these souls to
restart a new torture and torment of pain and suffering. But why have the
clock? Why do we need it? And who is supposed to have it?
All the sorcerer would say is that the clock is the human reminder,
the human reminder. I'll get more into that, but first, I'm sure
you guys are wondering how we got out of this place, right. I
can tell you it wasn't easy. In order to get out, we had
to be put through a test. It's a test, I guess, you'd
say, to prove that you don't belong there, because once you're in,
you don't just get to leave. I guess even if you're brought in,
that's wonderful, right, that's even more for us to deal with. And
so what that means, guys, is that you know, you don't want
to have any crazy secrets, because if you ever happen to visit Hell like
we just did, you might not ever get out. You're probably better to
just go after you're dead. But really, this got pretty serious and would
definitely be serious for you if you had done a crime like killing masses and
thought you got away with it. But seriously, we had to confront any
sources of torment inside of us and find any darkness that had ensnared any one
of us. Okay, as we floated through the layers of tormented souls,
we were witnessing their agonizing cries. But what happened is that either you know,
you're finding some camaraderie, like there's a connection with them in your negative
energy and sinning forces, or it bounces off of them. You have your
own strength because you are not a match for that. So basically it kind
of makes sense when you think about it. Okay, it's stripped us of
everything, including our physical strength, and in order to be put back together
and get out, we truly have to be good people, or we will
fall to our level. We will stay frail, and we will stay in
this place only to be tormented for our vicious crimes forever. If we are
good, that will be our only guiding light out. And so with the
Sorcerer as our guide, we did navigate through the twisted maze of tortured souls.
Their eerie wails just echoed through our ears all the while, the sorcerers
seething with anger and resentment. Because as we now know, he can't help
himself, he unleashes his powers to try to keep us trapped in this nightmarish
dimension. He conjures dark energies, attempting to immobilize us or strip away our
very breath until our evil finally comes out. But we didn't have any and
so we stood united. After we were back to the surface in the dark
apocalyptic land. You know, we're not home yet. We just got out
of that crazy dark well whatever that is. The Sorcerer basically tried to torture
us slowly until our evils finally came out. And you know, he looked
for them, like I said, inside our souls, and he was very
angry at the end there when he found nothing. Very angry but he does
work with the laws of the universe, and the laws say he could not
keep us, and so he had to let us go. And soon we
were back up top with Caldwell in his study. And you know, I
can't say we looked all that good. He was pretty in shock as well.
It was obvious that we had been through something very big. The end
of all things, place is dark, is dirty, and full of ugly
things. We did make it back, though, and we were thankful for
that, still in one piece. Surprisingly, we still had the clock.
But the sorcerer didn't want the clock. As he said himself, it is
the human reminder. So what does that all mean. Well, it means
that in order to have balance, which is the rule of all things,
we all need to comply. So we get the clock. Hell is where
it is, and we get the clock. The ideal owner of the clock
was meant to be someone who possesses the wisdom, the compassion, and moral
fortitude to understand its significance and wield its power responsively. The clock was made
for us on earth as a profound reminder of the consequences of our actions and
the importance of upholding the values of empathy compassion and justice. The clock serves
as a symbo representation of the intertwine nature of time and human behavior. It
is a constant reminder that our actions have ripple effects, shaping the world around
us and influencing the lives of others. By ticking, the clock serves as
a warning, a reminder, a testament to the fragility of morality and the
need for humanity to tread a righteous path. It reminds us of the next
round of tortures for these worst of the worst, reminds us that they are
still being tormented and will always be. It's to keep the balance, keep
good above, keep the world good. Then the other side are all those
bad souls, and they go to their special place. The two should not
mix, and the clock reminds us of that. Now. To possess this
clock, the person needs to be pure and have good intentions and have no
evil inside of them. For Caldwell, the last owner dropped off. Either
they were too scared or they turned evil in a way they didn't want to
face. The clock is meant to be passed on, not left or abandoned
like it was. So that was the disruption. It wasn't called Well.
So really this became a mission of preservation, if you think about it.
We sought to understand the workings of the clock, to uncover the source of
its power, and to ensure that it remained contained within the boundaries of this
infernal realm. The ticking of the clock becomes a constant reminder of our responsibility
to protect the living from the evil forces that lurk in the shadows. I
mean, if the clock isn't protected, guys, basically the two sides are
not separate, the evil could ripple right into our world. When Calldwell got
a hold of that clock, the sorcerer was looking for the old owner.
He knew immediately that Caldwell was pure, but he wanted to show all of
us why were we there, Why were we messing with the clock. He
had to restate the purpose of the clock, re remind the humans as it
were. When we returned the clock to mister Caldwell, officially, the ticking
stopped just minutes after. There was no need for it to keep on ticking,
as balance had been restored. Normally, the ticking would not go on
as long as it did if it were in the right place, in the
right hands, which it is now. Caldwell was confused, but no longer
was, and therefore he can be the rightful owner and his soul is pure.
The sorcerer even said so. But no, really, it's important that
things like this, things put in place in our world and in the universe,
that we recognized they're there for certain reasons and they should be taken care
of. We walk around our world at times taking everything for granted and wanting
what we think we want, and setting aside things that just seem unimportant to
us at the time. I would say this could serve as a reminder to
all of us that it does matter what we do to each other and in
this world. When we left, mister Calledwell. He was checking again that
the clock was tucked away and locked away carefully. You could see the satisfaction
and pride on his face. I really would have loved to have stuck around
and found out more about all of his artifacts and just Calledwell himself, as
I'm sure there's a lot to all of it, But when we left,
we sort of left it on a note that we would most likely see him
again. I guess we proved ourselves to him, and hey, we did
have to fight and defend ourselves in this job. But really we would not
have made it out if we were not true. If someone on my team
were not true and pure in what they do and have done, we would
know. So I guess we really proved ourselves there also because you know,
anyone can have a deep secret, right And that's all for this story,
guys, in this episode, but now there are many more jobs and stories
to share. Thank you for listening today to this job. I really appreciate
you taking the time to be here with me and letting me share this with
you. So until next time, and I will talk to you all soon.