text: Nick Venom Uncontrolled: Season One Sam & Jake 
   
   
   Episode One "Uncontrolled" 
   Two teenagers walked down a dusty road and arrived at a merchant’s store, looking up at the sign that read “Welcome to Safe Harbor’s Shop”. The first teenager, a curly blonde female wearing a blank black tee-shirt and dark blue jeans, walked into the store first. She was, soon, followed by her companion, Jake, who wore a blank black hoodie with black jeans. He shielded his face from the sunlight by staring down at the ground. The first teenager, Samantha, walked confidently into the store, taking large strides while Jake attempted to follow her, but his walk looked less confident and uncomfortable. His strides weren’t as long, forcing him to take extra steps to follow in Samantha’s shadow. The somewhat large store housed a few customers that wandered around, searching for an item of their liking to appear through the crowd of goods. Samantha walked up to three customers, huddled up in a corner, and began a conversation with them. “You three are here for the Satan Riders’ quest?” She asked them.  
       “Yeah, you two must be the ones that joined late.” A grown man, with black spiky hair that extended to two inches in height who wore a mix of grey and black jacket along with black leather pants, told Samantha. 
       “Yeah,” 
       “I’m Crow,” he stated before motioning to the girl standing beside him. “This is Alice… ” The girl had flowing light brown hair that extended to her shoulders; she wore a brown leather jacket with a blank tee-shirt under it as well as brown leather pants. Her tee-shirt was infused with a metal plate to protect her vitals. “... and this is Yang,” Crow said, motioning towards a redheaded guy wearing a thin red jacket with black pants. 
       “Nice to meet you all, I’m Samantha and this is… “ Samantha started before motioning towards Jake, who avoided eye contact and communication with everybody else. “... is Jake.” 
       “Can he talk?” Crow asked. 
       Samantha nodded her head. “He can, but he’s a little shy. Anyways, let’s begin our adventure.” Crow nodded and motioned for Alice and Yang to follow him out of the store. Samantha and Jake followed them out of the store and onto the dusty road. 
     
   TBC…  
   
   
   
   Episode Two "Uncontrolled 2" 
   Crow bought a carriage from the store’s barn that was stationed nearby. Crow held the most experience with handling horses which granted him the role of the driver. He sat in the driver’s seat, handling the reins of the two blackish-brown horses that pulled the carriage while the others sat in the back. The carriage trip to the lair of the Satan Riders wouldn’t take the group more than a few days. While Crow drove, Yang stared at the ground, lost in his thoughts. He didn’t speak or pay any attention to the others. Meanwhile, Jake stared outside of the carriage at the ground that flew away from him. His hoodie blocked anybody from seeing his face or any features of him. He was staring at the dirt that was being kicked up into the air by the carriage’s wheels. Samantha glanced over at him like a mom monitoring her child. She stared down at the floor, gathering her thoughts. Alice was the only one who was paying attention, staring at Jake. She didn’t understand why he was hiding. She cleared her throat before speaking up: “So, how did you two meet?” Samantha’s thoughts were scattered around, forcing herself to forget about them, for the time being, to answer her question. 
   “We’re childhood friends. We suffered some things in the past and were forced to leave our homes and travel around.” 
   Yang popped his head up and looked at Samantha. “Does he ever talk?” 
   Samantha nodded his head. “He does, but he’s very shy. I’m afraid that it will take a large amount of time for him to get used to people. It took him years before he felt comfortable having conversations with me.” 
   “Oh,” Alice muttered. “He seems like such a good kid.” 
   “Oh, he is,” Samantha said before glancing over at Jake. Jake didn’t raise his head, instead, focusing his stare at the dirt. Alice smiled at Jake in an attempt to be friendly, but he ignored her. The conversation then ended, leaving a painful silence in its wake. Yang continued to be lost in his thoughts while Samantha tried to gather her’s. Alice’s awkward smile went away quickly as she looked away from Jake and onto the front of the carriage. Crow shook his head as he overheard the painstaking silence before focusing on the driving part of his role.  
     
   TBC… 
   
   
   
   Episode Three "Uncontrolled 3" 
   The sun began to set forcing Crow to pull over into a small clearing and order the party to set up camp. The small clearing sat surrounded on three sides by a thick forest, a few miles from the lair of Satan Riders. Crow didn’t have a lighter that could illuminate a large area and if he did, then the Riders could use that hint of light to pinpoint their position and eliminate them without a moment’s hesitation. In order for them to operate with full force, they needed to strike during daylight.  
   Crow lit the campfire with a small lighter while Jake was ordered to gather firewood for the fire. Yang was put as a bodyguard for Jake while Alice prepared the small amounts of meat they held, before grilling them over the campfire. Meanwhile, Samantha went ahead to scout the Riders’ lair.  
   As the party moved to fulfill their duties, the sun began its descent, disappearing from sight and allowing the darkness to take temporary control of the land. Everyone met at the campfire, sitting around it as the small fire spewed smaller embers into the air, crackling before hitting the ground. Crow, who watched as the atmosphere tense began breaking each person down, decided to speak up and ignite a conversation. “Well, since you two are new to traveling with us, let’s reintroduce ourselves and reveal our strengths and weaknesses.” He suggested. Everybody except for Jake nodded their heads, agreeing with Crow’s statement. “I’ll start first… my main weapon is a longsword and my skills are all rank-threes. ‘Flight’, ‘Increased Perception’, and ‘Strength Boost’.” 
   “I use an ax. My skills are both rank-fives, ‘Increased Strength’, and ‘Increased Speed’.” Yang muttered out loud. 
   “Well, I use a bow and I possess two rank-four light skills, ‘Light Arrow’ and ‘Light Heal’.” Alice bragged. 
   “Well, firstly, I’m good at handling a sword while Jake here is good at using a knife,” Samantha told them while slightly motioning towards Jake. “My skills are a rank-four ‘Increased Speed’ and rank-five ‘Increased Power’.” 
   “I have a… fire and power skill,” Jake whispered, attracting the attention of the group. Jake turned his head to face Samantha and received a glare, forcing him to look away. 
   “What was that, Jake?” Alice asked. Jake didn’t respond to her question, maintaining his silence. 
   Why did she shut him down? Something is off with them, thought Crow. That strange action killed the atmosphere and pushed Crow and the others away from Samantha and Jake. One by one, everybody went to sleep with Samantha being the first, then Alice and Yang. Jake and Crow didn’t sleep as Jake couldn’t fall asleep while Crow wanted to keep an eye on Samantha and Jake, staying up the entire night. 
   
   
   
   
   TBC…  
   
   
   
   Episode Four "Uncontrolled 4" 
   The five awoke to the sound of people’s screams and cries. They jumped up and rushed towards the origin of the horrific sounds. Three Riders attacked a convoy of carriages and managed to kill the majority of them, leaving a bloody crime scene behind. “We’ll hit the Riders with a hit-and-run tactic, so prepare to deal a little damage before dashing away!” Crow ordered as he prepared his sword. “Alice! Attack from a distance! Everybody else! Hit them and run as fast as you can! Prepare to make multiple runs on them!”  
   “Jake!” Samantha shouted. “Pick up our stuff! Do not engage!” She ordered, taking the rest of the party by surprise. 
   She’s a control freak! He can help us, but she wants him to stay on the sidelines! Crow thought as he prepared himself to make his first run. He then threw those thoughts to the side as he dashed towards the Riders. The three Riders that stood in front of them were known as Jester, Arin, and Rag---who was the size of orcs with human features--- and wielded an enormous sword and shield. The Riders were known as a race of demonic beings called the Titans; these Titans were the birth between female humans and Zork Demons, high ranking demons under Satan’s control.  
   “Don’t forget my plan!” Crow shouted as he landed a slash on Rag before running past him. He slid, gathering traction, before turning around and heading back for another slash. Yang followed Crow and managed to land a slash on Rag which was followed up by Samantha plunging her sword into his torso before darting away from him. The sword locked itself into both hearts of Rag, simultaneously.  
   To kill a Rider, both hearts must be punctured before they could die, which is possible to do simultaneously due to the close distance between the hearts.  
   Crow didn’t manage to get another swing at Rag, but he was amazed at her raw strength. He knew that she could take a Rider without any help, but he was unsure what she was doing with Jake, keeping him as a pet. Again, he threw the thoughts away as he zeroed onto Arin. Alice held the string of her bow tightly as she aimed away from Rag to Arin’s head, preparing to take her finger off the string. She watched as Crow, Yang, and Samantha landed slices on both Riders before releasing her charged up arrow, created out of light. towards one of the riders, who felt much pain from the light arrows due to the darkness that made up their bodies. Their enormous bodies were triple the size of normal humans and weighed over a ton, limiting their speed while increasing their strength at the same time. The light arrow flew through the air, taking its time, before making it to its target. The heart pierced one of Arin’s hearts but missed the second one by mere centimeters. Blood gushed out of the heart and leaked off Arin’s body onto the ground. Fortunately, the arrow left a large hole in Arin’s torso, exposing his second heart. Crow went for the kill, darting away from Jester and towards Arin, penetrating the second heart and collapsing his body.  
   Now with one Rider remaining, everybody focused their attention on him. Jester raised his sword and pointed towards them. Crow smirked as he turned around and darted towards him. Yang and Samantha followed behind him. Alice waited for her chance to allow another arrow to fly. Jester smirked before he sprinted towards them, catching everybody off guard. Riders were never known to be quick. Crow and Yang managed to dart to the side, but the unprepared Samantha wasn’t given the opportunity. Jester managed to dig his sword into her shoulder and ripped it out within a second. Blood spurted out of her shoulder wound with more on the way after she fell to the ground, sliding on her shoulder wound and tearing the skin apart. Jake sat nearby and managed to sneak a few glances at the fight. His jaw dropped as he watched blood spurting out of her wounds, forcing him to react. 
   
   
     
   
   
   TBC 
   
   
   
   Episode Five "Uncontrolled 5" 
   In a fit of anger, he threw out everything that Samantha had taught him, activating his power skill known as ‘Tanzo’---which boosted his agility and strength. He charged towards Jester and slashed him with his dagger. The dagger wasn’t able to cut a deep enough wound to pierce through Jester’s first heart. He jumped away and began running laps around him as he waited for another opportunity to show itself.  
   Jester swung his weapon at Jake but he managed to dodge the attack. Jake continued running around Jester, finding an opportunity to jump on his back and pierce his body. His dagger tore through his body but missed the first heart by an inch. Jake twisted the dagger into Jester’s body, attempting to scratch at his heart. However, Jester wasn’t going down easy. He turned his weapon towards Jake and jabbed at his back, missing Jake by a few inches. Jake ripped the dagger out of Jester’s back and jumped off him, landing on the ground a few feet away from him.  
   Samantha watched as Jake attempted another jump on Jester, earning the destruction of Jester’s first heart. “Stop, Jake!” She shouted. Her words fell to deaf ears as he continued to slash at Jester and slowly tire him out. Jester--- irritated, and frustrated---decided to use a new tactic. He spun around in circles and swung his weapon, reducing Jake’s chances of gaining an opportunity. Jake raced around Jester as he looked for a new opportunity. Samantha stood up, but her strength was zapped out of her, falling to her knees. Alice rushed to her side and began to heal her using ‘Light Heal’. She managed to seal the wound, bringing Samantha away from death’s door.  
   Meanwhile, Crow and Yang were on the sidelines as they watched Jake attempt to break into the stamina-exhausting move that Jester held onto. Jake’s eyes widened as a demonic expression rolled onto his face, even creeping out Jester, who was a Rider for Satan. Jake slashed at Jester, being blocked by his multiple strikes. Jake decided to take a risky plan by forcefully cutting into Jester’s spin attack, but the plan paid off, nearly instantly. He managed to find a small gap and inserted himself in, slashing Jester in the chest. The slash stopped Jester in his track, dropping his weapon and leaving him defenseless. Jake used this chance to pounce on Jester and repeatedly stabbed him, missing the second heart by a few inches. Jake wasn’t disappointed by the stab’s failure, instead, smirking at the action. “Black Fire!” he shouted, igniting his fire-skill that made its way into Jester’s body and burned the inside of his body to a crisp, liquidating all of his organs within a moment. Jester shouted as he felt immense pain running throughout his body for a few moments before collapsing to the ground as a burned and charred corpse.  
   Jake jumped off and landed on the ground, slightly panting as both skills began to deactivate. Once they fully deactivated, the blood loss added with the sudden use of his power led to him collapsing. Alice rushed to Jake’s side and checked his vitals, seeing if he was alive, unlike Jester who has a different diagnosis.  
   
   
     
   
   
   TBC... 
   
   
   
   Episode Six "Uncontrolled 6" 
   The group decided to venture to the Riders’ hideout in complete silence. After Jake slaughtered Jester, Samantha scolded him for his careless actions that put the group in danger. The rest of the group were confused at Jake’s sudden outburst of raw powers, something that they never knew he held. As they walked towards the Rider’s hideout, Crow decided to speak out. “Why do you restrain him?” Samantha looked at him, shooting a glare.  
   “Yeah, why?” Alice asked, building the confidence to speak up. “You don’t allow him to speak at all.” 
   “You also scolded him for saving us, especially you, from death,” Yang argued.  
   Samantha glared daggers at the three of them. “I don’t have to explain anything about him to you three.” She declared. “Let’s focus on the mission on hand, instead of worrying about something that isn’t important to you.”  
   She walked past them, brushing by Crow’s shoulder. She led the group to the hideout with Jake staring off into the distance, not paying attention to the group; Crow, Yang, and Alice looked at each other, raising their eyebrows and shrugging their shoulders. Samantha led them to a bushy hill overlooking the hideout. Samantha crouched into a bush and watched the hideout’s main entrance. The rest of the group, except for Jake, crouched in nearby bushes with Samantha. Jake kept his distance from the group, reflecting on his choice to expose his power that, potentially, saved Samantha.  
   Unfortunately for him, Samantha scolded him for revealing his power while it was at its peak for danger. Samantha worried that using his power would expose his body to major backlash because his power was too great to be contained within a human body and couldn’t be controlled at its current state. She ordered Jake to leave the fighting to the group, instead of him due to this extreme power that he held. Jake didn’t enjoy watching Samantha in multiple fights to protect him without being able to help him. It hurt him as much as the backlash did, which nearly crippled him. Luckily, Jake managed to recover quickly and continue the journey with the others. 
   Samantha snapped him out of his mind, alerting him to her plan. “I’ll attack the front of the hideout with Crow while Alice will attack from afar. Yang and Jake will ambush them from behind, pushing through the back entrance. Jake will be relying on his dagger and not his powers in the fight. Once we push through the building, we’ll meet up in the middle of the building where we’ll destroy the remaining three riders.” She instructed, receiving the almost-reluctant nods of Crow, Yang, and Alice.  
   The group dispersed to reach their positions, but Samantha held Jake back for a moment. She leaned in and whispered in his ear: “I’m letting you fight in this battle, but you’re not allowed to use your powers or skills during it. This is not a suggestion either, it’s an order.” Jake nodded, brandishing his dagger and heading to his position. Samantha watched as he ran off before focusing on her part in the mission.  
     
   TBC… 
   
   
   
   Episode Seven "Uncontrolled 7" 
   The last three Riders appeared outside of the hideout, interrupting Samantha’s plan, and wandered around the area. Everybody masked their presence in the bushes as they watched the Riders patrolled the area, not noticing the party or indicating that they knew about the downfall of their comrades. Crow, Samantha, and Alice waited in the front of the hideout while Yang and Jake were positioned in the back. While waiting for the Riders to head back into their hideout, Yang turned to Jake and whispered to him. “Is she hurting you?” Yang whispered, keeping his eyes on the nearby Riders. 
   “She isn’t. She’s helping me.” He responded. 
   “Is she silencing you? Do you need help?” 
   Jake looked around before facing Yang. “She’s… controlling my large mana pool.” He then glanced around before continuing. “She’ll get mad if I tell you anything else.”  
   “You’re a Tanker?” Yang asked him. 
   Jake raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. “What’s a Tanker?” 
   Crow tilted his head. “A Tanker is a being that holds a large mana pool. This uncontrollable large mana pool often leads to the destruction of the human being. People called them Tankers because, if they can harness their large mana pool, then they become near-invincible.”  
   “How do you know this?” Jake questioned him.  
   “Not much information is known by the public about Tankers, only high-ranking nobles know anything about them. The reason why I know anything about them is because my wife was one of those Tankers. She was known as the ‘Silver Goddess’ in her prime.” Yang told him. 
   “Why are you in this party if you have your wife fighting?” Jake asked him. 
   “Well… I have my reasons.” Yang whispered. 
   Jake went to say something, but he was cut off by Yang reacting to Samantha giving the signal. Yang motioned for Jake to follow him into the back of the hideout. Samantha sent the signal once all Riders entered the hideout, giving them an opportunity.  
   
   
     
   
   
   TBC… 
   
   
   
   Episode Eight"Uncontrolled 8" 
   The three Riders split into two groups. The leader, Altar, stayed behind while the other two Riders, Gold, and Zero, went outside to search for teammates. This allowed the party to take down the Riders. Samantha sent the signal to Yang and Jake before motioning for Alice and Crow to follow her towards the Riders. Samantha and Crow clashed with Gold while Jake and Yang clashed with Zero. Alter, irritated with their actions, grabbed Yang and slammed him down to the ground, knocking him unconscious. He looked up at Jake with frustrated eyes.  
   “Jake! Use your magic!” Samantha shouted. 
   “But you said-” 
   “You’re going to die if you don’t!” Samantha shouted. Jake nodded before charging towards Zero, using another skill of his, Negative Second; a skill that stopped time for only a second. This one second allowed Jake to sprint behind Zero, stabbing him in the back. He also activated Tanzo to dig the dagger further into his back, puncturing one of his hearts. Jake backed off as Zero turned around to face him. Zero glared at Jake, slightly catching him off guard, as his sword began glowing, indicating a skill being used.  
   Zero activated Blade Fury before sprinting towards Jake, striking him and knocking him backward. Blade Fury deactivated after the first strike. Jake used Negative Second to get behind Zero before striking his second heart. Zero’s lifeless corpse crumbled to the ground, pouring out the blood that his two hearts released. The rest of the party focused on the second Rider. “Alice, heal Jake!”  
   “Copy,” Alice said as she rushed towards Jake. Samantha and Crow rushed at Gold and pierced both hearts simultaneously, dropping him to the ground. His lifeless body laid on the ground, blood pouring out of his mouth. Crow inspected the body while Samantha rushed to Jake’s side. She patted his shoulder while looking down at Zero’s lifeless body. Alice finished healing Jake’s wound before rushing to Yang’s side, checking his status. Crow went over to Zero’s body, inspecting it. 
   “This one isn’t dead. It’s still alive,” Crow declared, brandishing his weapon. Zero was mumbling something under his breath, unintelligible to the party. 
   
   
     
   
   
   TBC…  
   
   
   
   Episode Nine "Uncontrolled 9" 
   “What is he saying?” Crow asked. Samantha shrugged her shoulders before leaning in to hear his fleeting words. Once she leaned in, she could hear his words. 
   “-our power ‘Zero’.  The powers of all Riders, ‘Golden Fury’. Your mission is to defeat those that robbed us of our lives. As the remaining Rider, I will grant you my ability ‘Future Sight’ to help in your revenge. You have our power Zero. The powers of all Riders-” He then looped his words, recounting the same declaration over and over.  
   “He mentioned the last Rider, Zero, and something about a Golden Fury and Future Sight. That and about sharing their powers.” Samantha recounted. 
   “An ability to share powers does exist,” Yang chimed in. 
   “It does,” Alice asked. 
   “It’s called ‘Divine Connection’. It has the ability to transfer all abilities from the Riders into the only Rider remaining. The only way it can be acquired through the blessings of a god or goddess. It’s one of the perks that you would receive if you can achieve the affection of a god or goddess.” Yang told them. 
   “A blessing of a god? How did the Riders achieve that?” Alice asked. 
   “Isn’t there an evil god?” Samantha asked. 
   “Slade Wolff, the evil god,” Yang muttered. 
   “Wolff? I’ve never heard of the name.” Alice said. 
   “You never would,” Yang muttered.  
   “Let’s focus on the mission on hand,” Crow said while staring at the hideout.  
   “Agreed… after this, it’s time for us to go our separate ways,” Samantha remarked. 
   “We understand,” Crow muttered before walking away towards the hideout’s main entrance where the last Rider was. Alice and Yang followed after him. 
   “Let’s finish this and head to your grandparents’ house,” Samantha whispered into Jake’s ear. 
   “Can they help me?” Jake asked her while his eyes looked up at her. 
   “They will,” She said while patting his head. “Let’s go meet with everybody else.” 
   
   
     
   
   
   TBC… 
   
   
   
   Episode Ten "Uncontrolled 10" 
   The group detected Zero’s presence inside the hideout. He now held the combined power of all six Riders. He wielded his longsword and large shield as they entered the building. “You have killed my brethren,” He muttered in a deep and grumbly voice. “I will not let you leave here alive.” 
   “Likewise,” Samantha muttered before charging towards Zero.  
   Alice stood dumbfounded at her action. “Wait… what about the plan?” Alice shouted. Alice’s words floated away like a leaf, intertwined, in the wind. Meanwhile, Samantha sliced at Zero which didn’t deal any damage. His skin was reinforced by one of the abilities granted by another Rider.  
   “You may cut us down, but with the abilities of all six, you will not slay our name.” Zero declared. 
   Samantha didn’t care about his words. “Crow, back me up! Alice, Yang, and Jake! Start circling and corner him!” Samantha ordered. 
   “I see,” Crow muttered under his breath.  He rushed towards her with Yang and Alice beginning their entrapment tactic. Jake joined their tactic, deciding to use one percent of his mana power, plunging it into his skill. 
   “Jake, if we can cut a hole into his skin, can you use your fire skill and burn him from the inside?” Yang asked.  
   “Yeah,” Jake said.  
   “Perfect,” He then turned around to face Alice. “Hit him with everything you got,” Yang ordered. 
   Copy,” Alice responded. She then began chanting spells that unleashed multiple skills. Instead of using her normal Light Arrow skill, she used Dark Arrow and Multiplier. Multiplier increased the number of arrows that the user could fire while the Dark Arrow skill was enchanted with poison and the stench of death.  
   Her chanting ended as she began to fire arrows at Zero, who was busy dealing with Samantha and Crow’s attacks. The first arrow pierced a small hole in Zero’s body while the remainder of the arrows were blocked by his shield. Jake charged towards Zero and managed to close the distance between them. Jake then jumped on Zero’s back and found the open hole, launching Black Fire into his body. The skill, instantly, burnt his organs and inner parts of his body to a crisp. Unfortunately for Zero, Jake continued to launch Black Fire into his body to disintegrate every part of his body.  
   “The job is done, Jake,” Samantha said. 
   “Thank you,” Jake whispered. 
   Samantha crouched down to reach his height. “I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you. You must survive.”  
   “Thank you,” Jake said. 
   “Well, let’s prepare to depart,” Samantha announced. Everybody began packing their stuff into their bags, picking up their trophies from the deaths of the Riders. Nobody noticed that Samantha collapsed to the ground.  
   “The true power of the Riders has emerged, ‘Rider Force’.” Everybody’s heads snapped to Samantha’s unconscious and bloody body and Zero’s reawakening. “With this, our last strike can be made to finish our foes when they drop their guards.” He announced proudly. Jake stared at Samantha’s body and noticed the enormous amount of blood flowing out of her wounds. A fatal amount of blood created a puddle around her, drenching her in it.  
   
   
     
   
   
   TBC… 
   
   
   Publication Date: October 13th 2020 https://www.bookrix.com/-na50a1c958baf75