Chapter 41. The Valley of Despair
The great fortress of the Norgonie, was constructed from large blocks of stone and reinforced with steel and iron. The mineral content of the blocks, are of an unusual nature and highly resistant to outside force. Where they were brought from and how they were transported I cannot say, for I have seen no signs of a quarry or machinery capable of cutting such dense building material.
From the Mindlock of Oshismarie Inastro Sistashion.
The Valley of Despair was a place, held in a grip of silence, those creatures that lived there, seldom ventured out in the warm sunlight, preferring the cold darkness of their time worn caverns. Very few Norgonie, had ever traveled there, and those that did, returned with stories of a land filled with great iron beasts, long dead that once feasted on rock and ate the ground under their feet. It was also a place that sometimes saw the Galu, the huge vicious ape-men from the jungles of Yug that lay to the East. The sub-humans, traveled there to gather pieces of metal, fallen from the massive machines. They fashioned them into crude weapons, to use for hunting and killing their enemies. They did not stay long, for they are a very superstitious species.
At the far end of the valley, a large group of Galu, made their way into the rock-strewn canyon. They had traveled a very long distance. They numbered a hundred or more, large hairy creatures, endowed with massive strength, but small brains. They killed and ate whatever crossed their path. They had little fear of man or beast and prayed to no God. Like all primitive beings, they were afraid of things they could not understand. If it was not for the metal that was plentiful in the haunted valley, they would have never ventured there. They needed the hardened steel for weapons, so they overcame their dread and entered the strange landscape.
The leader of the band, was a head taller than his companions, he had long arms with muscles like bands of steel. His eyes were small and close set with a broad flat nose, and a large jaw, set with sharp teeth, his name was meaningless to humans. He was the strongest and most vicious of his kind, so others followed him, they dare not challenge his leadership. The Galu wore little clothing, save for a band of animal hide around their groin. Small plates of steel, woven into strips of hide, covered large upper bodies, giving them some protection from wild beasts, or the axes of Outlanders, their age-old enemy. The strongest of them, had the skulls of Norgonie or Outlander, hanging from their belts, this was a sign that they were not afraid of the power of the humans. Others held war-axes or spears in their huge hands, taken from Nomads and Forest-dwellers. Many of them carried round wooden shields, held together with iron, the rest made due with whatever they could. Stone weapons were common, but they knew that steel was far superior, the valley was the only place where this could be found.
They believed the canyon, was a place of great spirits, for there lay huge steel beasts that gave them what they needed. They did not look upon them as Gods that would have taken more intelligence than they possessed, they did bring offerings as a sign of respect. These offerings consisted of meat, fruit and the occasional human female. These unlucky women, were taken by raiding parties in the Northern Forests of Caltarine, they brought them to the valley. Many of the females died before reaching the canyon, those that survived, perished in a bloody ritual, the Galu performed as entertainment for the spirits.
Neelu was one such female, she was not a warrior of the Norgonie, she was too young to fight, having only reached her third cycle. She did possess a strong body, and would surely have become a great fighter of the tribe, if Horcon the God of Destiny, had not seen fit for her, to fall into the hands of the ape-men. Now she could only pray to Arm-Ra that her death, would be a swift one. The young woman, bound hand and foot, was being carried over the shoulder of a lumbering Galu. She could have called out, but she knew, there was no one to hear her so, she remained quiet, continuing to pray silently.
The Galu, had captured Neelu, just before the arrival of the Outlanders. She had been out gathering fruit with her sister, when they were set upon by the savage ape-men. Her younger sister had died quickly, now as the primitive humans were carrying her, she wished her fate to be, the same.
My life is in the hands of Arm-Ra now; she thought, that gave little comfort, she knew how savage the man-beasts from the jungles could be. She tried to remember the ancient prayers, hoping they would give her some semblance of peace.
“Damage to Sections Twenty-One through Sections Thirty-One due to corrosive vapors, extensive frontal damage from impact upon escape,” the Task-robot reported. “Repairs can commence when sufficient materials are located.”
The Shadowman did not reply, so the drone continued to report, “loss of independent workers and Repair-bots at seventy five percent. Replacement of Repair-bots is underway, we do not have sufficient biological replacements for workers and mobile weapons”. The metal machine waited for a response, again there was none. “Power is at fifty percent, combustible material is at acceptable levels, H2O supply will be depleted in seven point six time periods. Scanning of the atmosphere, has determined that replenishment will take place before termination.” Again there was no response from the Man-God, “long range weapons have been damaged, they can be repaired”.
The Shadowman stood gazing at the glowing Orb, in the past, he would have bowed his head, when looking upon such a great God. All he saw now, was a containment sphere, connected to nutrient supply conduits, filled with an Organic Reactive Organism that did not seem of much importance anymore.
Why did I fall upon my knees, when I first looked at this thing? He asked his mind. This is nothing more than an information analyzer.
The Orb knew what the human machine was thinking, now it no longer cared, its interactive responses and compilation data pathways, had been absorbed by the soul of the Shadowman. If a scholar of the Outer Rim had been present, with access to the information, pertaining to Outlanders. Their amazing navigation abilities, and how they selected their leaders, based on their mind power. They would have theorized that since the Cyberman, was indeed a womb-twin of the King of the Madrigal, his mind possessed a very high level of will. That must surely have been a factor in the absorption of the Organic Reactive Brain.
“Begin repairs immediately”, ordered the Man-God, “continue forward, half velocity and scan terrain for organic life forms, acceptable for re-programming as weapons”.
“At once my God”, replied the Task-robot, it moved to the Control Consoles to carry out its master's commands.
The metal man, seated himself on a transfer conduit, he waited for the nutrition supply drones to come. They attached their conductors to the input ports in his abdomen, although he was now the commander of the most powerful force on the planet, he still knew hunger. Next to the metal man, were several Repair-bots and numerous Spotters, they worked feverishly, to complete a new mechanism in the chamber, it had been designed by their master. Although there were many essential repairs that should have been done before this new task. They were programmed to obey, and they would obey their new master.
On the outside, the great machine was broken, one huge weapon claw, had been torn off in the impact with the massive steel wall. There was a great deal of damage to its outer hull casing, one frontal drive wheel, had broken, all minor considerations. The electromagnetic shielding, was still functioning, most of the long-range guns were intact. It moved forward, down the long desolate valley, all the while repairing itself.
In ages long past, the valley was an important source of building materials. The stone found there, was of a particular high quality. Very useful in the construction of the pyramid cities, and the fortress of the Norgonie. The Overlords had their workers cut through the valley, using the massive machines, they now littered the area. There were no Overlords now, and the cutting machines sat unmoving, their rusting framework, would soon bring new life to the metal God.
The Galu continued their march into the valley, all about them, lay the massive rusting machines of long ago. Some were t
he size of Earthshakers, while others were no more than the length of a Trofar. Many lay half buried in the rock, like metal creatures emerging from the underground, others sat, as if they might come alive at any moment. With the machines, were countless blocks of stone, cut and ready, to be used for whatever construction the Overlords had in mind. Those Masters of the earth, were long dead, and the stone lay, like so many, pitted gambling cubes.
It did not matter to the Norgonie girl, to her, the ancient machines were the work of the Gods, and only they knew their purpose. She concerned herself with the present, and the horrible future that awaited her. So she prayed, trying to make amends for the many transgressions, she had made against Arm-Ra and countless other Gods.
Forgive me for not making offerings on your day of thanks; she prayed; forgive me for walking in the forest, when I should have been reading your Holy Book, forgive me for...
She continued numbering all the sins that she could remember, when she could not remember any more, she started over again.
She did this to stop thinking about what was to happen. She knew she was going to die that was a certainty, how, she did not know. As a first cycle girl, she was told that if she disobeyed her mother and father, the Galu would come and carry her away, her flesh would make them a meal. She had always believed this to be a story, to frighten unruly children. Now as she was being carried further into the Valley of Despair, she realized why it was so named.
The Galu had no name for the valley, they simply knew that if they came here, they would be rewarded with the precious metal they needed. They had enough intelligence, to know there was power in all things, if you wanted that power, you had to pay a price. Take the steel and leave an offering that was the way of their people for centuries. That was the way it would be, the female would be their offering.
The leader of the ape-men, raised his huge hand, those behind him, came to a sudden halt. Before him sat a huge machine, it had many arms, and resembled the great red spiders that made their home in the Yug jungles, and killed many of his brethren. The large spiders, were looked upon by the beast men, as powerful creatures, so they considered this metal monster, the master of those deadly jungle crawlers.
Now with grunts and gestures, the leader ordered that the helpless girl be laid before the huge digging machine. The air crackled with electricity, the members of his clan, gathered around the female.
Neelu knew that soon she would be looking into the eyes of the Angel of Death. She hoped it would be soon.
“Internal repairs completed”, the Task-robot reported. “Forward speed constant, replacement of Repair-bots is at fifty percent and continuing. External repairs are underway on Sections Twenty-One through Thirty-One, forward locomotion must cease in seven point nine time periods, to gather materials needed to replace damaged mechanisms and weaponry.” This time, its master responded quickly.
“Understood”, replied the Shadowman God, “continue external repairs, and scan terrain for suitable replacement parts for damaged mechanisms”.
As he watched his servant carry out his commands. The machine man, sat quietly on his newly constructed chair, it had been fabricated by the Repair-bots using precise plans. It resembled the massive throne of the Mylorcan Kings of the Calmeccan planets. Unlike those golden and bejeweled thrones, his was made of steel and wire, and the bones of dead Talsonar, and any creature that dared to cross his path. At his fingertips were many input connectors, interface screens allowed him more control of his metal domain. On either side, stood two power conductors, they pulsed and glowed with immense power, they bathed him in a bluish glow, much like he had seen, when he first laid eyes on the Orb. He sat like a God of Death, and why not? Atos was a God of War and killing was his purpose.
I am a God am I not? He thought; I am all-powerful and I will remain so.
He sat unmoving, because his arms and legs had been removed, so they could be upgraded, to maximize speed and efficiency. Now the small spotters and Repair-bots, worked to enhance the power and size of the appendages. When they were finished, their master would be much stronger and able to withstand more damage, without harm to his central nervous system and brain. He would also have more deadly weaponry, they were equipping his right arm, with parts taken from a Talsonar, chamber rifle. This would allow the Cyberman, to kill his enemies with projectiles from a distance, this suited him very well.
I will be even stronger; he thought; all Gods are strong and I shall be the strongest.
His metal face, could no longer smile, but it did not matter to the half-man, he knew all too well that a face can lie.
My mother said she loved me, she lied; he thought; she left me to die without a name.
This was true, Nomad mothers, did not name their children until after the Choosing, then and only then, would they bear a formal name in the tribe. Thinking back, it all seemed so far away, like a dream in a dream. He could still remember his time with the Nomads, but he wasn’t entirely sure how long ago it had been?
Was it only a few cycles ago, or was it hundreds?
He now possessed a time reference that could have calculated his precise movements, down to a hundred thousand of a fractal. His memory was now fused with the Orb's, and it was difficult to know where one started and the other ended? He remembered how he used to travel the lands of Gorn, he also remembered his time amongst the stars, the armies and worlds that he had destroyed.
I destroyed them as I was meant to do; he thought; and now I will destroy all who oppose me.
He began to calculate all the ways to kill an enemy, then he heard the Task-robot.
“External sensors, have detected a large group of humanoids, directly ahead”, it reported.
“Replacement workers, can be obtained if these beings are suitable”.
“Understood”, replied the metal man, “set heading to intercept humanoids, and prepare to replace workers and mobile weaponry”.
The Shadowman continued sitting quietly, as his arms and legs were connected to his mainframe. When they were attached, he slowly rose up and lifted his arms. They felt good, stronger and able to move at a much greater speed; I will crush them in my hands; he thought. He lifted his legs up and down; I will crush them into the ground. Then he lifted his right arm, there was a blast of fire and smoke, a small Spotter across the chamber, exploded in fragments; I will destroy them as they run.
Although he could not smile, or taste or weep, he could still laugh, so the chamber resonated to the sound of his mocking voice.
Neelu knew that at any moment, the sky would open and drench the land in rain, but rain or shine, the Angel of Death, always found what he wanted.
When Horcon has decided your fate, there is nothing that can be done. The young girl looked up at the gathering clouds, she tried not to think of her death; I have lived a good life and I do not think that Arm-Ra will treat me harshly.
The Galu were eager to gather up the steel that lie about, then return to their jungle home. Before they could, they needed to complete the sacrifice, to appease the Spirits of the Valley. There was something else that they looked forward to enjoying, the taste of human flesh.
It was not, common practice for the ape-men to eat their own kind, but they reverted to cannibalism when food was scarce. It was a sign of power, for a victor to eat the heart of an opponent, whom he had vanquished in combat. Feasting on the tender flesh of a young Forest-dweller, was something special, the Galu started becoming impatient about filling their mouths.
As Neelu lay helpless before the huge machine, the sub-humans began to dance about her, waving their weapons, above their hairy skulls, and stomping their huge feet upon the hard ground. They shouted wildly and made guttural screams, as the dark clouds began to break, a warm rain began to fall. Thunder and lightning filled the air, mixing with the primitive wailing of the Galu.
The young girl’s courage began to fail her, as she looked upon the bestial faces of the jungle dwellers. Saliva began to drip from their gapping ja
ws, as they hungered for the soft flesh of their bound captive. Sometimes one of the ape-men, would try to push another, out-of-the-way, so that he could be the first, to sink his sharp fangs into the flesh offering. Then a fight would break out, this only added to the blood lust and fury.
Seeking a way to escape, even if it was only in her own mind, Neelu closed her eyes and tried to think of the Afterlife, and being reunited with her dead sister. Forgive me Arm-Ra, forgive me, Arm-Ra save me!
“Interception of the humanoids, will take place in one point one time periods”, the Task-robot reported. “Replenishing of mobile weapons can coincide with filling of H2O receivers”.
“Understood”, replied the Cyborg God, “increase speed to maximum, prepare Repair-bots and all remaining workers to assimilate humanoids”. The Shadowman could have commanded all of this without interfacing with the Task-robot, but he still retained a portion of his human side, and still enjoyed giving orders.
The great machine moved faster down the Valley of Despair, its great bulk, shook the earth, causing the ancient machines to crash to the ground. The loose rock, making up sections of the haunted valley, began to crumble, covering other broken mechanisms. The creatures that called the valley home, scurried into their hiding places.
Rain began to fall, soft at first, then growing in intensity, making the ground muddy. It did not slow the metal monster, it continued forward, mowing down anything in its path, it rumbled towards its goal.
The giant leader of the Galu, was eager to taste the blood of the Forest-dweller. He stood before his tribe, beating his fist upon his massive chest, waving his steel weapon over his head, he bellowed out a roar that stopped the bickering, the beady eyes of the ape-men, focused upon him. When all was quiet, save for the rumbling of thunder clouds and the beating of soft rain on the ground, he turned to look into the helpless girl's face. That was when the pain began.
“Outer shielding has made contact with humanoids”, reported the Task-robot.
“Understood” replied the Metal man, interfacing with the outer line sensors, he detected the presence of the primitive Lifeforms. Being a Shadowman, he had always looked down upon the ape-men of the Jungles, now that he had become a God, they seemed even more worthless than before.
They will serve me like all the rest; he thought, then his mind detected something different amongst the sub-species, an Outlander girl.
Ordinarily, he would not have given the matter a second thought, but something deep inside, made him ponder this female a little longer. Perhaps his newly acquired intelligence, compelled him to study this creature further, or maybe, he wanted to gain knowledge that might help him vanquish his enemies faster. All of this seemed reasonable to the Man-God, whatever the reason, he placed his interfacing digit into the command port of his metal throne. He adjusted the shield intensification so that the female, would not suffer like the beast-men.
Neelu watched, as all about her, the Galu fell to the ground, grasping their misshapen heads and howling in pain. They rolled about in the mud, acting as if they had stepped on the thorn of the Moonbud. She did not know how this could be, she was certain that it was the will of Arm-Ra, and that her prayers had been answered. She lay in the rain and called out, so the Gods would hear her voice above the thunder.
“Ragute Ranana Trocoro Arm-ra”, all glory to Arm-Ra!” she shouted, with tears in her eyes.
Suddenly the ground began to shake, it was not from the lightning and thunder in the sky, it was a deep rumbling. It was like the great Landquakes that sometimes rolled over the Forests of Caltarine, making the ancient trees sway like Meadow grass in the Outlands.
The young girl, pulled herself up and although she was bound hand and foot, she turned in the direction from which, she thought the shaking was coming. When she did, she saw a great mountain of steel moving towards her. She did not speak as the huge machine drew near, there were no words that she could utter to calm her heart, she did the only thing she could, repeat the words.
“Ragute Ranana Trocoro Arm-ra, all glory to Arm-Ra!” over and over again.
The howling of the ape-men grew fainter, as the metal monster approached, now they no longer had strength in their massive bodies, they simply lay upon the wet ground, making pitiful moans, as the pain inside their heads continued. The rain that had thundered down, began to subside and in a short time it was gone, now only a few lightning bolts, could be seen in the East, as the storm moved on.
“Ragute Ranana Trocoro Arm-ra”, all glory to Arm-Ra!”
“ H20 Storage containers, have been replenished, we have arrived at the designated coordinate for acquisition of workers and mobile weapons”, reported the Task-robot. “Processing of humanoids will begin immediately, all substandard acquisitions shall be eliminated”.
The Metal man, sitting upon his command chair, paused, then he spoke, “do not eliminate the frail female at this time”, he said, “have her brought to me immediately, unharmed”.
“Understood”, replied the Task-robot.
The image that had plagued the mind of the Orb, and now the mind of the Man-God, flashed before his inner eye once more, the image of a female, holding something small and helpless in her arms.
What could that thing be? He wondered. He did not know, perhaps this girl could tell him the answer?
Neelu, repeated the prayer of Arm-Ra, over and over again. She watched, as the huge steel monster opened, a large swarm of strange looking, metal spider-like creatures, emerged and began attaching themselves to the thick necks of the beast-men. One by one, the Galu stopped howling to rise up like dead men, then move in single file into the belly of the monster. She saw even larger iron things, come out to gather up bits of steel and wire, then, take it back inside the moving mountain. All the while she continued to pray.
“Ragute Ranana Trocoro Arm-ra”, all glory to Arm-Ra”, she was too scared to think of anything else, one of the metal things picked her up, and she was carried like an offering, into the great beast. She did not look about her, she kept her eyes closed, she did not want to see her death coming. All about, she heard cries of pain from the ape-men, and although she hated the Galu for what they did to her sister, she could not help but feel pity for their plight.
The screams grew fainter, she knew, she was being taken further into the belly of the monster, she could smell a foul odor, and feel a warm sticky heat. Still she kept her eyes closed, and repeated the prayer of the great God.
“Ragute Ranana Trocoro Arm-ra”, she whispered softly, she knew that nothing was going to save her now, it was better to pray then to scream.
She felt herself being laid down, the floor was hard, not fleshy like she expected. Her bonds were removed and she was free to move about, but she still kept her eyes closed, and repeated the prayer to Arm-Ra. She heard a voice. “Look at me”, it said.
Shaking with fear, the young girl slowly opened her eyes, looking around, she saw a giant man, made of steel. At first, she thought he was wearing armor, much like the Nomads of the Outlands. No Madrigal stood as tall as he, his face bore no resemblance to the handsome men of that tribe. He stood before a throne, the likes of which she never imagined. All about her, were strange mechanisms, and creatures not made of flesh or bone. They moved with a will of their own, she looked up at the emotionless face of the steel man, she managed to summon up enough courage to open her mouth to speak.
“Are you a God?” she asked weakly, there was a pause, as the metal man seemed to ponder this question, then he nodded his heavy head.
“Yes”, replied the thing before her, “I am Atos the Destroyer of Worlds”.
The booming laughter of the Man-God, echoed inside the chamber once more, causing the forest girl, at last, to scream in terror.
Nomads The Fallen God Page 42