The Curious Case of Jacob's Hallow

by Patrick Walsh

  In an instant he dropped down, with Luke immediately following. Han looked in every direction before the other two had to pull him down, all unsure of what had been seen. Their eyes peered down in a vain attempt to pierce through the haze that seemed to fill most of the pit. Luke saw something next, silently, and frantically pointing down to it. The other two followed his gesture until landing on something large and pale. Aza’s eyes were able to most clearly see the horror pulling itself along a path just three levels down from their own. While too far away to make out, he could tell it was big, at least four times the size of a man. It’s body and head appeared to be one round mass of pale flesh, dragged along by two arms. He could tell there was something more to it’s strange form, but distance kept the details veiled in shadow.

  “What is that thing?” Luke whispered under his breath.

  “I have no idea.” Han’s legs felt as if they were made of lead. Coming down here was a mistake, a terrible, horrible mistake. Was it his ego and a foolish quest for glory, perhaps a misplaced confidence in two people he had met less then a week ago? No matter the case, he was out of his element. The pool of knowledge he held now spread to a mere puddle.

  While unspoken, the three were waiting for the creature to disappear around the corner it was nearing. Once out of sight they carried on. Yet, suddenly the abomination stopped in its tracks. It slowly turned and began to walk back the way it had come, its deformed body twitching and gurgling. All three pressed themselves against the sharp stairway, the only sounds being the rapid beating of their fearful hearts. Yet it was in this silence that they heard something once too faint to detect, footsteps. Just up the stairs, none knowing how far, someone or something was heading towards them. At once, they shifted to face their potential attacker. Aza himself stood up, careful to stay hidden behind the tendrils, and prepared his strings. While still hard to hear, the sound picked up until whatever it was had to be just a floor above them if even that far.

  All three reared back when a head poked around the corner. For a moment Aza was prepared to fire, but too soon he put together the familier hair and amber eyes. It was Tom, though he still debated whether or not to take the shot. The intruder seemed just as stunned as they were, as if the thought of being discovered had never crossed his mind. Luke pointed before the unwanted tag along could even open his mouth. He saw the creature below and jumped back, tripping and having to re catch his balance. As he stumbled forwards, his palm slammed hard against the outer portion of the walkway. Up until then, everyone had assumed it was made of the same rock as everything else, but this proved to be very wrong. The impact vibrated outwards and a deep echo spread throughout the whole of the stairway. Each tentacle carrying on the sound further down the endless chain. Immediately, their eyes shot down to the creature below. To their horror, it let out a batlike screech and began charging down the path.

  “Run!” Luke shouted, knowing it was already after them.

  All four sprinted down the spiral, taking care not to slip and topple the whole group. Each floor was maybe fifty feet high, with small openings to the stairway along their corresponding level. None of the boys knew if it would be able to fit through and give chase, but none were willing to slow down and find out. To their surprise, the next floor was clear, along with the one after that. It was only once they arrived at the third, that they were greeted with the sight of a hideous monstrosity charging down the bridge. Each of them had but moments to see it, yet that was all it took for the thing to become burned into their minds.

  The details Aza couldn’t make out…. were eyes. Hundreds of white eyes all fused together in one bulbous mass. Some were from humans while others from things that lay below the waves. It’s lower half was a bloated tail that slid and squirmed along the ground behind it, with the whole of its ghastly form pulled along by two massive, humanoid arms. Yet unlike any of the other undead they had seen, this one was fused with rusty metal. Chains and locks hung off its body, four bladed arms like that of a praying mantis sitting on the upper half of its underbelly. Quick as a flash, one of its palms crashed down against the stairway, missing Tom by but an inch.

  A deep, reverberating chorus echoed out all around them as they plunged further into the depths. They just kept running deeper and deeper down, almost losing track of of how many floors they had passed. Every time they looked out, they saw something scurrying along the balconies, only causing them to run even faster. After what felt like an eternity, it was Han who finally called them to change course and run out onto the proper level. Their footsteps bounced and echoed softly on the dark rock as they emerged from the safety of the stairs. Immediately they saw two more of the monsters. One was a ways away, but the other was just on the other end of the pit. As soon as it lay eyes upon them, both twisted around and began heaving themselves towards the intruders. Tom ran back towards the stairs, but stopped when he felt the echo from above. Countless droves of ravenous hands pounded against the stone as the swarm of wights began pouring into the stairway. Each one blindly following the hundreds of pale, slimy eyes that looked upon the four intruders.

  “Han, where are we going!?” Luke pulled two axes from his bag, hoping they would prove to be of greater use then the gun did atop the leviathan.

  “Right!” Han shouted as the lumbering beast charged after them.

  The group swerved, with Tom quickly catching up. Yet he wasn’t quite fast enough, and one of the monster’s great limbs swatted him against the wall with a sickening crack. He screamed in pain and grabbed the side of his chest. The boy stumbled back up as the monster ripped back its arm to crush him. Aza turned, his mind spinning through a web of thoughts and whims spanning a lifetime in but a moment. Part of him wanted to keep going. Tom had never physically harmed him, but he and his dad had done nothing but spread lies and fear. Not just about him, but about anyone else with gifts. They had made his already difficult life just that much more intolerable for the pettiest of reasons. Then the bastard had the audacity to follow them here. He had attracted the monster; he would face the consequences. If the thoughts had forms, it was that of a grinning devil, thrilled at the death about to unfold before it. Yet the other half of his mind told him that despite it all, he didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to die alone in the depths. For so long Aza had taken it upon himself to help people even when it wasn’t convenient, even when it was difficult. He had the power to save a life, and it was his duty to use it despite what the consequences might come of it.

  A swirling mass of translucent threads burst out and twisted into one great cord that crashed down like a whip. It sliced through the rotting flesh of the monster, and caused its arm to miss the mark. Immediately, it swung around and charged at him. Aza dashed to the side and fired a swarm of threads from his other hand and into its body. But before he could begin slicing it from the inside, it grabbed onto the mass and swung him towards the edge of the balcony. He quickly dispersed them and found his footing again, only to immediately dodge another wide sweep from the arm as well as the blades below it.

  Tom was now back on his feet, unsure what to make of the sight before him. He was nearly knocked back down as Luke came charging past, with both axes in hand. One swipe after another came down on the bulbous tail, a green pus oozing from the wounds as the axes ripped though its pale skin. The monstrosity turned yet again to face this new foe, only for Aza to take the opening and run around it. He shot out another volley of threads, trying to push the thing closer to the railing. Yet then he heard it, he felt it. His body twisted around to see wights pouring in from around the corner. There was no more time to fight.

  Aza called to Luke and the two ran away from the battle, with Tom now at their side. To his surprise, Han was nowhere to be found. His luminescent irises flew from one side to another as he tried to find their one and only guide. Both luckily and unluckily, there were few places here to hide. It took little searching to spot the scholar just up ahead with his notebook in hand. Upon turning around to
wave them on, he jumped like a cat and flew further down the walkway. He rounded a corner only to be met with another one of the eye covered monstrosities. Unlike the others, it had a metal cage around the front of its head covered in spikes. He lurched to the left and over a bridge connecting to another walkway. The beast screamed and charged after him. Han was running as fast as he could, but knew he had no hope of out running the thing as it quickly gained on him. That was when he saw a door directly on the other side of the path. The thing was tall and ringed by two large fangs. Yet was hard to make out from a distance due to the poor lighting.

  Han decided to follow the lead of his new allies and take a page from an old hero’s story. He sprinted even faster, then abruptly turned right as he was about to hit the door. His balance was lost and he feared he may have twisted out his knee as he toppled to the ground. Yet his gambit paid off. The monster didn’t stop in time, cracking the doorway in half as it collided into the dark stone. It stumbled back as Han climbed through the crack and into the unknown. Before it could recover and go after him, Aza’s strings wrapped around its metal appendages and ripped it back. The puppetmaster leapt aside, evading a wide swing from his reeling opponent. Then he pulled the thing down, sending it crashing into the front line of the wights chasing after them. With but a few moments bought, both Luke and Tom leapt through the shattered doorway with Aza in toe.

  They were within one of the many great stone pillars that the balconies were set into. Upon bursting inside, they were met by an arching bridge. It led to a small platform with more bridges hopscotching off to more platforms, segmenting the area. Within the segments were black coffins resting upon dark, oily water. In the violet light it almost looked like perfume. Despite stretching on for nearly a block, that was all there was. Nowhere to hide except the water. It was Luke who climbed in first, the mysterious liquid being about level with each of the platforms. Aza hurried in after him, fearing some poison or monster. Yet to both boys surprise, it felt like warm sea water. Though there was something odd. As they waded under the narrow bridge, they felt rocks and stones shift under their feet. Concern weaved around their minds, but there were more pressing matters to deal with right now.

  As the two friends sank to their noses under the black water, hidden under the ends of the bridge, Aza and Tom did the same. Though Han made sure to keep his notebook above the surface. Despite all their movement, the water didn’t ripple like it should have. It instead acted more like honey or syrup, not even jostling the coffins resting upon it. Instead it offered a temporary hiding spot as the wights charged in. The walkways ended up bottlenecking them, with several being shoved off and into the inky darkness. All four boys lowered themselves even more, squishing their bodies against the stone as hard as they could. They heard squealing and screeching from above and splashing from below. If the wights in the water began swimming around they might be able to evade them, but not all the ones above. With each passing moment it felt as if they drew closer and closer to the end. Yet to their surprise, the creatures began to slow and hiss. A few that fell were able to pull themselves out of the water, but one couldn’t in time. One by one its arms went numb as it toppled from the edge of a platform back into the darkness. It thrashed about its other appendages, but soon the water went still. A fiery orb of blue light erupted out from the sunken carcass and shot out of the room, back to its master.

  Aza and Luke were the only ones to witness its demise, suddenly very afraid of whatever they were submerged in. Though neither was able to leave, as the wights searched about over head. While unwilling to get in the water, they still grasped and clawed for them over the railings. The whole area was crawling with the groping, hungry arms for what felt like a lifetime. It wasn’t until they heard a chorus of piercing screams from the wights that they began to calm. Upon making the horrid noise, they poured back out until there were none left. Yet even with them gone, all four remained hidden. They heard the shifting of stone and patter of footsteps, followed by nothing at all. It was Luke that emerged first, followed by Aza. It was him that saw the broken door had been pulled back into place, potentially barring that way out….assuming it was even an option to begin with. He also noticed that he wasn’t wet, with some pieces of film clinging to his coat being the only sign he was under the water at all. The other two noticed as well upon emerging from their hiding spots and patting themselves off.

  “I cannot believe that worked.” Han was breathing heavily, his heart racing.

  “What is that stuff?” Luke’s eyes fell to the dark water and the caskets floating upon it.

  Han began walking further into the room. “I would have to take a sample to tell you, but I neglected to bring my glassware.” His eyes fell to the water as he hit the peak of the bridge. The positioning of the lights allowed him to see through the stuff.

  Aza saw the fear in his eyes and hurried over to him. That was when he saw it. It wasn’t rocks at the bottom of the water, it was bones. Yet it wasn’t just that. From here he could clearly see the lids of the coffins. There were symbols carved into them, written from the same language he and Han had discussed earlier. “Izzara the Seeker.”

  The scholar looked over to see Aza pointing out to the casket.

  “That’s Vorustrow isn’t it? It’s why you got confused earlier when I read your notes.”

  “Um….” Han weighed his options and the truth won out. “Yes. It is a dead language.”

  “What in the Abyss are you two talking about?” Tom was looking back and forth to them.

  Luke looked to the unwanted group member with annoyance, but then to Han as was just as lost.

  He looked back to the doorway. Now was not the time for a history lesson, but at this point it could only help for them to be a bit more informed “The Vorustrow were a race of elves that ruled this region. They engaged in a conflict with the world called The War of Eras that resulted in their defeat. Now what is left of their kind resides in a mountain locked region unable to leave. Through the efforts of the Paladins, as well as all the other groups they had spurned, all traces of their kind were purged from the land. This included their language ...which your strange town decided to keep around for one reason or another.”

  “Elves? I thought them were made up.” Luke was in awe.

  “They’re bout as real as the War of Eras. Everyone knows that was just a crock made up by the old sailors.”

  Han again looked to the door. “We do not have time for this.” Instead of answering, he hurried further down the bridges, only stopping to allow Aza to get ahead of him.

  “So where are we going then?” The puppetmaster turned to the other three, who were in a single file line behind him.

  “To that doorway up ahead. We need to find some other way out of here.”

  Aza nodded and continued to lead them further down the path. The door was smaller than the one they had used to come in, but was built in a similar style. There were two metal rings that one was supposed to open them with, but proved too much for him. It took the combined might of both Luke and Aza to get it open, with the former doing most of the work. On the other side was a small octagonal room with seven other doors. Sitting directly in the middle was a sarcophagus with a statue looming over it. It’s teeth were sharp and ears pointed. It wore jagged armor with a sickle in each hand. Despite being made of obsidian, it looked as if it were ready to strike at them. Its eyes burning with hatred. The two who had opened the door closed it, while the others met the statues gaze.

  “So that’s a Vorustrow then.” Luke looked it over, surprised at how accurate the stories had been.

  “Yes. Assuming these other doors lead to similar arrangements, I would wager he was some kind of general. Those coffins would then belong to soldiers of great renown that served under him. Then the bones would be from those they slayed in combat.” He poured through his memories in search of what research he had been able to do before leaving on this foolish quest.

  “So another one of those buri
al chambers should be around any of these doors? ” Aza looked all around at the various exits.

  “Yes.” Han pulled out the notebook and found his bearings. “We will need to go due right. Hopefully there will be a way out that keeps us on this floor.”

  Aza clapped his hands together. “Instead of dying to wights over there, we get to die to them over here.” Despite his words, his voice was energetic.

  Luke snickered and walked over to the next door. He and Aza began pulling it open while the other two watched them, as well as one another. It creaked away from the wall and revealed another crypt like the one they had just come from. While a very grim place, it was also very peaceful. Aza even thought it could be relaxing to stay here if one were to remove the dead. Yet it was not the time to sight see. The four trekked on until they reached another door, pulled it open, and revealed another one of these sites. They were confused, but had no other choice other then to continue on to the other side. Again a doorway revealed an octagonal room like the one they had come from. The only difference was the statue and name engraved into the sarcophagus. Continuing forwards they arrived in yet another water chamber, but saw the door at the end was much taller. It looked just like the one they had come in from, sans the damage.

  “So what exactly is your plan then?” All eyes fell to Tom, who was at the back of the group.

  Han looked to the journal, then to the potential exit. “If we are all in agreement, I would like to crack the door open and see if anything is out there. Once we know the coast is clear, it should be a straight shot to our destination”