Suddenly, it seemed to be working. The things that grasped him seemed to be recoiling from his lower limbs. He could also hear a nauseating, otherworldly cry of agony. He did not understand. It did not seem like the cleaver was working…then what could it be?
The Ale! It flashed in his mind. He quickly pulled the ale barrel over his head and soaked himself with whatever was still left. Fortunately, the barrel was full from the morning. The things that grabbed him let him go immediately, and a furious, frustrated, otherworldly cry was heard by him.
Kendall quickly tried to get to the other direction, but the things were again coming back. Before it gets worse, he poured some ale on the cleaver and slashed blindly at potentially approaching limbs. But that stopped them only briefly, and in a moment they were back; even though they were repelled by his soaked state.
Kendall did not have a lot left in the barrel, so he tried to spill some ale onto the invisible enemy. This worked to some extent. He heard the otherworldly scream again. But this time, a powerful push shoved him to the back, as such a thing grabbed the barrel and smashed it on the floor.
Then it was gone. Kendal could not believe himself, but opened his mouth to let out a laugh of triumph. A bit too early. He still could see the world skewed around him, and it was not going away. In fact, it was shrinking away, out from him, encompassing more and more of the world as it was going away from him, as if he was looking from depths of more and more water; as if he was sinking deeper and deeper into a pond, with surface on all sides.
He frantically tried to swim to the world he belonged to. He tried his best, and even jumped up. No avail. It just detached him from the floor he was feeling under his feet; or that he imagined he felt; as he could see it fast move away from him, further and further away each moment. He could see the world fade around him before his helpless, desperate eyes; screaming and crying silently.
Kendall found himself to be floating inside something very soon. The darkness of the world around him was no longer absolute, and he could see faint outlines; which soon became clearer and clearer to him with each passing breath. He did not feel like breathing either. This was a strange place. Was he in limbo? Or was it called Purgatory? He was not too good with religion, nor too much of a sinner. Maybe this was it for him? He regretted not going to church on all the occasions. But there was no point in regretting it now. He was already here, and, thankfully, he still got the cleaver with him, though what purpose could it serve he had no idea. Still he clutched onto it.
Soon, he could begin to look around.
There were massive forms around him, some close and some in the distance. He could see island like things, with tendrils coming out of them, moving and swimming in the primeval space. He could see faint lights outlining the grotesque shapes sometimes, and some shimmering lights moving in flocks. Far away from him, he could see a tall structure that looked kind of like a house, and there were lights in it. But the nature of the structure was too unhuman like and uncanny. The light was strange and somehow, deep down, he felt that light belonged to this world. He waited. He could see the tall structure that looked like a house on a cliff to be slowly swaying, moving, extending and retracting tentacles! He thanked himself for now going that way. He looked around, and saw many more leviathans of this space, moving in their own pace, oblivious to the insignificant fact of the existence of Kendall.
At that moment, he felt a strange sensation, like a wave of uncomfortableness, from a pulsating energy that washed over him. Looking at the source of this strange pulse, he could see another light towards his front, below him. This one did not fit the rest of the world. There was a most bizarre, grotesque treelike growth that grew into it from a floating Island like structure. The top of the bizarre outgrowth went into the light, and the growth itself was strangely glowing in places, throbbing. There were some things protruding out from the growth that made Kendall very unnaturally uncomfortable, with a sense of unwanted familiarity. Some of them seemed to be moving. Kendall tried to push the idea aside, but the outgrowths still reminded him of human limbs. He did not have any wish to go closer to the accursed growth and check if his fear was true. He wanted a way out first, if there was even one. There was nothing in sight.
The strange energy the growth seemed to be teeming with was still coming out from it in pulses relentlessly. Waves of awkward feelings washed over Kendall every time the growth throbbed and glowed.
Kendall floated in the strange darkness for unknown amount of time, if that word had any meaning left. He saw many things, and wished he did not. His mind was slowly going numb, with a sense of calm slowly coming over him. The leviathans that paid no attention to him, and the great floating islands all seemed to be part of a natural world; a world far older and primal to the world of man. There was no hunger in him, no thirst and no need to breath either. Only uncomfortable feeling was the pulses of energy that the throbbing growth was sending out.
Chapter 13
Sir Houston walked to the dishwashing place, where the drainwater goes into the pits in the garden. He carefully walked past the scattered dishes that seemed to have been thrown around by a whirlwind. It was then he felt being watched again. He heard a splashing sound from his back, and he heard the lid of the tub where the servants keep the water for washing, shifting over the tank. He instinctively ran a few paces, and then turned around to have a glimpse of what it was.
It was a human head that was emerging from the water. Hairs all fallen over the face, covering whatever grotesque figure could be hiding underneath those dark wet strands. It emerged unsteadily from the water, like a corpse reanimated by some hideous magic, its pale fingers clasping at the edge of the tub as it drew itself up from the depths of water where it must have laid dead.
Sir Houston had seen enough and was about to turn around and run, when he heard a female voice. “Sire! Stop! Help!”
Now, it is most shameful for a knight to be running away from a distressed lady, even for the most money minded ones. Sir Houston turned back again and saw that it was indeed a girl.
Her raven hair, wet from the water of the tub hung in unkempt strands over her fair face, which was peeking out from the locks. Weak from exhaustion, she struggled to get up from the tub, as her delicate fingers clasped at the edge, pale from being under the water for long.
She called out again:”Sire! Please do not go! Help!”
He ran to her.
“What happened, lady? Who are you?”
“Sire, I am Marie, a maid of yours.”She said, putting away the hairs covering the face.
Now Sir Houston could see her. Indeed it was plain old Marie, whom he have seen countless times but never paid much attention to how she looks; since his future plans did not involve a maid, and nor he was interested in the mess of affairs and illegitimate children, a costly and wasteful way, not to mention unsuitable for someone seeking a connection with the great houses.
“I could not see your face there.” He said, a bit embarrassed to be so courteous to his maid.”Where is Loudy? Where is everyone?”
“Gone! Sire, all gone!”She cried, staggering on her feet as she tried to maintain balance.
Houston held her from falling.
“Gone? Where?” He asked.
“It has taken them.” She shivered. “It is still here. We must escape!”
“What do you mean?”
“There is a monster sire! A demon perhaps which can not be seen! ”She looked around fearfully. ”It makes the sound of water when it is around sire! It has killed everyone. I barely escaped as I hid in here.”
It was a ridiculous thing to hear. But it was true that everyone was missing. She must have been tricked by whoever that may have taken over the mansion, and the assailants may not have checked the tub, he thought. Or, she might be one of them, who might be trying to trick him?
Sir Houston passed a quick glance over her body, the clothes all wet and sticking closely to her figure. He had touched her when he was helping her o
ut from the tub, and he did not see or feel any weapon. Nevertheless, even if she would be feigning her weakness, at most she could have a dagger, which would suicidal of her to use against an armed knight, and it would be silly for whoever the enemy is to hide a woman in a tub to try kill him. An arrow, or quickly outnumbering him could be much more effective. He brushed the seed of doubt aside and said. ”Whatever it is, we must escape and get help.”
“But sire, Allissi is still in the mansion!”
“Who again?”
“Allissi, sire; a child maid.” Marie said.
“We can not go look for her now.” Sir Houston said.
“But sire she would be all alone!” Marie said. ”The monster sire, she knows about it! We need her sire, please help me find her!”
“We will have to get help first. We can not do much on our own. ”Sir Houston said sternly.”We will have to go to the village first. Then we will return to the mansion.”
“Yes, sire..maybe that is most proper.” She said. ”We will have to make haste then.”
Sir Houston took her with him, and unlocked the door with the keys he had with him. Then they ran through the garden to the front gate, but Sir Houston stopped short before they could proceed any further.
Houston stopped behind a tree. Marie did not notice it and was going forward. He gestured her to stop.
There were people before the gate, trying to open the lock. They were mostly locals wearing ordinary dresses, but there were a few odd figures that wore strange costumes, adorned by animal bones and staghorns, and things he could not make out from afar in the evening light; even though many of them carried lamps and torches. A lot of them wore peculiar masks. He thanked himself for locking the gate back up. He gestured Marie to stay silent.
Slowly they backed out. Sir Houston was looking for some raised ground or a tree to climb out and escape the compound, when he saw someone unexpected.
Loudy. He was coming out from the same exit they came. He wore no armor, but was still carrying his sword. His cloth was all drenched in some pungent liquid, his wet hair stuck to his balding scalp and forehead.
“Loudy! Thank goodness!”Houston cried in a hushed tone from behind a bush.”Come here!”
“Sire! I am so glad to see you here.”Loudy said.
“What is going on?”Houston said.”Where is everyone?”
“Gone, I suppose.”Loudy said, looking at Marie.”Or fled away from it.”
“Everyone could have lived if you did not lock us up, and let us escape while there was time.”Marie lashed out.”This is all your fault! Admit it to sire.”
“I did what I was supposed to, maid.”Loudy said.”Do not accuse me of my loyalty to my master.”
“Forget your feuds now.”Sir Houston waved his hand.”What is “it” that you mean?”
“There is..er..a monster sire, some sort of demon I suppose.”Loudy said.
“Which you never admitted when we were telling you.”Marie said, scornfully.
“Know your place, maid!”Loudy frowned.
“Leave her alone, Loudy! She has been through a lot.”Sir Houston said.”But you too think that it is a monster? Do not be silly! I think it may be some enemy of mine trying to trick us and kill us.”
“I do not think that is the case, sire. Not anymore.”Loudy said, shaking his head.
“Nevermind, in any case we must escape now and call for help. There are people at the gate, so we will have to find another way.”
“I am aware of the bastards trying to break in, sire. But I say sire, it is indeed a monster and we must deal with it first. We still have time before they can come in, and you must come with me to be safe.” Loudy said.
“Should not we escape the compound? That seems most sensible.”Sir Houston said.
“There is no escape sire! They are everywhere.”Loudy said.”If we defeat the monster, everything will be fine. I have found a way. Please sire, come with me.”
“My lord, we must go and get help from the village first.”Marie said.
“Sire, the villagers are against us.”Loudy said.”We will meet certain death if we go there. Trust me, I know what I am doing.”
“As you say, Loudy.”Houston sighed.”I am trusting you when you are saying it with such confidence. Come, Marie.”
They went into the mansion, now slowly being submerged in darkness, except a few lamps that had been lit by the servants earlier. Loudy was leading them through the dark halls. Houston took position in the rear with his weapons ready for anything, Marie walked between two men, looking here and there and trying to listen keenly to any sound.
They went straight to the kitchen. Loudy picked up a lamp and gave one to Marie.
“Where are we going?”
“To the cellar.”Loudy said.
Marie was hesitant to step in the dark place with only one entrance, and neither Sir Houston liked the idea, but Loudy assured them that it was safe, and it was the only place that was safe. Sir Houston chose to trust him, and they went into the dark chamber.
Chapter 14
Kendall saw the grotesque growth bulge up at places for some time, as he cautiously drifted closer and closer. It seemed new materials were added to the mass, seemingly passing down from the upper end of the growth that was protruding away from the light. To his dismay, now Kendall was quite sure that the things protruding out from the growth were human limbs. He knew where they might have come from. With some courage, he came closer to the growth, apparently being sure that the growth was incapable of moving on its own. Indeed, he was right. There were familiar features in the melting shapes that had already merged or were merging in the growth; caricatures of faces Kendall had known once. Fragments of clothes, weapons that the desperate ones had tried to use, all were embedded in the repulsive mass. The sunken sockets on the faces of unfortunate victims were either empty or contained white globes that once were eyes. He almost cried out in horror even though he was expecting this to be the case. Some of the limbs reached out to him in most unhumanly manner, trying to grasp him. Kendall moved away, instinctively tightening his grip on the cleaver. But he did not want to give up on them. He hesitantly grabbed a limb, and pulled, but the limb itself seemed to be attached to the growth itself. There was no sign of a body that could be taken out by pulling the limb; at least, not anymore.
Another limb simply came off the growth as Kendall tried pulling it. It floated in the gravityless darkness, floating away from Kendall and the growth, strangely still animated and seemingly freely swimming away in a manner close to the waterbugs that move their limbs in jerky motions.
Kendall was about to move away, when he saw a limb beaconing him.
He swam to it, and saw it belonged to the Rhett, the champion soldier of Sir Houston. His face was still somewhat intact, along with his upper body, and his muscular right arm was hanging free from the growth, with which he had beaconed him. He opened his mouth, and with intense willpower, he opened it and said
“Ke…Ke..Kendall!”
“Rhett! Thank goodness.”Kendall cried out.”I will free you from this!”
“No..Stop…I am already consumed…almost….I can feel it…”
“Wont keep you like this to be eaten by this demon tree.” Kendall still cut around him with the cleaver, trying to free him.
“It was Loudy, Kendall..”Rhett clenched his teeth..”It was him all along. He knew! He let this happen.”
Kendall paused a moment.”Why? Why would he do that?” He kept busy cutting Rhett out.
“Do not know. He set if off onto us.”Rhett said.“But you are wasting time. It is coming. You must escape.”
“What do you mean? What is coming? Escape through where?”Kendall could not find any more human parts, and was almost done cutting out the head and one limb of Rhett that were still together with part of his torso. To much dismay of Kendall, rest of Rhett’s body was lost in a unidentifiable mess of alien tissues and human flesh. His lungs were still moving, and his gut spilled out, all
joined and mangled into a raw pedicle that Kendall had cut out of the flesh with the excellent cleaver. If he were not a chef that regularly saw spilled guts and severed limbs, he might have fainted or outright vomited from the repulsiveness. Then again, this darkness puts a strange calm on the mind. It was harder to shake him anymore. He remembered the severed arm, and kept at what he was doing.
“That is coming.”Rhett pointed out to the back of Kendall.”This thing is calling out to it’s master for long. You must escape now, and stop this.”
Kendall looked to his back, and in spite of the calm of the darkness, a shiver went down his spine. The other leviathans and islandlike monstrosities were all already floating away from this direction, and he could see why. There was something heaving to this direction; something vast and bizzarre, some shambling unbelievable shapes that were still obscure, but clear enough to send any sane mind beyond the tipping point.
“What is that? What in the heavens is that?”Kendall cried out.
“That is “it”. The parent…the horrid source of all these things.” Rhett sighed.”I knew it was coming when I was part of this “root”..part of this mess.”
“Root?”
“Yes, a root.”Rhett said, pointing at the twisted and gnarly alien mass Kendall was cutting him out from. “This mess, this tree-like growth of stolen human parts, is a “root”, a spawn of the that unthinkable horror that is approaching us in the horizon. The “root’s” purpose is just to call its parent, out here, to the gate to our world.”
“How did you know?”
“ “I” have known “our” purpose..when I was part of the “root”.” Rhett pointed to the growth to which he was now barely attached with a pedicle, where the remains of his spine merged with the otherworldly tissues. Alien tendrils from both the underside of his mangled leftover of a body and the raw surface of the grotesque outgrowth tried to reach out to each other in vain.
Blackrift Gate Page 6