Blackrift Gate

by Parijat Mukherjee

  She opened more and more barrels; and Houston did the same. The cellar being lower than the rest of the house, and the entrance being at a stairs height, the ale kept accumulating on the floor.

  “Soak yourself in ale, sire!”She cried as she rolled on the ale flood floor.

  Sir Houston followed her suit.

  “Clever! Very clever, little maid! Alas, all in vain.”Loudy mocked between incantations. “Soon this world shall be cast asunder and you shall see your foolish ways.”

  Marie looked hopelessly at the madman. “We may escape if we run by the other side of the barrels sire.”

  Just as they were about to do this, there was a sound outside the entrance. People coming in, clamoring and chanting something.

  “Bastards from the village. Too late this time.”Loudy cackled.”You know sire,in fact I had set this barrier for them. I did not know you would be here, but I expected them to come.”

  A group of ragtag figures came in, with colorful masks and adornments of animal bones. Some wore deer antlers on their head. One of them at the centre was apparently very old or sick, as he was being supported by two stout masked men. The old one wore robes so big that covered him almost entirely. His mask was also the biggest, and he carried a long wooden staff on his bony hands, which seemed to be strangely discolored. The staff was topped with animal skulls. Behind him three helpers stood with large mouthed earthen pitchers. Other people seemed to be ordinary villagers, although they too were chanting in some strange tongue. They too wore masks and odd charms over their clothes. They carried torches that lit the whole cellar, except the spaces between the barrels.

  “Be gone to your world! The great shaman demands it.” The helpers behind the old man said in unison. As they said, the peculiar old man feebly, stiffly, raised his staff and put it’s end on the cellar floor. A little wave rippled over the surface of ale flooded floor to the wall where Loudy stood behind the barrier. As the wave crossed the centre of the floor, where the unseen monstrosity was moving around, hissing and writhing, there appeared an incredible turbulence in the water, as if something unseen was thrashing around in violent frenzy.

  The helpers with the earthen pots put some long wooden spoons inside their pots and flung drops of water on the centre of the ale flooded floor, where the surface was still churning around a large area, as otherworldly unseen appendages were coiling and writhing, feeling and grasping at wet surfaces, and thrashing around in agony.

  There was a deafening otherworldly scream that sent chills down the spines of Sir Houston and Marie, as the water spread by the helpers of pagan shaman reached the area. The water, or whatever they had thrown, remained stuck on the unseen body, hanging in the air, moving along the movement of invisible limbs, glowing and pulsating, as if it was burning through something.

  The invisible monstrosity now charged towards the villagers in a fury. Ale splashed everywhere, as unseen limbs and glowing spots of burning liquid dashed forward at an alarming speed.

  “Careful!”Cried the villagers. Some of them readied spears, made out of some sort of slightly luminous stone, but there was not a single twitch in the expressionless face of the peculiar old man. He raised his staff again and lowered it on the ground, this time hitting the floor, and sending out a larger ripple. The charging creature was hit by the front of the wave, and this time the alien scream was deafening. It jumped back, and stopped, only to receive another volley of the glowing liquid from the helpers of the old shaman. Now it turned and ran backwards, towards Houston and Marie who were standing between the creature and the invisible wall made by Loudy.

  Now, they could see desperate splashing of water rushing towards them. They sprang to the sides of the room, moving away from its path. Houston tensed up, keeping the sword ready, Marie almost sinking into the barrel wall. The rushing invisible mass crossed past them, without paying any attention, and smashed against the invisible barrier.

  A few of the villagers had been gesturing Marie and Houston to come to their side, but till now they could not get past the middle of the path, where the enraged invisible monster was splashing around.

  They did not waste any time, and ran back towards the pagans from the village. Houston noticed that all of them wore masks. To hide their identity from the church no doubt.

  “Calm down now, brother!”Loudy looked at the invisible, and spoke with utmost sympathy.”Just a few moments, and this world and your world shall merge. The pesky waters that bother you now shall ever dry up and these bastards shall never bother coming in the path of truth again. You need not try to come back home. Home is coming to us all.”

  The assaults did not stop from the assurance of Loudy. Unseen appendages soaked in ale smashed against the immovable barrier again and again, but the feeble rope did not move an inch.

  The old shaman, who was held up by two men till now, now moved on his own. He stood on the ale covered floor, walking stiffly, being lightly held on his arms by the helpers.

  “Why do you still bother after being dead for so long? You no longer belong to this world. Why do not you let go?” Loudy laughed.” Nevermind, you are too late this time. Even you cannot seal the gate if you cannot cross the barrier.”

  In reply, the old shaman spoke nothing, but again struck the staff on the floor, sending another ripple. The helpers with the pots sent another volley of glowing water. With another unnatural scream, the creature again smashed on the barrier in desperation. The entire cellar echoed. A few of the candles that Loudy laid down flickered once. He anxiously looked at them, and started to chant incantations. A peculiar waveform rippled out from the centre of the otherworldly gate behind him, stretching the gate even further.

  A fearful cry came up from the villagers as the wave crossed over them. Marie and Houston could feel it too, a sheer feeling of primal, unexplained discomfort. The old man suddenly seemed to go limp for a moment, but the helpers quickly caught him, and he regained balance.

  Loudy’s face filled with a vicious grin, but he did not stop chanting.

  Marie noticed that two masked men carried Allissi in their arms in the back of the crowd, and had adorned her with floral wreaths. She seemed to be sleeping.

  “What is with her being senseless? Is she okay?”Marie said, anxiously looking at the unseen being and the gate of Loudy which seemed to be stretching.

  One of the masked men removed his mask, revealing Dominik, the local servant.

  “She is sleeping, Miss Marie, for her soul is needed to be present elsewhere. She has arrived just in time to save us all, once again, for she was needed.”He said with a reverence.”The one who remained.

  “I do not understand.”Marie said.”She will wake up, right?”

  “She may, miss Marie.”Dominik said.”It all depends on if we can stop the voidmonger.”

  “Loudy?”Houston asked.

  “Yes, sire.”Dominik said.”He is one. I did not know that he was, else I would have warned the elders long ago.”

  “I do not want to be involved in your pagan matters.”Sir Houston said.”But if you solve this mess I will reward you all three…er two shilling each!”

  “If we do not solve this, sire; there shall be no shillings to give and no hands to take.”Dominik looked forward to the barrier grimly, which did not seem to budge, though the gate seemed to have grown in size.

  “What do you mean?”Sir Houston screamed.

  “Do not you understand sire?”Dominik said.”There exists another world known as the void, from which this being was brought here. Many horrors like this one live in the void. The voidmongers are people who wants this world to be merged with the that world. If that happens our world shall be no more, broken and dissolved in the Old Water it will be.”

  “I do not want to hear such nonsense.”Sir Houston said.”I think we should stop the beast at once. I have weapons in the armory, so I want you and some able bodied people from your group to stop this tomfoolery and help me slay it.”

  “It is no regular beas
t, sire. It is an Old Thing from the Old Water. It can not be slain…not with our weapons. It is an unique being that has a root remaining in the Old Water, which this monster nourishes as it hunts and prowls around.”

  “How does this root look like and how can we destroy it?”

  “We can not sire! It is not in this world! I have no idea how it looks.”Dominik said.”But it is nothing in comparison to what would come if the voidmonger succeeds. The world itself is at stake.”Dominik spoke.”And it is only through our rituals it can be stopped. If the gate is closed early, then we will succeed.”

  “The time is up for you!”Loudy cried, as the gate behind him glowed and bulged out. Something was coming in. Something big.

  “Behold the master of the world! Behold the bringer of truth and freedom! Behold the great savior!”Loudy yelled, spreading his arms beside himself, his face radiant with smile and triumph. His naked body glistened in the reddish hue of the candles, seen through the haze of the ale soaked unseen monstrosity between the pagans and his barrier.

  “We still can not break through! Even with the help of the Old thing and the One who remained behind!” One of the helpers cried.

  The old shaman now opened his mouth, and tried to speak. It was a cracked, hushed, almost inaudible voice, but there was an incredible power in it. The whole chamber seemed to resonate from the power. His feeble body was trembling, and he was held up by the helpers again. Those with the pots also joined their voices, and chanted old unknown incantations; but Loudy also kept up with his own rituals. He was clearly stressed against a sudden surge of great powers, as his veins were bulging up, and he closed his eyes tightly, seemingly in immense agony. He started to bleed from his nose, but did not stop chanting. The old shaman was not fairing well apparently, as his form seemed to be breaking down for some reason. The arms that were held up by the helpers seemed to be broken, and his stature sunk. The invisible creature was not moving much either, as it remained stuck there, throbbing and pulsating limply, caught between two enormous exchange of power.

  “The voidmonger is stalling! A few moments more and we will all be done for!”One of the helpers cried out.”Chant, and help the One who remained behind to protect us all!”

  All chanted in unison. The veins of Loudy became tense as ropes.

  “The preserved vessel of the one who remained is breaking down!”Another man who was holding up the old shaman cried out in horror. It could be seen that the body of the old man was getting disfigured, though the chants did not stop.

  “Only if I knew he was planning this! I failed my purpose! I failed to inform you all in time.” Dominik cried.

  The chamber shook as a small earthquake radiated from the gateway.

  ”What is happening?”

  “Welcome to the savior!”Loudy announced, pausing his chants for a moment.

  “It is coming! It is coming!” Fearful cries echoed among the villagers.

  Loudy laughed at the pagans, as he again kept on chanting incantations, keeping his back to the gateway.

  Just then, from the gateway, came out a man. He was yielding a butcher’s cleaver, and the moment he came out, he ferociously hacked at the junction of the neck and back of Loudy.

  Loudy turned around, shocked and surprised.

  Kendall gave him no time, and hacked at his face again. Loudy, bloodied as he was, screamed out and jumped at Kendall. But he was already too wounded and unarmed. Kendall grabbed his hair and chopped on him repeatedly, till he fell on the ground, still alive. Kendall then looked at the candles and the rope and kicked them aside. From the other side, it seemed mundane and easy; and the barrier that they could not pass through was in a moment, no more. The pungent smell, which had decreased a lot due to the barrier, now hit their smell hard.

  Everyone was so shocked from the unexpectedness of it all, they all could not say anything as it was happening.

  Marie gained the composure first. “Move aside! It is coming through!” Marie screamed, along with many other voices of warning at Kendall. It was not necessary, as Kendall could see the ale stricken haze that was standing before him, and could hear the otherworldly screams that he was already familiar with. He jumped to a side, as an unseen thing whooshed past him, crushing a leg of Loudy in the way.

  The gate undulated in the rear as it passed. But it was not closing up.

  “Time to seal the gate has arrived. “The helpers said grimly.”Revered one who remained behind, whom among us you choose to be the sacrifice for the seal?”

  “I am ready if you choose me, the One who remained behind.”Dominik said.”I failed everyone.”

  The old shaman paused a while, as his figure seemed to be shortened and crumbled, utterly disfigured. For the first time, some expression of emotion could be seen on his disfigured, shriveled face. A sinister smile, in a toothless face. He shook his head side to side. Then raised his skeletal hand, pointing his index finger at Loudy.

  “Is that even possible?”The helpers cried out.

  The old shaman nodded gently, and they took him to Loudy, who was still trying to spell incantations, desparately looking at the undulating gate, not even bothering with his wounds and the broken leg.

  “Something is wrong! Something is wrong!”He muttered.

  “Yes it is.”Kendall said.”For you.”

  “Silence!”Loudy clenched his teeth.”You have no idea what you all are losing. Let me finish what I was doing, and you shall thank me later! Do not you want to know the truth? You have no idea why I was doing it.”

  “On the contrary, I know it well what you were about to be doing.”Kendall said. “I have seen it. You just failed to know the consequences.”

  The pagans came to Loudy, and started their rituals. The helpers of the shamans took out a bone knife and started to cut the tattooed inscriptions on his skin.”

  “Sire! Sire! Help!”Loudy cried out.”I am sorry!”

  “Now, you should just give me to him.”Sir Houston said uncomfortably.”The threat is no more, so now I shall decide the fate of this betrayer in my own hands.”

  “Sorry sire, but the threat is still there as long as he lives! ”Kendal said.”Things I have seen are horrible, and it must be stopped.”

  “You are being too kind, sire.”The helpers said.”Or being influenced by him for long.”

  “I just do not want him to die through a pagan ritual.”Sir Houston said.”After all, he was a christian! Maybe he was possessed by a demon. He should not die like this.”

  “He has never been Christian, sire!”Dominik came forward.”He is a voidmonger. He also is responsible for all the deaths, all the poor souls that he sent to the Old Water. He should not get to save his, sire! He is worse than demons.”

  As they spoke, others worked fast on the ground.

  Loudy did not lose composure..

  “You know I shall return someday, dont you?”Loudy grinned as they cut on his skin over the last few inscriptions. “I wanted to free you all. I am not afraid to die. Rejoice your prison, slaves!”

  The shamans spoke no more, and started to chant.

  Loudy started screaming, as his body withered. Some other pagans started applying something like mud on his body, which soon started to dry up and become hard, like stones. As it dried, inscriptions appeared on them, patterns and adornments. His body floated up before the gateway, and millions of strings of light touched his body and the perimeter of the gate.

  More and more of Loudy turned to stone, and with it, the gate shortened into the wall. The bricks that had disappeared into the darkness in a shrunken haze, seemed to be coming back.

  Marie was standing with Houston and Kendall.

  “Good Lord!”Sir Houston cried. “The pillars!”

  “Yes sire. The pillars were once used to seal the gate. Each of them a sacrifice; willing or unwilling, used to seal the gate like him. Placed around a gate, they keep the gate sealed. As they were removed after you bought them, we were immediately concerned. That was why I was sent t
o your place to see that everything was alright.”Dominik said. “Still, the gate would not have opened if the voidmonger did not perform these rituals and sacrificed so many souls. I thought you removed the pillars cause they are pagan things, did not know he was a voidmonger. It was my fault that so many people died.”

  “Stop blaming yourself.”Kendall said.”What we have avoided was going to be far worse.”

  “Honestly, I have no will to find faults and punish anybody after what has happened. Loudy was my most trusted aide. ”Sir Houston sighed, eyeing the shrinking gateway.“What has happened was very unfortunate, but I guess we will have to just cut our losses and move on. I would not like to do anything that spreads the rumors even more. It would be best if we do not tell anyone else.”

  “At least we are alive.”Marie sighed.”But so many had died. I thought you were also gone forever, Mr Kendall.”

  “I thought so too when I was attacked. I just was more fortunate than others to be able to return.”Kendall said.

  “Where were you taken?”Marie asked, coming a bit closer to him.”How did you emerge from that wall?”

  “I will tell you everything once things settle down.”Kendall said.

  “The gate is sealed!”Cried out the shamans in unison. There was no trace of Loudy anymore, except an adorned pillar; with a figure on top where a disgruntled man somewhat in the shape of Loudy sitting on a cloud like shape.

  Only a crack remained on the wall. A very faint one, but it was there. The old shaman was carried there by the helpers, as he seemed to be too weak to stand by himself anymore. He stared at the crack for a long time, and finally nodded. The helpers and villagers sighed of relief, and started to return.

  “Do I need to know anything else about this mansion?”Sir Houston asked the receding troupe of pagans. But they did not seem inclined to talk, and were busy going back, avoiding eye contact with their lord now that they were caught performing pagan rituals.