Alma’s gaze snapped over in the direction of the sound, trying to scan for its source. She quickly noticed that Qu’l-Nia was no longer standing in the same spot she’d been for the past several hours.
“Oy,” called Hwalín. “The fuck was that?”
“I don’t know. It sounded like a gun… but weird?” replied the markswoman. “And way more echoey than usual? I can’t explain it.”
“Well, I’m definitely not just gonna wait and find out. Get your gun and let’s haul ass!”
“Right.” Alma grabbed hold of her rifle and ran in the direction of the trees alongside Hwalín.
It wasn’t long before they ran into Qu’l-Nia and Derleth both in the middle of a serious situation. On the ground between them was what seemed to be a large pile of rotted meat. As Alma neared closer, she was able to identify the mass as those perverse worm creatures she had seen earlier. All dead.
“They broke through?” asked Qu’l-Nia with an all too familiar look of concern in her eyes. “How can that be? The boundary was reinforced, was it not? Exactly how long had they been picking off bits and pieces of your barrier, Derleth?”
“Many years now. However, they should not have come anywhere close to breaking through. It seems your presence had caused some sort of disturbance in the barrier's energies.” Derleth’s tone turned gruff. “I knew that permitting you entrance would prove to be a mistake, but since you are here you may as well assist me in reinstalling the barrier.”
“Wait,” called Alma. “Q? What are these things? I saw them by the entrance when we were coming in. You said they broke the barrier? I’m sorry. If I knew they were gonna cause trouble, I would’ve said something about them.”
“You can perceive them, then.” Derleth glanced over at Alma. “In that case, I might have a task for you.”
“Hold on, hold on. Before I do any cleaning up which is what I assume you’re about to ask me, I want to know what the fuck these things are! I’m tired of seeing all this creepy shit without ever learning anything about them. What are they and why are they trying to get to you?”
“They’re parasites,” stated Derleth. “Plain and simple. They erode the barrier by absorbing its energies through contact, even if they sacrifice themselves in the process. Mere tools to break open my protection to have a chance to strike at me. They’ve always been no more than a nuisance—until now.”
“Who is it that is after you?” asked Qu’l-Nia. “Who even has the wherewithal to locate you, much less have even the power to oppose you? This could not possibly be a normal foe.”
“Do you recall your earlier inquiry into the gravitational disturbances? The ones responsible for this and much else are the Knights of the Lost Star.”
“The what?” asked the bewildered ex-soldier. “That name alone sounds nuts.”
“Sounds like an association of some sort,” noted Hwalín. “Like my boys back home. Though this ain't like any kind I've ever heard of.”
“The Knights of the Lost Star…” Qu'l-Nia rested a finger on her chin. She seemed as perplexed as the other two. “What manner of faction is this? And how have they come by so much power? I am afraid I am not too acquainted with the politics of this planet.”
“They are an insidious cult operating as an underground religious order,” explained Derleth. “These knights have carried out numerous acts in the name of their lost home. They delusionally believe that their spirits are that of forcibly outcast dwellers of their star, who were punished and sentenced here by their enemy. It is unknown even to me for how long they have operated, as they have kept themselves hidden for quite possibly a millennia or more. I have also come to believe that the lost star they represent is that of the Dirge Star.”
“Carthexi?! No, it cannot be. How would they even know of such a thing? Unless…”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“And now what’s a Carthexi?” Alma only grew more confused. “It sure doesn’t sound like a good thing. And I really don’t like how it’s making you both uneasy. I swear I’ve heard that name somewhere before…”
“That is impossible, Alma. Carthexi is a daemonic star that resides in the realms of deep space outside of the physical world. A star that should have been long dead if not kept alight by the burning souls of the eldritch. The flying beings that orbit the star are arbiters of chaos and worship an Outer One of immense power.”
“That’s the, like, third time I’ve heard you guys talk about Outer Ones. Is that what you guys call yourselves?” Alma chuckled inappropriately. “You nerds.”
“It is a very old term and simply the best way to describe them as. The interplanetary beings of your universe that hold godlike power are typically known as the Old Ones, for they have mastered the secrets and mechanics within. We are known as Elder Ones, for we have lived near eternal lives, having grown beyond the limits that time and space have placed on us and have learned how to comprehend the metaphysical at large. Outer Ones are extremely ancient beings outside of thought and existence whispered throughout the deepest edges of The Real. They are beings of unimaginable power and are even as gods to us. These are simple classifications however, and there are many things out there still unknown to us. Collectively, we are the Egovoid.”
“Wait!” Alma turned to Derleth. “You mentioned an Outer One’s monomyth during your crazy ranting earlier. Were you… Were you talking about me?”
“Yes. The power radiating from you has been… hard to understand. It is unlike anything I have felt before. Perceiving the world beyond is already a strangely powerful ability, albeit a nondescript one. What else is it you are able to do?”
“Ah, right. I’d been meaning to tell you about it. I can make portals. To other places. Though I haven’t been able to do it since we stepped in here.” Alma, despite her words, pointed her finger forward and attempted to open another one—this time successfully.
“Close it!” Derleth roared, shaking the trees around them.
Alma jumped, and immediately did as she was told. “I’m sorry!”
“You know not of the dangers you could bring in to this space by opening a gateway to the outside. That is quite the ability, indeed. And just how far does its range extend? A few yards? Several miles?”
“It goes pretty far. I just think of a place I’ve seen or been to before and I can open a portal there—”
“It can travel to other universes,” interrupted the eldritch woman.
“If there were any doubts as to whether this othering comes from an Outer One, they can be put to rest now. That is a frighteningly incomparable power.”
“So it’s true…?” Alma had an expression of worry. The mixed feelings were written all over her face. “Some thing out there caused this to happen to me? It’s his fault I’m like this? I can’t believe this. One of you assholes turned me into a freak!”
“Alma,” Qu’l-Nia gently placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “We are going to do our best to try to figure this out—"
“Don’t touch me!” Alma pulled away, swatting the eldritch woman’s hand away as if it were some pest. She looked up to the sky at nothing in particular, searching the clouds for some kind of answer. She could feel her voice wanting to scream in anger. She yelled at the top of her lungs while waving her rifle around recklessly. “HEY! YOU OUT THERE! I’VE FELT YOU WATCHING ME! I KNOW NOW WHAT YOU DID TO ME! IF I EVER FIND YOU—AND I WILL—I’M PUTTING A BULLET STRAIGHT BETWEEN YOUR EYES!”
“Enough!” Derleth commanded. “Even were it to hear you, it would not show itself to you just like that. Believe me when I say it is not something you should ever wish for.”
“Derleth is correct, Alma. Outer Ones are ceaseless, mindless beings who care not for the natural order of things. You childlings would deem them malevolent in your eyes for they do not even see you.”
“You’re gonna scare the poor girl, Nia.” Hwalín stepped behind Alma and rubbed her shoulders, in an effort to relax her stiffening back. The sniper did not react.
“It’s been watching me, Hwal.” Alma stared at the dirty slush of snow at her feet. She no longer had the energy to lift her head. “I swear it has. Every now and then it’s felt like there’s been someone watching me ever since my powers started growing. I thought I was being paranoid, but the feeling’s just gotten worse. I swear I’ve felt it even in my dreams, as impossible as that sounds. I know I shouldn’t let myself, but I’m… I’m scared. This is beyond anything I’ve ever dealt with before. It’s not like I can just point a gun and shoot this problem away. At least not if I point it outward.”
“That’s enough of that talk, mate. You’re a tough gal. Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve always had that fighting spirit in you. You ain’t gonna lose this fight. And you’re definitely not going it alone.” Hwalín spun the young girl around and squeezed her shoulders encouragingly. “Alma. I know we’re asking a lot of you right now, but you’ve got to stay strong. I believe in you. And I know Nia does too. We’re gonna fight this thing. We’re gonna save your sister. And we’re gonna save the godsdamned world.”
Alma raised her head and looked into Hwalín’s smoldering red eyes, not saying a word. Finally, as if she had found the answer she was looking for, she smiled. The sniper grasped her rifle in both hands with a newfound confidence that appeared almost like magic and grinned. “I’ll go down fighting if I have to.”