With the strange elf leaving toward one end of the carriage, the two girls were left speechless. The glee of the night, cold and soft, was washing over them, yet their heart couldn’t stop beating wildly. As for the old man, he was crying over the death of an innocent kid who had drowned.

The first to move was Hoomaikai. Her mind was burning up with a sort of strangling worry; a foreboding of the hell to come. She went as fast as her body allowed to help anyone in need. “So many…”

It was simply impossible for her to help everyone, forcing her to focus on only a few people. It was hard on her mental health to have to ignore an old lady with a bleeding arm to push someone crushing another person. She begged Tsuki, who hadn’t moved much since the beginning. The girl was only clutching her head in her hands.

“Get up!” finally said Hoomaikai.

Tsuki looked up with difficulty, her palms covered in blood as she cried dark-red tears. Hoomaikai didn’t panic when seeing this and instead ripped part of her clothing which she poured water over and then used to clean the girl’s eyes. “There. There. It’s fine. It’s fine.” Once she was done, she used another clean piece of cloth and using her teeth and the only hand available, tied it around the girl’s eyes. “Get up,” she said again.

The girl did so with pain yet still managed to. She kept close to Hoomaikai, holding on to her sleeve without any arm inside until they were in front of Paundraka’s body. “You,” said Hoomaikai in a whisper. “Get to work. Even if they all wake up, we won’t be able to leave until it’s all carved up. You, you know how to do it, right?”

The now blind girl simply nodded her head and moved toward the carcass. Some work had been done by an experienced hunter and butcher, but a beast of this size was way too different that no one really knew where to start. The part usually able to fit in someone's palm such as the tenderloin was now the size of a full-grown man. Preservation and transportation were a must, yet doing so would create losses. What were they to do with the bones, the fat, the tendons, veins, organs…

Also, because of the beast's size, its blood couldn’t be easily drained and so, as people worked on carving the beast, blood would poll up around them and cause a sort of sticky mud to be created. This in turn would attract predators and put the people working in danger. As such, people started working from the side until the rib cage was visible. But an issue became apparent. What were they going to do about the organs and how should they get them out? More and more questions that those working ignore as everyone around them were in a festive mood. Scraping a bit of flesh on the side to douse their hunger was the best they could come up with.

It was a complete mess. An insult to the deceased. Poor Paundraka’s soul ought to be rolling in angst while seeing everything happening to him. The very few who understood this imagined the beast begging to take control of their body and do a good job.

The blinded girl pulled out her dagger without saying a word and started to work on separating the meat from the fat, from the skin, and from the bones. She felt what she was doing by brushing a hand over the sticky and wet flesh.

Hoomaikai looked at the girl while feeling as if a clamp was tightening on her heart. She had known for a long time that Tsuki rarely dreamed of anything… Yet seeing the reason in front of her like this didn’t feel right to her. She knew Tsuki very well for having to take care of her for a long time.

She glanced one last time at the thing following her order with an expert hand and then left, not wanting to see more than this. She was heading to the front of the carriage, there the dark giant, which was with the elf, was looking far to the north where snowy mountains piercing the clouds could barely be seen.

⧻

tick tock tick tock…

Vergeltung woke up to the sound of an old clock that was nowhere to be seen. His back was cold from laying on the ground floor and he got up while his body cracked and groaned. His paws helping to prop himself up felt the cold smooth surface below him which caused a sense of discordance with the last memory he had.

He looked down below him, the floor that should have either been dirt, wood, or clay, was instead a smooth surface of shiny lapis lazuli. His mind reacted violently at the sight of the ephemeral blue which should have never been near him in the first place.

He got up with his flaming rod burning bright flame which made the floor shine like gems as far away as the cat’s eyes could see. He realized he was inside a room which its walls were so far away that he couldn’t see them.

In shock, he dropped his rod, producing a ringing echo in this lonesome place. His thought first led him to believe that he was dead. Maybe someone clobbered him on the back of the head a bit too hard – it wouldn’t be the first time… or so he would like to say since his story never showed him being hit and simply hinted at it. Would that be his first time or his second then…

Vergeltung chased this thought away; now wasn’t the time. He had to understand his situation and get back where he was.

So, the cat began running in a random direction until a wall came into sight. It was odd how he could see in this room lacking any light and it was even stranger how the roof above him didn’t crumble from a lack of support. Adding to the mystery was the writing on the wall made from many straight cuts. Obviously, Vergeltung had no clue what was inscribed, only that there were no doors in sight which made him despair a little bit.

Left or right, he didn’t know. He simply took a random side to run along the wall. Nothing, nothing, and nothing. No matter how long he ran, he simply couldn’t find a door. He was stuck inside a prison of shimmering blue.

He turned round and round while feeling his body tired. The fear and anger were soon replaced by sadness and despair. He was sure of it, just a moment ago, he was playing with a few kids who had lost their parents. They were strong and this made him wonder if they were more mature than himself. Even now, there was a fire bubbling in his heart because of the death of his family which he doubted ever really knowing.

He would have liked to be like them, able to still smile… or maybe they were just faking it like he was.

The cat had walked in a circle and thus decided to go back to where he came from. For him, this was relatively simple. The few strands of fur making a path was all that he needed… the only thing was that following this path made Vergeltung think he was turning bald… “I still have time, right? I’m not that old, right? Just how old am I even…”

After some time, he was back to where he started. He would have liked to say there was nothing but the stone below him was slightly darker than everywhere else. It was only a slight difference that only became obvious after seeing the rest of the room.

“The ground, it’s a bit uneven,” said the cat who brushed his paw over the cold floor. It was a little bit rugged, and some parts sank for less than a millimeter. It was as if the place he was standing had been trod upon by many people before him to the point of eroding the ground.

Someone had to have been in this room before him. And if he couldn’t find a trace of them, be it them as a whole or as a corpse, it simply meant that there was a way to escape the strange room.

The cat took a cigarette which he lit with his burning rod. He breathed in the smoke which sat in his lungs like soft pillows calming his mind and then breathed the smoke out. It slowly rose like a departing ghost that dissipated in the air. There was nothing: no wind, no difference in gas, no opening in the roof, and no aeration.

Then, the cat pulled out from his ruined trench coat a flintlock pistol. It wasn’t functional at all, but such advanced weaponry did exist as artifacts from a bygone war that ravaged a planet everyone was able to see in the night sky. Tsuki had glanced at this planet when waking up in this unfamiliar world. Those trying to uncover the history of their world had all concluded that they were survivors of whatever cataclysm destroyed their home world.

Still, even if the gun in Vergeltung's hand couldn’t hurt a baby, it still produced shattering sounds. The cat looked at this weapon tenderly as it was his daughter and wife who gifted it to him… but the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was impossible. The three of them were poor and none of them were written to be thieves or able to obtain something as expensive.

“That bastard creator… he only wanted my story to sell better with young boys. ‘Fighting crime with the blast of his gun, the legendary detective now shadows the spies of the dark lord!’ no wonder it was a flop…” This story had been his last and never managed to conclude. It was published alongside the author's main story which was about the hero fighting said dark lord. Most people ignored Vergeltung’s story as papers were expensive.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Vergeltung with his gun in hand, shot toward the roof and listened carefully at the echo produced. What he called the north came first, then the south followed closely by the west. As for the east, an echo never came back.

He went in this direction while dragging the burning rod on the ground such that it left a straight line. Nearly a few meters in, a screeching sound came from the opposite direction. His instinct told him to run and so did he. He only glanced behind him and saw a cloud of dust spreading while hugging the roof. Whatever it was, came because of the sound he had made.

Dusty claws tried to grab him which he wrestled against for dear life. He swung the rod around which managed to scare the strange dust away from him. But as he was dealing with one side, a dusty claw came from another and lifted him. In response, Vergeltung let all his anger rise back from its depth which caused his weapon to burn bright like a staff molded from the sun itself. The dust completely cleared up around him and formed a dome with scary bestial apparitions lurking out of it.

Getting up after being dropped heavily on the ground, Vergeltung screamed while swinging the staff, “Away! Away beast!”

They didn’t go away and instead tried to get closer. Lashing, slashing, screeching, biting, growling, hissing: they made their presence clear and their intent obvious.

The poor cat kept walking in this kind of sandstorm while feeling his paws melting from the heat. Pain was no longer an issue – he didn’t feel it anymore – it was just a question of keeping the staff in his grip.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he found an odd golden clock ticking and tocking with a random frequency. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do but nonetheless started tinkering with the clock. He opened it and found its inside was made from strange living metal. They looked like liquid that reflected brightly the light from his staff, yet they were solid with his claws not even able to leave a mark on them.

Again, he used the staff to heat those strange metals. Some reacted by becoming more rigid while others became softer and malleable. Using this, he changed the inside of the clock until it worked perfectly. While he was working, the beans of his paws had become golden with patches of fur growing back like gold threads with an azure tip.

Dong Dong Dong

This was the sound of a bell reverberating inside the room which caused the dust to flee. The clock then melted into the ground and in its place was now a stairway leading down. Vergeltung went inside not wanting to stay a second more inside this room that had no doubt caused the death of many. This wasn’t a dream; the pain was too real to be one…

He kept descending the spiraling stairs until he could see the stars around him. Those stairs seemed to be made from glass as he could see all around him. Above was the peak of a mountain which he most likely came from. Looking more at what was around the mountain shocked him for he recognized what it was. With lone plains made of dust and ash, the landscape he was looking upon was the distant planet he could always see in the sky.

A dead planet whose raging clouds engulfed it while giving it a degrading aspect. But now, as close as he was to it, he could see with his own eyes the beast of old fighting one another. He felt nauseated looking at it and thus glanced down at where he was going… It was the planet he was on a moment ago. Or more aptly, a circular plate attached to odd mechanical rings all going inside a miniature star producing the heat coming from the earth's crust. Large antennas went far in the distance which the cat couldn’t see the end of.

This sight simply broke whatever he thought of the world until now. The thing he thought was a planet was in truth an ark created by those escaping the planet of dust above him.

The ark was so small when comparing it with the dead planet. So much that it felt lonely to look at. If one of those beasts residing in the dust was to attack the ark, it would be able to gobble it up in one go…

Shaking, the small cat kept climbing down. Each stair made him move multiple kilometers and the feature of the ark became more prominent. In the center was a large body of black liquid, almost in the shape of an eye. The sea of void which people imagine had a lone island filled with riches in the middle. How many people navigated this inky sea only to never return? ‘They found the island, it was better than what they had, they stayed’ or so was what people said when fathers never returned.

The cat turned his eyes from the sea which had no such land mass… He simply couldn't stomach all those empty dreams going into this hopeless void.

To the north of it resided tall mountains with clay spires reaching the cloud of which a large beast floated above. Like a ray with long feathers, it danced calmly in a sea of white while singing of a bygone pass. Its large body was constantly degrading into a thin layer of dust which mixed with the cloud…

Vergeltung could see everything. From large palaces of glass in the east to misty forests in the south… He looked on at everything to be imprinted with this sight no one could dream of.

The mechanical parts working tirelessly to hide the truth of this world all felt so lonely to the cat. They were rusted and degraded beyond repair. How long would they last, and would they take the world living above in their own demise when the time comes…

Vergeltung began to walk again. Little phoenix started flying with him as if encouraging him. He didn’t ask where they came from and simply walked…

His destination was getting closer, a snowy mountain peak people used to call the golden throne. It was the exact peak the abominations of Change were. Once they spotted the cat descending from space, they immediately flew to him only to be stopped by invisible walls surrounding the spiraling stairway.

They lashed, slashed, screeched, bit, growled, hissed, and changed into all kinds of disturbing abominations. As if they managed to enter the cat’s brain, they changed themselves into the two he loved the most. “Dear, come, come. Come see us, it’s so warm here.”, “Daddy!~ Loooook! Mommy made something tasty. Let’s all go eat.”

A heat like no other started to emerge from the small cat which continued to walk. The monstrosities melted their bodies while screaming in pain to hurt the animal as much as they could. Yet, he walked right past them while continually increasing the heat surrounding him to the point that even those monsters were starting to feel some kind of pain.

Some people observing the sky at this time called this event the descent of the god of light… not that they were too far off…

⧻

Vergeltung had finally reached the end of the staircase which entered the snowy mountain and went into a chamber made from lapis lazuli like the last; only that the ground was barely damaged with no one reaching this place.

The cat looked around himself only to be welcomed by a torrent of water. The pressure pushed him to the ground and confused, he tried to lash out.

“Calm down, brother,” said a warm voice. The cat looked on and saw a small stout man whose hair and beard created a powerful mane. “Have you cooled down, brother?”

The strange man offered a hand to the cat who only took it out of confusion. But when the two touched one another, the man’s hand started burning which he retracted while screaming in pain. “MORE WATER!!!”

This time, it was like a waterfall fell on the poor cat as he noticed a giant made of gold pouring a seemingly bottomless pitcher of water. The water sizzled on contact with the cat as dense vapor formed and forced the stout man to escape. Only the giant remained in this burning hell.

It had the body of a man, yet the head of a bird. Its eyes were focused and resolute. The more this treatment went on, the better Vergeltung started to feel. His mind which was racing left and right started to slow down and became more logical. Looking at the bird’s eyes, the cat started to calm his heart which pleased the giant.

It took some time, but the cat returned to normal. Only then did the man with a mane come back. He was about to help the cat get back up again but fear rose in his mind which made him hesitate. Instead, it was the giant who took the cat in his palm to set him back straight on his feet. The cat was surprised at how warm the giant was. It was like the sun.

“Ha, brother! How are you feeling now?” said the man.

“Who are you guys? And… just what is happening?” responded the cat.

The giant and the man looked at one another before stating, “Me, call me Bes the best! That guy is an old friend of mine. The two of us have observed you since the day you appeared.”

The giant got on a knee in front of the cat such that his chest was arching above him and then thrust his hand into his own chest. Burning blood fell on the cat as he could only watch in horror at what was happening.

“We came to a conclusion. We wanted to give you something, we both have high hope for you. You better not disappoint us,” said Bes.

The giant then ripped his own heart which he gifted to the cat. Disturbed, he looked down at what he had in his hands. It wasn’t the heart of a moment ago, but a baby instead. Around it was the skin of a cheetah.

The giant delicately drew an ankh over the baby’s chest and whispered in a thousand languages at once, “Mafdet”

The cat was frozen in shock and could only allow everything to happen. Bes then tried to say something along a goodbye to Vergeltung but was silenced by the giant. This time, the golden being took out his left eye and placed it atop the cat’s burning staff.

Bes looked at the giant with confusion, but no explanation came back. He followed by giving orders to the cat, “Do not disappoint us. You will come back once the child is old enough and you will be rewarded for your accomplishments. Never again be affected by such haughty spells that put you to sleep. People need your help. Fight for them, ho brother of mine.”

When the man was done talking, the cat's surroundings changed. He was back where he fell asleep. For a moment, he thought it might have been a dream… but then small cries came from something he was holding in his arms. It was the baby, and it was hungry.

A small tear rolled down the cat’s eyes: it was the first time he ever truly held a baby. It was warm. So warm… “Mafdet,” he whispered in a singular language that everyone could understand.

At that time, Vergeltung would have never guessed this kid he was about to educate would become a hero. A hero whose world would resonate at a crucial juncture:

“Ought I kill he which blood entails providence? This naught the hunter in mind: Sirius this one is. A canine to serve distant forces – where are thy filial allegiance, my lord? Oh, your father, away, this parched land of old, ought to regret ever birthing you. No choice, I can but rend my eyes for even the snake came to cry your act. This, my father, I remember his warmth; nevermore a hint of it you shall have! Here is the Sha… the one that shall dismember you. I beg that your screams remain silent.

Oh, great Astarte, am I doing right for the world?”

*

Gupta’s report of the week.

All action ceased. Beasts that were in hiding when Paundraka was still alive are coming out. Gupta isn’t able to face them and can only hide. The salt is useful only for the sludge-based monster, but some creatures are attracted by it which put Gupta in danger. The man managed to go deeper into the medical wing and found some tools that can be used as weapons. For now, he can only wait until the monsters are consumed by their hunger and kill one another.

Mission: reach the medical wing and make it usable. create defenses against monsters.

Resources needed: 50 units of wood. Lockpicking tools.

Research: (65->70)% sludge. 5% walls (paused).

Map explored: 8%