Gate

Dusk settled in, the fading golden light dipping the valley into a harmonious purple glow. Fireflies flowed beneath the leaves of the well-kept forest, alighting the many hues of the flowers at their feet. The world is not without its beauty, after all. Gata kept the two close to his person, hand never quite leaving the handle of his knife. The tip of his cigarette glowed orange, though it was accompanied by the smell of burning rosewood rather than tar.

Cloak, as Zero had taken to thinking of them, remained enshrouded. He hadn’t seen their face, though from a rough guess, they were at his shoulder height. Gata stood a full head taller than Zero, and thrice as thick. He would have seemed much more at home weilding a broadsword or warhammer rather than a knife.

“Gata, was it?” Zero asked, trying to spark conversation. Gata gave no notion of having heard the question, continuing to walk. “Why is the town called Graveguard?” Gata continued to ignore him. Zero grimaced. It hadn’t been the most intelligent of questions to start with. “Why are we here?”

“Gurd.” Gata said, arching his back. He popped his spine, working his way up to his shoulders then down to his fingers. An easy smile rested on his lips, though none but he and the forest would know. Zero furrowed his brow in dissatisfaction. The lack of information annoyed him. Concluding he would get no more from Gata, Zero resigned himself to wait for whatever this ‘Gurd’ was. He looked back up the hill to where they had breached the mountain, seeing a light bobbing through the occasional gap in the leaves.

Night had fallen thick and fast, a shattered moon rising in the starless sky. The opaque light shone through the treetops, illuminating the ground. Shrieks and cries carried through the forest on a burning orange glow. Gata kept his leisure pace. Soon after they broke through the forests edge to overlook the town. A single stone wall many metres high surrounded a hill. The town built itself to the peak in rings. Easily defendable, Zero realised, an absolute bitch to conquer. His head pounded and he tilted woozily.

Cloak caught his arm to stop him from falling. Pale white hands with small pink nails gripped Zero’s wrist. He righted himself, catching a glimpse beneath the hood. Violet eyes shone from within. She released him and shied away. Gata kept moving, unknowing or uncaring. By the time the pair had descended the last of the hill, Gata was standing before the gates of the town, speaking with another man. Zero strained his ears to catch their conversation.

“… don’t care if it worked or not. What are we supposed to say? The bells tolled and we only got two? They’d take away your Captaincy, Captain!” The man exclaimed, throwing his arms wide. Four masks rested on his waist, fasted by a thin leather strap to a skin-tight suit of black material. “And worse yet, the forward raiding party still hasn’t returned.”

“Masks. Two.” Gata commanded, sticking out his hand.

“What?” The other man said, puzzled, “Why?”

Gata threw a thumb to the side, pointing at the approaching pair. “He’s odd. She’s normal. Masks for both. Don’t need anyone sticking their noses in.”

“They’re gonna stick their noses wherever you are, Captain.” The man replied. He did as asked however, selecting two masks. bBoth resembled painted skulls. Gata waved at Zero and Cloak with them. They were made of painted wood, strange runes were carved on the inside of the forehead.

“Wear these.” Gata said.

“What will we do about their clothes?” The other man asked, sliding a mask over his face. It resembled nothing that Zero could remember. Flakes of wood stood out at harsh angles. If you ran your hand down it, you would be cut to ribbons. Snake-like tendrils sprouted from the back of his head, coiling over his shoulders. The change continued down his neck, black suit turning to green scales with a yellow spotted underbelly. Beneath the mask, the mans eyes turned yellow, although he was no longer a man.

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A gorgon standing taller than Gata had taken his place. Black ink seeped through the gorgons skin until from neck to ankle the black suit reformed. Zero stepped back in alarm the man’s fingers turned into sharp talons. The gorgon licked the air with its forked tongue. “Thossse massksss will lasst only an hour from when I lasst touched them,” The gorgon said, “I ssugesst that we hurry. Don’t be frightened. The changess are only temporary.”

Zero continued to hold the mask at arms length. Gata massaged between his eyebrows. Without looking at him, Gata bent Zero’s outstrectched arm at the elbow, grapped the mask and forced it onto his face. Zero’s eyes watered as the mask struck his already wounded nose. The inside was warm and wet against his skin. It pulsed with sickly life as it melted through his face. He tore against the sides, finding them smooth against his skin. The lips flowed of his. He clamped his mouth closed. Black spots dotted his vision as he panicked.

Gata smacked Zero hard across the back of the head. Zero, shocked, inhaled. The mask washed his teeth with an oily film. He felt them grow long. Muscles bulged, bones splintered and reformed down his arms as they grew longer. His toes melded together becoming hoofs. A pair of rams horns grew from the sides of his head. A tuft of goatee budded on his chin.

Zero opened his mouth and bleated.

“Not my finest work,” The gorgon said appraisingly tapping his chin with a long nail, “But it will do. For now. Not many will be looking at you two anyway.”

Zero turned to look at Cloak, who had, if somehow possible, shrunk even deeper within the grey fabric. Her violet eyes glimmered at she glanced at him, a light giggle stifled from within the hood. Zero felt the ridged horns growing from the side of his head. Ridiculous, he felt, they should have been far sleeker. Why? His head ached again.

The gorgon offered one of his remaining masks to Gata. Gata stomped out a cigarrete and pushed past the gorgon. He beat his fist against the town gate, waiting for it to open. When it didn’t, he drew his hand back flat like the edge of a blade, then rammed it through the planks of wood. The gate groaned in response. He lifted the beam from the other side, letting it fall to the ground with a soft thump. Pressing his hands against the wood, he forced them open.

A man, a gorgon, a faun and a cloak walk into a town. Inhuman eyes in the courtyard beyond turned to watch the small group enter. Graveguard, as Zero had suspected, was built to be a defensive hub. Within the outer wall, there was a higher inner wall. This was not constructed of wood, but of stone and mortar. A metal portcullis guarded over the inner gate, a slitted gatehouse looming protectively over it.

Archers lazed above it, bows and quivers strung across their backs. Guards stood either side of the outer gate, their spears and swords already leveled at Gata. A humanoid with the head of a bull, covered in deep black fur stomped forwards. A large, double headed axe was strapped across his back. Leather trousers covered his legs down to his cloven feet. The grumble within his chest could be heard before it left his mouth.

“Gata. Explain.” Gurd boomed. His voice was deeper than the depths of the ocean, thrice as powerful than its crushing weight. Zero’s knees quivered. Cloak slunk behind the largest object nearby – Gata.

Gata shrugged, cigarette hanging from his lips. The woman from the crypt finally caught up to them, offering the lantern. He lit his cigarette and took a long drag while Gurd approached. The minotaur stopped when his wide nose met Gata’s.

“I tolerate your sacrilege only under the King’s orders.” Spit flecked from Gurd’s mouth, landing on Zero. Gata pushed Gurd’s head to the side half-heartedly.

“No spitting.” Gata said, exhaling silver smoke.

Gurd’s head snapped back to its original place. He stared down Gata’s bored gaze, then said, “You two. Faun. Thing. With me. We have some talking to do.” Gurd waved them over then turned away. “Whisper!” He bellowed, “Open the damn gate!”

The inner gate opened. Gurd led the way, only to find Zero and Cloak hadn’t followed. Gata gripped Cloak by the scruff, pulling them before him. “Follow.” He shoved them after Gurd and pointed. Zero took the que to follow as well. Gurd waited for them on the other side of the inner gate. When they approached, the corners of his mouth pulled upwards and his eyes screwed in the corners.

His arms extended wide, cradling the city behind him. “Welcome, Delvers, to Graveguard.”