Chapter 13: Gessucht und Wahnkrankheit

The ebbs of the sea no longer retreated. Cliffsides wore coats of black. Froth spilled and found its way through ancient cracks. Slow as it was, this consumed all it touched. Giant slabs of earth hardened by the ages, fell. Bile and miasma spewed into the air. Oddly strong as these bubbles were, under pressure they exploded. Underneath the sickly waves, all life near could not escape. Contributing to each strike of the blight. Stuck and seeped inside a thick tar and oil-like substance. Bones scattered on every shore, beached on new sands and some found their way into streams and rivers.

Through the forge, some of the foam found its way through. Not as deep, or as far. It’s presence miniscule at best. The group began their descent into depths just inside West Gate. Several large, stained white glass pillars rose to hold parts of the ceiling above. They must have stretched several hundred feet down. For Tobias could not see an end to them from up here. Built like a labyrinth, smooth roads of marble bowed to the below. Old coal mining carts and gear lay scattered on desolate tracks. Rust growing a deeper brown on each stretch of rail. Tunnels carved to the sides long abandoned. The lanterns above offering dirt and dust for light. Cranes long since used by human hands, or mechanical careened down. Hooks from trolleys jammed firmly into the walls. White crystals offered small sources of light. Exposed out the rotten remains of the dead. Bone fingers latched to broken leavers inside the cab.

Grael began to speak to both Lydon and Tobias as they followed the Forgemaster to where the remains of the Archveil creature were held. Colors grew brighter from under Lydon’s shirt. Enamoured with Graels explanation, Lydon tricked to mimic Graels actions the best he could. Taking deep breaths in. Stocking the fire that lay dormant deep within his core. Smoke and embers of silver exhaled from his lungs. Proud with his results, he gave Tobias a thumbs up. His yellow eyes replaced with silver. Spikey blonde hair was lengthened. The color matched his eyes. Scales mixed their way with toughs of hair past his shoulders. Tobias socked him in the chest. Surprised with the impact and sound, he motioned to the glow from Lydon. Without a second thought, Lydon tossed him the box. Immediately going back to practicing his breath.

Refractions of light bounced their way up from the deep. The white crystal illuminated brighter in Tobias’s hands as he took it out. Much like his first experience with them, his mind and body went to another place. Though this time it was where they currently were, the Hollowment. The surrounding area was a lot blurrier and fuzzier. His sight reduced to black and white textures of light. Explosions rattled his ears. Dirt and crystals being blown apart. The pathway down into the Hollowents depths. Untold amounts of time passed. Specters from ages passed walked through him. Each offering some passing words to the stale air.

“I hope we do find some riches below.”

“These crystals give me the creeps you know. Giant, their reflections feels like they are gashing my mind.”

“Must be the air pressure. You will get used to after a time.”

“Cant believe you can stand it in this rank, dark hell hole.”

“It really isn’t that bad. The crystals will offer comfort. Just keep trying.”

The voices trailed off as they faded. Tobias watched the cranes be set up. Like being set up on fast forward, they were constructed. Wincing, Tobias heard the loudest, deepest cracks of bone. The specters seemed to be more filled in. Painted in a white shade, their bodies dismembered. With each part that hit the ground, tendrils of black light took them underneath. Air rushed out of his lungs. Something large burst through at frightening speed. Waves of white shimmered. Lazily lapsing on stone. He had been sent to another place. The walls formed like a frame. Ocean ahead, caves above. Black scales slithered in out of tunnels. How far it stretched and what lay beyond, was unknown. Small buildings cropped their way into the scene. More like shacks. Overtime, much like the cranes, metal tubing, wires and scrap constructed the surrounding area.

Shadowy in appearance, someone began speaking directly to him.

“Can’t believe it. These shipments from Ovoroth are helping us topside. Not sure why the boss wants us to stay quiet on these creatures.” The figure said. Tobias crouched his head just a bit and slowly opened his mouth. Eyebrows and mouth racing off to one side.

“I mean that Devourer thing people keep talking about isn’t that scary. Just some kind of giant ass snake. Doesn’t let us build or come near. Not attacking us though. Fills up space more than anything. Seen its reptile eye. Not going to lie, that part freaked me out. Other than that, it’s relaxing up there.

Tobias mumbled a few words to himself, as the shadow waved in and out of sight. The tunnels offered no glimpse of what lay beyond. Only black scales. Blurry lines replacing flesh, was shaded by a hood. Another figure appeared. This time reaching forward with a hand. It passed through him just like everything else in this place. Void of feeling the hand reached back out. Thick black streaks formed back into fingers and motioned him down a cave to the east. Silently he followed. Each step was dizzying. Below his feet, the ground spun in white and black circles. As if it were all one giant swirl. White crystals came and left quickly as they came. Others shimmered in the back. Light tempting different paths. For about twenty minutes they silently marched. The foundations of the Hollowments expanded to the side. In burst tunnels were formed. Along with rails, carts, supplies and lights above to guide the way. Bridges and ladders leading the way into the dark. Never did the track trek upwards too high.

They came to a stop in a smaller cave system. Crosses marked the ground. Crystals as well. They had delicate etches of black in them. Hieroglyphs like whales and crabs flew high with human depictions on their back. Breaching one sea for another. Giant archways above them.

“I apologize. These souls were innocent. The crystals are much more harmful than we thought it seems. Though it is case by case. Dose not help us random clusters bursting through miles of the Hollowment, blind siding the workers. Ovorthian ones seemed to be doing fine until recently.” The cloaked figure spoke. They bent to a knee and picked up a loose crystal. Holding it above their head they looked it over carefully.

In that reflection of light, Tobias was back near the cranes. Still within the crystals grasp. Screams filled the empty space as people tried to run. Their distorted black and white bodies dragged under the swirling abyss. Cranes tilted and loudly snapped. Bolts flying loose. The foundations they were built on split open. Wailing hands and shouts pointed to go up. Some knelt in pain grasping their chest. What would be skin, split open. Crystals exploding from their body. Like staring into the eyes of a basilisk, they froze. Crane operators fared the same, maybe a tad worse. One pointed right at him. Trembling with desperation, the hand was quickly gone in a flash of white. The other hand on the consoles covered in crystal. Out of his mouth crystals exploded, leaving just the husk of their head. Workers suffered all the way down. Tobias looked down, crystal crawling up. In that instance after freezing, the light grew dimmer. Brightness had returned to normal. His friends farther ahead. Lucky enough to still have their head, a worker’s hand lay slumped over the side. As if pointing directly at him, he shook his head from the daze. Enough to illuminate just the hand, the crystals light waned. Tobias eyes fell on it. Tired and filled with pity he examined it. How they worked was a mystery to him.

Perhaps Archveil mechanisms inside? No, that doesn’t make much sense. Perhaps Grayland infused it power? Some type of magic? He trailed off. Quick jets of silver fire caught his eye.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Smoke and fire tickled tired and weakened lungs. Silver like magma, drooled off Lydon’s lips. Graels whiskers flew up, circling his face. With a nod of approval, another blast of flame was shot. Tobias withdrew his sword, tracing his fingers along the blade. Green light followed the pale finger like moths to flame. Blade pointed backwards; it was flipped in the air. With anger for all the fallen souls down here, Tobias lashed out. Caught with the underside of his right hand, he swung as hard as possible. Just like the eel fight, a green arc tore through the ancient earth. A new scar was created. The width of two average sized people. With their hands spread out. Tobias eyes were fully green, with slit draconian eyes. The arc of energy continued to tear for what seemed like a minute. Before the green wave slowly lost steam and power. His normal color returned as the Hollowment grew dark.

Wish the length was a little wider. Would be able to maybe slice one of those giant assholes down. Tobias thought.

In a light whisper, he brought the blade against his face.

“I think its time you had a proper name. Radiant Gwyrdd.” Bits of green glowed from the comets.

Lydon’s hair had gone silver. Folding his arms he tapped his feet on the ground. His eyes rolling as he waited for Tobias to catch up.

Tobias nodded with a grin. Lydon responded with a frown and put a finger up. Grael gave the two some more knowledge. The others looked back to them in wonder. Slabs of earth gave way to concrete. Scattered papers, broken vials, chambers and tubes, burn marks on just about everything. Holes in the wall in the wall deteriorate from time. Moss had grown along the sides. Bones piled in corners. Moss covered them as well. Occasionally small swarms of beetles flowed in and out of empty sockets. Tobias and Maxwell both searched over what remained of the charred papers. Several had been schematics, mainly for the surface.

The next layer yielded another lab in the same state. This one, however, garnered more attention. Intact were several schematics and plans for new machines. Mirroring more animals than anything else. Just like the Idol ones and Archveil beast. Sketches of them irked a few of them. Everything about them had an unsettling vibe. The style it was drawn in, or the colors, who could really say. Melaine came over to Maxwell and Tobias huddled over a specific drawing. This creature stood taller than the others. Compared to the others and small human figure, it had been at least fifty feet taller. Slim with a hammerhead shark like appearance for its head. Human teeth. Dorsal fins all the way down. Its long hands stretched down just past its knees. Curled into a fist were three fingers on each hand. Melaine stuttered as she held a blueprint to them.

“Only if Grayland and my supplies from the burning sea, I could have had these beauties!” Melaine said. More appeasing was a feline, with moth-like wings on its side. Two coming out from the back.”

“Like hell I would let more than a couple of those fly around the house at Mach speed.” Maxwell said.

Melaine came over to Maxwell, pressing up against him. She pursed his lips at him and pointed to the feline with wings. His eye twitched in response.

White light filled the room as everyone chatted away. Tobias eyes fell to the image of the shark. A knot of vomit welled up inside him. The head had turned and watched him. The image, static as ever. Bumping into the table, sending dust into the air, and scattering mementos of this place, he struggled to walk down a cave entrance. Blown into the side, leading into the abandoned laboratory. All continued their personal conversations as Tobias wandered into the depths. Onyx wined and turned his nose up. Seeing Tobias leave, he followed.

The image of human teeth rattled his brain. White fluid erupted from his lungs onto the earthen walls. Bleed of all their moisture. Reinvigorated, the earth swelled as he stumbled forward. White light leading the way. The crystal tucked underneath him alight. In pain a cry escaped. The echoes of his voice reverberating off the recently satiated walls. On lands unknown to him, his feet tread over mire up to his knees. The dead looked at him. Pleading with the remains of their being, as it was siphoned into the sky. Trails of their essence formed a trail into the sky. Cries of the suffering filled his ears. An inescapable torment in this hellscape. Pools of blood and muck boiled. Fragments of flesh and bone dug into his flesh. Fragments of bone climbed over each other like fevered ants. With a vice grip, they locked all movement. From the depths of suffering, a long bone white neck, covered in lichen rose. The bone around him forcefully pushed his body into uncomfortable angles. His bones snapped, the hilt dangling from his belt.

With eyes and teeth clinched, his pain fell into the cavernous echo of light. Tar-like substance sank into his mouth. The green and white neck had pushed under his, shooting his neck to stare straight up. Bones from below held him in place. Above him sitting in a towering gray throne, a being sat. Entrails from what would be its head, drank from the earth. Eyes bulged out from behind the sockets. Uncontrollably they fought to flee. Leaning over the throne, hundreds of feet above, its gaze filled his own. Bodies upon bodies were ground to dust. Flesh peeled from everyone. Their essence scattered into the winds and the darkness around him. War broke out in front of him. Suffering in every beings eyes, filled his stomach, which in return made him wretch. Blackened crystals loomed to the sides. Hundreds if not thousands. With their backs turned, many tried to flee. Above the battlefield, a radiating black sun kept watch. Blackened tendrils of plasma came hurdling down. Unfathomably fast, they tore through countless souls trying to flee.

Laughter filled every fabric of life. The very fabric of life buckled under it. Rivers majestic, untouched by any influence, found themselves clogged. Like the rest of the earth, gagging under the black parasitic advance. Rivers once granting power, only spread death under its advance. Tobias felt his chest fall from his body. Clawing his chest, he tore at his skin trying to keep it in. Though his body was sealed, free of any injuries, panic took over. In this frenzy, he saw the hilt. Broke from his side, one of the dragon heads being fully submerged by the mire. His gaze followed its fall. Which lead him to another battlefield. War tore over the lands. Several gargantuan crystals towering over the landscape. At this height… wait, height!? Tobias thought. Unable to move he found himself. Looking below, his hands moved against his will. Far above as he was, his eyes saw clearly. As if controlling them directly. Souls from either end clashed. Laughter filled the air in triumph. The crust of the earth rose and exploded in torrents of pitch-black lava. Drowning out all voices as the hellish laughter continued. The Menschenmühle of ages continued their battle. Their suffering never wavered and filled an uncontrollable urge.

Tobias felt his head pound, then cave in violently. Pressure filled his dome relentlessly. Tendrils flailed from high above, some snaked around his legs. Barking filled his ears over the sounds of battle. The sound swelled and swelled, until in pain his eyes burst.

Heat, or was it freezing? His body shook as a furry nose pushed against him. He spat out dirt, reaching forward to find his grasp. Tuffs of fur found him, and he smirked. He knew this feeling all too well. The inaudible became clearer, as Onyx barks filled his ears. Rising to his feet he clung to him and sighed.

“Thanks buddy. I don’t know what to—” His words came and vanished as clearly as they came.

How far and long had he wondered? Deep underground in the Forges Hollowment, black gunk and tar fell from above. Caustic pools formed, eating at the earth. Hundreds of feet ahead of him, towering black scales lined the room. Like tunnels they bore through the earth. Held up by pillars and stalagmites. Long since shaped by the earth. Hundreds of gazes fell upon him as he regained consciousness. The miles of shredded snakeskin were the least concerning thing here. In a grotesque image, ingrained in the background of the Forge, flesh boiled and moved liked oil in water. Hung towards the back of the cave, matching the description of a twisted Vitruvian Man, a being gasped breath. The caverns filled with a similar Miasma they had run into before. Black pustules exploded and quickly reformed. Sinewy strands reforming them like an army of ants. Skin, long since withered from its eye sockets clung just below its skull. Like hardened tears, black gunk drained from its face to the ground. What could only be described as a black sea of shit separated the three of them.

Tobias held onto Onyx’s coat; his other free hand frantically fell for the hilt. The familiar feeling of it being held so close to him brought a smile to his face. Snarls rumbled through his fingers as he grasped his loyal companion. With a hint of sadness and anger, he looked at Onyx. His fur stood on end. Much longer than before. Static ran through Tobias’ body, as he held on. Onyx was snarling. His head lowered, an icy breath escaping between his gnashed teeth. His coat no longer black, but mixed with gray and tints of red. One icy white and pitch-black eye burrowed into the sagged gray corpse. With long gray hair covering its eye lids, a mouth sealed for an unknown amount of time, formed into a smile. Torrents of black saliva gushed out from its mouth. Struggling, it attempted to move and reach them before stopping. A low chuckle filled the room. Before it rose and rose. Tobias felt like throwing up from its sick laugh, before he lurched forward, still holding onto Onyx. Projectile vomit flew into the pit. The tar absorbing every molecule of water.

T….o..bi….a.sssssssssss, my…… boy. The creature said, smiling from underneath its long black and tendril like locks of hair. Covered in scales.

Tobias stayed knelt frozen next to Onyx.