Varsus forced himself to stop screaming, mostly because it did nothing to help his plight, and also because much of the displaced soil found its way into his mouth as he was dragged under the earth by unseen powers.
There was only complete, utter darkness.
Varsus revised that assessment a moment later. The two bright red eyes of the creature, apparently named Vizron, were the only visible points to focus on.
Those eyes that somehow glowed, yet refused to illuminate anything other than themselves.
Also, very close to him… too close… was the thing that used to be Barnaby.
Varsus could hear the grunts and labored breathing directly beside him. He could feel it when Barnaby leaned down to sniff at his face and neck. He could feel the claw-like fingernails brush against his skin as they progressed deeper into the earth.
However, Barnaby did not dare do any more than that. Varsus knew whatever Vizron had done to Barnaby back in the forest had been something the fallen man had not wanted to experience again.
Varsus knew he had to think. How would he escape, and how could he stop these… things?
The progression of the strange party halted. Vizron spoke, his disembodied voice cold, but not without mirth.
“We are here, pawn,” said Vizron. “Serve me well and you may yet live. Fail and you will be given over to my lackey.”
Barnaby did not waste any time.
“Give him to me now, master! I will perform any task you have set for—”
Varsus could not see which direction the solid red eyes were looking, but he got the impression they had just focused on Barnaby. The ravenous creature stopped talking immediately.
Gathering his courage, Varsus spoke, hoping to delay whatever was going to happen.
“What are you!? Why are we here?” he said, and this time he managed to project some steel into his words.
Vizron laughed. “Can you not see, pawn? Behold!”
With that, a harsh white light blinked into existence. The light was omnidirectional and seemed to come from nowhere, yet be everywhere.
Varsus gasped.
Before the party was a gigantic door which looked to Varsus to be made of solid iron. There were many symbols carved directly into the metal, and other symbols drawn on it in dark paint, or perhaps even blood.
The door was easily the width of twenty men across, and the height of four men atop one another. Varsus wondered how far down they had traveled.
He noticed there was no way to open the door. No handles, pull rings or knobs of any sort.
Vizron moved in his disturbing way, positioning himself over Varsus.
“It is time for you to prove yourself useful.”
Varsus felt he could move of his own volition, and so he scrambled backwards, away from the two horrible creatures, until he reached the wall of the tunnel. Even in his panic, he could see that this was a man made passage that had been filled in with earth.
Vizron and Barnaby stared at him without speaking. One with terrible, obvious hunger, and the other with cold contempt.
“I say again, what are you?!” Varsus shouted.
Vizron seemed amused and stepped toward Varsus.
“I told you before, meat. I am a lich, in the service of one who would make use of your world.”
Varsus only stared back at Vizron. He sensed this creature enjoyed putting on a show, enjoyed hearing the sound of its own voice. He determined to let it talk as long as possible so he could think.
“In fact, my master would stand here now, were it not for the bungling of those who should have known better.”
Vizron the threw back his head and laughed. The laughter was louder than anything Varsus had ever heard, including when he stood right next to cannons firing. He recoiled in pain as Vizron’s laughter doubled and tripled upon itself, as if more than one of the creature were laughing. The intensity of the laughter grew so loud that Varsus tried in vain to cover his ears with his hands.
“Ahhh… in truth, mortal,” Vizron said, ending the laughter abruptly, “I do not stand high among my master’s servants, but those who failed at Wademount will become my servants when Ergochann rewards me.”
The name of the creature’s master, voiced once again, caused the world to lose a bit of color.
Vizron turned his head, and Varsus knew he was looking back across the lands all the way to Wademount.
“Your people possessed knowledge and power that were… unexpected. Those who should have easily won were caught unprepared. But now I know your strengths. I alone managed to escape banishment back to the void.
“I hid, gathering my power as you traveled back to this place. To where I sensed this,” Vizron gestured at the door, “and sought it out. Somewhen, someone in this world attempted communion with my master. The existence of this door means they succeeded.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Someone built this door to keep my master out. Perhaps the miserable Elves. Perhaps not.”
Vizron turned his red eyes back on Varsus.
“You are going to open this door for me, pawn. You must open it and let my master in.”
***
Matthias rode through the western gate of Varston. He and his men were six strong, and they were on a mission of some questionable purpose.
After they had finally ousted the remaining pirates from Lobberwick, Master Multon had ordered him to take five other men and ride after the Baron, who had apparently wandered off after they had cleared Oarstead.
Had the man had his wits broken by the fighting? Matthias had seen it happen before, but he had just served with the Baron for the entire Wademount campaign, and that strange engagement had not affected him. Pirates were foul, but easily understandable.
The six men rode hard over the grasslands. Matthias knew the fields would eventually terminate at the border to the Endless Forest. He had no desire to enter that forest, but the men at the gate told him they had watched as the Baron left the road and walked straight on toward the dark tree line.
They had been told the Baron was on foot, so Matthias had hoped they would overtake him, but the fighting in Lobberwick had gone on too long. Then they needed to stop and ask in Varston if the Baron had been seen, wasting even more time.
The Baron’s tracks in the damp grass were easily visible, and Matthias cursed as they indeed led directly to the Endless Forest, which seemed even more foreboding than usual this night.
Matthias pulled up at what he thought was a good safe distance from the edge of the forest. The other men halted as well. No one spoke.
Was this some Elven trick? Lure the Baron out here… to do… something?
He was not well-versed on Elves. None had been seen in his lifetime. But all knew the crazed beasts were in there. Just waiting to come out again, try to overrun them again. He did not want to venture into their domain.
But the Baron’s footprints walked right in.
Still, no one spoke. Matthias knew they were thinking the same as he. Next to him was brutish-looking, dark-haired Wendell, a close friend of his who was always looking for a fight. He did not appear eager to move forward now.
On his other side was Evan, another friend of his who was of average height and build, with unremarkable brown hair and eyes, but was exceptional with tactics. He also did not move forward.
The other three men Matthias did not know personally, but he had just fought off pirates with them, and before that served at Wademount, so he knew they did not lack courage.
But they were also not fools.
Matthias wondered if they could simply turn back and say they did not find him in the forest? Only the six of them would know.
Then he grimaced at the unworthy thought. Not only would he destroy his own honor, but he would mar the honor of these men as well with the mere suggestion.
There was nothing for it.
They were going to have to go in.
***
Though stunned, Varsus managed to awkwardly stand facing the two inhuman creatures.
He knew his situation was dire. There was no way to escape, for he had witnessed the speed of the vile things. Were he to run, they would be on him before two steps were taken.
The strength of the creatures could also not be matched. Nor did he even have a weapon, as he had dropped his sword when the lich had summoned him.
Somehow, the hopelessness of his plight gave him the sort of courage only a doomed man may possess.
Varsus stood tall.
“No,” he said.
The tunnel seemed to close in on Varsus then. The omnipresent white light the lich had generated dimmed, and the tunnel walls felt as if they were crowding him.
Vizron stared at Varsus, and the Baron had never seen such pure inhuman malevolence. That malevolence infused the creature’s words as it spoke.
“This was not a request, fool,” it said. “I told you before that you might yet survive this, but only if you played your part. I don’t need your cooperation. I only need your blood.”
The hatred in the voice increased even as the light dimmed further.
Varsus did not have a chance to respond, as in the next moment, a chill hand locked around his throat, mercilessly crushing it.
The inhuman red eyes filled his vision.
“After I tear your body apart, I’m going to give your pitiful soul to Ergochann and he will make your torment last for eons!”
Varsus struck at the lich again and again, but his blows had no effect. His vision grew dim and he could not fill his lungs with air. As the tunnel grew darker, he thought he noticed an additional light source coming from back up the tunnel.
“UNHAND THE BARON NOW!” shouted a commanding voice.
Vizron did not unhand Varsus, but only turned its head to see who was speaking.
There were six mortal fools, some holding torches. All holding swords.
“I say again!” all of the mortals rushed forward. “You will release the Baron… now…?”
Only then did the six men get close enough to see what that the two figures with the Baron were not human.
“Demons!” cried one of the men. “Matthias, it’s DEMONS!”
Vizron shook his head in disgust.
“Barnaby, these you may have,” it said, turning back to Varsus.
A howl of pure glee erupted from Barnaby, and in the blink of an eye, he had crossed the distance to the six men.
“Barnaby??” Matthias said. He knew this man, but it was obvious that he was a man no longer. This was a wild thing with claws for hands and slavering jaws that opened far too wide, revealing impossibly long fangs.
Reflexively, he held up his torch in front of him as the thing that had been Barnaby was suddenly directly in front of him, and the creature turned, throwing itself onto another man in his group.
All the other men shouted in fear and sprang backwards. The man who had been caught had put his sword up, but Barnaby had not cared about the steel. He had impaled himself on the sword to get to the man. Without hesitation, he sunk his fangs into the man’s neck and began ravaging the body with his claws.
Matthias and the other men watched in frozen terror for a heartbeat, then they all charged at Barnaby.
Vizron paid no attention to the struggle. It let go of Varsus, then in a flash, raked its claws down the front of the Baron’s chest. It tore easily through fabric and mail and, of course, flesh.
Varsus cried out in pain, but was silenced when Vizron grabbed him again by the throat, then flung him to the other side of the tunnel.
To Varsus, it seemed as if one moment he was in the creature’s grip, then he was crashing against the wall and falling. Between his chest being torn open and then smashing against the wall, he could barely move.
Vizron wasted no time. Turning away from both Varsus and his would-be rescuers, the lich approached the iron door.
Its hand was dripping with blood from the wound it had given to Varsus, and it extended the hand to the door.
Ancient runes not from this world were heard. The minds of the mortals filled with burning agony, and they all dropped to the ground, writhing in agony.
Even Barnaby stopped his attack and clutched at his head, stumbling toward his master as if summoned.
All could feel the vastness of a cold, malignant void. Endless, yet barely able to contain the thing that lived inside of it. That thing was so old, and so evil, its mere existence threatened to overwhelm the mortal minds that had now perceived it.
Varsus felt his heart increase its beating, threatening to explode.
It was turning toward them! It had NOTICED them!
Then they were all back in the tunnel, and a blinding light erupted from Vizron.
Along with his cries of torment.
Arcs of blue and white energy lanced out from the lich, who appeared to be stuck to the door by the hand it had used to touch it.
The sounds of dark, rumbling laughter echoed through the tunnel. The laughter did not come from Vizron.
Barnaby rushed past Varsus but could not get much closer to Vizron, as the bolts of energy sparking off of his master were not something he wished to experience.
Then the tunnel went completely black, and all was quiet.