Chapter 159: 159
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Saying that the life forms are everywhere would ironically be an understatement.
Nodding to Kal, I draw in my arms, a feeble barrier to what lurks within these walls. I can sense them too, practically feel them, the cold chill of their bodies radiating off the walls, along with the slick, wet grunts of a creature long degraded. Hear the rustling of their bodies, the grizzly grating sound that echoes through the cavernous expanse, the sniff and grunt of creatures who lost all sense of reason eons ago. The only thing left in this maze is monsters, and even that is a generous assessment.
Perhaps even some of the walls are made up of the remaining debris of such creatures, fused into an amalgamation of wall and flesh, half alive and half dead, stinking with the putrid smell of rot and decay.
The thought doesn't exactly sit well with me as my eyes scan over the length of the brick walls closing in around us, and a shiver runs through me, stirring my body with an icy cold. The sooner we get out of here, the better.
"We need to get moving. I am not exactly keen to stick around and give these creatures a reason to come and seek us out," I whisper at last, holding the flame in my hand further out in front of us, letting it drift off my palm to settle a few meters ahead, bouncing up and down like a fish bobber. Kal watches it with a dull look on his face, his expression empty.
Clearly, he has been having similar thoughts to me.
"Right," he mutters, going pale. His fingers twitch nervously by his side, tapping out the tune to an unknown song. But despite his words, Kal does not move.
"I will go first," I assure him, to which a look of relief crosses his face, his shoulders sinking down with a temporary relaxation. It would seem that despite being several hundreds of years older than me, Kal still hasn't quite plucked up the same courage as his vampire equivalents- who have a rather terrifying readiness to face death head on. Then again, in dragon years, Kal is still a juvenile, so what can I really expect of him?
That, and of course, his life is very much mortal.
Sighing, I scrape a hand through my hair.
"I am technically immortal now, and though I can definitely be torn apart, supposedly I can't be killed. Supposedly being a key word. But that is a theory I have yet to test, no better time than now, I guess," I confess with a nervous laugh, splaying my hands slightly. At this, Kal doesn't look too reassured.
In honesty, neither would I be if I heard some half baked excuse like that. But in the end, he sighs reluctantly, conceding to my half hearted excuses of how we aren't going to die.
"Sure," he mutters under his breath. "Why not test the limits to our mortality in a place like this?"
"Just, stick close behind me, okay?" I say, a little insistently. "We will get our way out of here, we just have to stay calm."
"And not get eaten alive," Kal adds, laughing a little, but the motion is forced, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. I nod promptly.
"That too."
Without another word between us, we begin to trail down the labyrinth. The fiery beacon of light floats ominously ahead of us, like a ghost wisping in and out of the shadows cast by the bones and carcasses that litter the floor with omens of death. Keeping our breaths to a minimum to avoid inhaling the stinking rot, and treading with careful paces across the minefield of skeletal debris, we pick our way down corridors, led only by the tug of my heart and the weak flickering of my fire.
I soon discover that the torches placed upon the walls of the labyrinth quickly fade out, leaving us with nothing but the half cast glow of my magic. But it is not just the torches that begin to disappear, but soon the bricks and walls too begin to degrade, leaving us surrounded by muddied stone, and even more bones. It is as though the maker of this petty game got bored halfway through its creation, or perhaps mused that the contestants of such a maze would be overjoyed to spend the rest of it in darkness. A rather rude assumption, indeed. But given that we are above a palace of bloodsucking monsters who don't need such frivolities of light and vision to survive, I suppose it is only natural that this is the case.
But it doesn't make it any less irritating.
Darkness sucks at our forms, our breaths, our souls. My own light is hesitant, cautious, as if fearful to come across whatever lurks in this maze, and what exactly would happen if they noticed our presence. Thankfully, Kal sticks to my glowing form, his hands raised in permanent defence, his dark eyes wide and darting, nostrils flaring at the pungent smell that sticks to the labyrinth walls. Being a dragon, I have no doubt that darkness and caves are rather his forte, but darkness and caves inhabited by man eating vampires and littered with long dead remains? Perhaps not.
Given the option, I don't think anyone would willingly set foot in this place. I suppose that says a lot about us, then.
We continue to make our way through, the darkness only getting darker, and the putrid smell of death and decay ever worsening around us. The rustles of creatures appear louder now, a soft dangerous hum murmuring through the walls, as if the maze itself was a living, breathing organism. I stop occasionally at the junctions where the corridors split off, standing, listening, feeling for that tug inside my body that calls me to my destination. With every turn the motion is stronger, compelling me forward, towards what waits for me far, far below.
At last, Kal cautiously breaks the silence between us.
"Do you have any idea where we are going? I mean, don't mean to doubt you my Queen-"
"You seem to be doing that an awful lot, Kal," I shoot back quietly, rolling my eyes.
"Yes, but," he starts again, wringing out his hands. "From my perspective we are just turning at random junctions, there is no pattern," he whispers urgently after we tiptoe through several corridors that all look remarkably the same. That's the thing about this place, anyone coming down here on a whim, unsure what they are after, would have to rely merely on luck to get them through, and the vain hope that they will not run into any malicious creatures on the way. Quite a profound hope, really.
To Kal's question, I nod slowly, and then realising he probably didn't see that, turn round to reply:
"I can feel it, the tug of the flame, and Soren. It's weak, but it's there. We are getting close, I-"
Suddenly, Kal tugs on my arm, pulling me frantically to a halt. My head whips around.
"Serena, please, for the love of your husband, do not move."
The fear in Kal's eyes is evident, shining in the pale light of the flame, his face fading a ghostly white. My eyes slide downwards to the source of his aggravation, and my breath stops dead in my throat.
Lying on the ground in front of us, is a corpse.
Heaving with maggots, skin red and blistered, bones visible through flesh, and yet it is alive. The face of the corpse is somewhat disfigured, visibly scared, the mouth a maw of red, raw flesh, dripping with fresh blood. The skin is as ashen as snow, almost translucent, like a fine silk overlaying a mass of taught flesh and bone. The creature looks fragile, almost breakable, crumpled to the point of near death, and yet somehow, somehow, I get the feeling one clench of those spindly fingers could snap my arm clean in two.
It is a grim sight, a nightmare scene at best, certainly one I never thought I would have to look upon in my many years of life.
"Holy shit," I whisper lowly, my voice catching in my throat as I lean in with bated breath to inspect the creature further. Kal gives a headful squeak, his fingers latched on to my flesh, prepared at any moment to pull me back from the nightmare scene and into the safety of his arms. With hushed motions, I bring the light over to inspect the creature further, hardly daring to breathe as I brush over the monstrous array of features, steering well clear of the patches of flesh that heave with wriggling maggots.
Luckily for us, this creature looks entirely incapacitated- it would not be reawakening to gobble down our flesh just yet. At least, for now that is.
"So this is what has become of the halfling vampires. Shit," I mutter, pulling back now, causing Kal to noise an audible sigh of relief. I motion briskly for the dragon boy to step around the sleeping corpse of a vampire, both of us sucking in our breaths until we make it past, heading for the junction up ahead where the light of my magic hovers, illuminating the place.
Desperately, I hope against hope that will be the first and only creature we come across.. But something in my gut tells me my baseless desires will not be granted.
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Saying that the life forms are everywhere would ironically be an understatement.
Nodding to Kal, I draw in my arms, a feeble barrier to what lurks within these walls. I can sense them too, practically feel them, the cold chill of their bodies radiating off the walls, along with the slick, wet grunts of a creature long degraded. Hear the rustling of their bodies, the grizzly grating sound that echoes through the cavernous expanse, the sniff and grunt of creatures who lost all sense of reason eons ago. The only thing left in this maze is monsters, and even that is a generous assessment.
Perhaps even some of the walls are made up of the remaining debris of such creatures, fused into an amalgamation of wall and flesh, half alive and half dead, stinking with the putrid smell of rot and decay.
The thought doesn't exactly sit well with me as my eyes scan over the length of the brick walls closing in around us, and a shiver runs through me, stirring my body with an icy cold. The sooner we get out of here, the better.
"We need to get moving. I am not exactly keen to stick around and give these creatures a reason to come and seek us out," I whisper at last, holding the flame in my hand further out in front of us, letting it drift off my palm to settle a few meters ahead, bouncing up and down like a fish bobber. Kal watches it with a dull look on his face, his expression empty.
Clearly, he has been having similar thoughts to me.
"Right," he mutters, going pale. His fingers twitch nervously by his side, tapping out the tune to an unknown song. But despite his words, Kal does not move.
"I will go first," I assure him, to which a look of relief crosses his face, his shoulders sinking down with a temporary relaxation. It would seem that despite being several hundreds of years older than me, Kal still hasn't quite plucked up the same courage as his vampire equivalents- who have a rather terrifying readiness to face death head on. Then again, in dragon years, Kal is still a juvenile, so what can I really expect of him?
That, and of course, his life is very much mortal.
Sighing, I scrape a hand through my hair.
"I am technically immortal now, and though I can definitely be torn apart, supposedly I can't be killed. Supposedly being a key word. But that is a theory I have yet to test, no better time than now, I guess," I confess with a nervous laugh, splaying my hands slightly. At this, Kal doesn't look too reassured.
In honesty, neither would I be if I heard some half baked excuse like that. But in the end, he sighs reluctantly, conceding to my half hearted excuses of how we aren't going to die.
"Sure," he mutters under his breath. "Why not test the limits to our mortality in a place like this?"
"Just, stick close behind me, okay?" I say, a little insistently. "We will get our way out of here, we just have to stay calm."
"And not get eaten alive," Kal adds, laughing a little, but the motion is forced, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. I nod promptly.
"That too."
Without another word between us, we begin to trail down the labyrinth. The fiery beacon of light floats ominously ahead of us, like a ghost wisping in and out of the shadows cast by the bones and carcasses that litter the floor with omens of death. Keeping our breaths to a minimum to avoid inhaling the stinking rot, and treading with careful paces across the minefield of skeletal debris, we pick our way down corridors, led only by the tug of my heart and the weak flickering of my fire.
I soon discover that the torches placed upon the walls of the labyrinth quickly fade out, leaving us with nothing but the half cast glow of my magic. But it is not just the torches that begin to disappear, but soon the bricks and walls too begin to degrade, leaving us surrounded by muddied stone, and even more bones. It is as though the maker of this petty game got bored halfway through its creation, or perhaps mused that the contestants of such a maze would be overjoyed to spend the rest of it in darkness. A rather rude assumption, indeed. But given that we are above a palace of bloodsucking monsters who don't need such frivolities of light and vision to survive, I suppose it is only natural that this is the case.
But it doesn't make it any less irritating.
Darkness sucks at our forms, our breaths, our souls. My own light is hesitant, cautious, as if fearful to come across whatever lurks in this maze, and what exactly would happen if they noticed our presence. Thankfully, Kal sticks to my glowing form, his hands raised in permanent defence, his dark eyes wide and darting, nostrils flaring at the pungent smell that sticks to the labyrinth walls. Being a dragon, I have no doubt that darkness and caves are rather his forte, but darkness and caves inhabited by man eating vampires and littered with long dead remains? Perhaps not.
Given the option, I don't think anyone would willingly set foot in this place. I suppose that says a lot about us, then.
We continue to make our way through, the darkness only getting darker, and the putrid smell of death and decay ever worsening around us. The rustles of creatures appear louder now, a soft dangerous hum murmuring through the walls, as if the maze itself was a living, breathing organism. I stop occasionally at the junctions where the corridors split off, standing, listening, feeling for that tug inside my body that calls me to my destination. With every turn the motion is stronger, compelling me forward, towards what waits for me far, far below.
At last, Kal cautiously breaks the silence between us.
"Do you have any idea where we are going? I mean, don't mean to doubt you my Queen-"
"You seem to be doing that an awful lot, Kal," I shoot back quietly, rolling my eyes.
"Yes, but," he starts again, wringing out his hands. "From my perspective we are just turning at random junctions, there is no pattern," he whispers urgently after we tiptoe through several corridors that all look remarkably the same. That's the thing about this place, anyone coming down here on a whim, unsure what they are after, would have to rely merely on luck to get them through, and the vain hope that they will not run into any malicious creatures on the way. Quite a profound hope, really.
To Kal's question, I nod slowly, and then realising he probably didn't see that, turn round to reply:
"I can feel it, the tug of the flame, and Soren. It's weak, but it's there. We are getting close, I-"
Suddenly, Kal tugs on my arm, pulling me frantically to a halt. My head whips around.
"Serena, please, for the love of your husband, do not move."
The fear in Kal's eyes is evident, shining in the pale light of the flame, his face fading a ghostly white. My eyes slide downwards to the source of his aggravation, and my breath stops dead in my throat.
Lying on the ground in front of us, is a corpse.
Heaving with maggots, skin red and blistered, bones visible through flesh, and yet it is alive. The face of the corpse is somewhat disfigured, visibly scared, the mouth a maw of red, raw flesh, dripping with fresh blood. The skin is as ashen as snow, almost translucent, like a fine silk overlaying a mass of taught flesh and bone. The creature looks fragile, almost breakable, crumpled to the point of near death, and yet somehow, somehow, I get the feeling one clench of those spindly fingers could snap my arm clean in two.
It is a grim sight, a nightmare scene at best, certainly one I never thought I would have to look upon in my many years of life.
"Holy shit," I whisper lowly, my voice catching in my throat as I lean in with bated breath to inspect the creature further. Kal gives a headful squeak, his fingers latched on to my flesh, prepared at any moment to pull me back from the nightmare scene and into the safety of his arms. With hushed motions, I bring the light over to inspect the creature further, hardly daring to breathe as I brush over the monstrous array of features, steering well clear of the patches of flesh that heave with wriggling maggots.
Luckily for us, this creature looks entirely incapacitated- it would not be reawakening to gobble down our flesh just yet. At least, for now that is.
"So this is what has become of the halfling vampires. Shit," I mutter, pulling back now, causing Kal to noise an audible sigh of relief. I motion briskly for the dragon boy to step around the sleeping corpse of a vampire, both of us sucking in our breaths until we make it past, heading for the junction up ahead where the light of my magic hovers, illuminating the place.
Desperately, I hope against hope that will be the first and only creature we come across.. But something in my gut tells me my baseless desires will not be granted.
Saying that the life forms are everywhere would ironically be an understatement. Nodding to Kal, I draw in my arms, a feeble barrier to what lurks within these walls. I can sense them too, practically feel them, the cold chill of their bodies radiating off the walls, along with the slick, wet grunts of a creature long degraded. Hear the rustling of their bodies, the grizzly grating sound that echoes through the cavernous expanse, the sniff and grunt of creatures who lost all sense of reason eons ago. The only thing left in this maze is monsters, and even that is a generous assessment. Perhaps even some of the walls are made up of the remaining debris of such creatures, fused into an amalgamation of wall and flesh, half alive and half dead, stinking with the putrid smell of rot and decay.The thought doesn't exactly sit well with me as my eyes scan over the length of the brick walls closing in around us, and a shiver runs through me, stirring my body with an icy cold. The sooner we get out of here, the better."We need to get moving. I am not exactly keen to stick around and give these creatures a reason to come and seek us out," I whisper at last, holding the flame in my hand further out in front of us, letting it drift off my palm to settle a few meters ahead, bouncing up and down like a fish bobber. Kal watches it with a dull look on his face, his expression empty.Clearly, he has been having similar thoughts to me."Right," he mutters, going pale. His fingers twitch nervously by his side, tapping out the tune to an unknown song. But despite his words, Kal does not move."I will go first," I assure him, to which a look of relief crosses his face, his shoulders sinking down with a temporary relaxation. It would seem that despite being several hundreds of years older than me, Kal still hasn't quite plucked up the same courage as his vampire equivalents- who have a rather terrifying readiness to face death head on. Then again, in dragon years, Kal is still a juvenile, so what can I really expect of him?That, and of course, his life is very much mortal.Sighing, I scrape a hand through my hair."I am technically immortal now, and though I can definitely be torn apart, supposedly I can't be killed. Supposedly being a key word. But that is a theory I have yet to test, no better time than now, I guess," I confess with a nervous laugh, splaying my hands slightly. At this, Kal doesn't look too reassured.In honesty, neither would I be if I heard some half baked excuse like that. But in the end, he sighs reluctantly, conceding to my half hearted excuses of how we aren't going to die."Sure," he mutters under his breath. "Why not test the limits to our mortality in a place like this?""Just, stick close behind me, okay?" I say, a little insistently. "We will get our way out of here, we just have to stay calm.""And not get eaten alive," Kal adds, laughing a little, but the motion is forced, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. I nod promptly."That too."Without another word between us, we begin to trail down the labyrinth. The fiery beacon of light floats ominously ahead of us, like a ghost wisping in and out of the shadows cast by the bones and carcasses that litter the floor with omens of death. Keeping our breaths to a minimum to avoid inhaling the stinking rot, and treading with careful paces across the minefield of skeletal debris, we pick our way down corridors, led only by the tug of my heart and the weak flickering of my fire. I soon discover that the torches placed upon the walls of the labyrinth quickly fade out, leaving us with nothing but the half cast glow of my magic. But it is not just the torches that begin to disappear, but soon the bricks and walls too begin to degrade, leaving us surrounded by muddied stone, and even more bones. It is as though the maker of this petty game got bored halfway through its creation, or perhaps mused that the contestants of such a maze would be overjoyed to spend the rest of it in darkness. A rather rude assumption, indeed. But given that we are above a palace of bloodsucking monsters who don't need such frivolities of light and vision to survive, I suppose it is only natural that this is the case.But it doesn't make it any less irritating. Darkness sucks at our forms, our breaths, our souls. My own light is hesitant, cautious, as if fearful to come across whatever lurks in this maze, and what exactly would happen if they noticed our presence. Thankfully, Kal sticks to my glowing form, his hands raised in permanent defence, his dark eyes wide and darting, nostrils flaring at the pungent smell that sticks to the labyrinth walls. Being a dragon, I have no doubt that darkness and caves are rather his forte, but darkness and caves inhabited by man eating vampires and littered with long dead remains? Perhaps not.Given the option, I don't think anyone would willingly set foot in this place. I suppose that says a lot about us, then.We continue to make our way through, the darkness only getting darker, and the putrid smell of death and decay ever worsening around us. The rustles of creatures appear louder now, a soft dangerous hum murmuring through the walls, as if the maze itself was a living, breathing organism. I stop occasionally at the junctions where the corridors split off, standing, listening, feeling for that tug inside my body that calls me to my destination. With every turn the motion is stronger, compelling me forward, towards what waits for me far, far below.At last, Kal cautiously breaks the silence between us."Do you have any idea where we are going? I mean, don't mean to doubt you my Queen-""You seem to be doing that an awful lot, Kal," I shoot back quietly, rolling my eyes."Yes, but," he starts again, wringing out his hands. "From my perspective we are just turning at random junctions, there is no pattern," he whispers urgently after we tiptoe through several corridors that all look remarkably the same. That's the thing about this place, anyone coming down here on a whim, unsure what they are after, would have to rely merely on luck to get them through, and the vain hope that they will not run into any malicious creatures on the way. Quite a profound hope, really.To Kal's question, I nod slowly, and then realising he probably didn't see that, turn round to reply:"I can feel it, the tug of the flame, and Soren. It's weak, but it's there. We are getting close, I-"Suddenly, Kal tugs on my arm, pulling me frantically to a halt. My head whips around. "Serena, please, for the love of your husband, do not move."The fear in Kal's eyes is evident, shining in the pale light of the flame, his face fading a ghostly white. My eyes slide downwards to the source of his aggravation, and my breath stops dead in my throat.Lying on the ground in front of us, is a corpse.Heaving with maggots, skin red and blistered, bones visible through flesh, and yet it is alive. The face of the corpse is somewhat disfigured, visibly scared, the mouth a maw of red, raw flesh, dripping with fresh blood. The skin is as ashen as snow, almost translucent, like a fine silk overlaying a mass of taught flesh and bone. The creature looks fragile, almost breakable, crumpled to the point of near death, and yet somehow, somehow, I get the feeling one clench of those spindly fingers could snap my arm clean in two.It is a grim sight, a nightmare scene at best, certainly one I never thought I would have to look upon in my many years of life."Holy shit," I whisper lowly, my voice catching in my throat as I lean in with bated breath to inspect the creature further. Kal gives a headful squeak, his fingers latched on to my flesh, prepared at any moment to pull me back from the nightmare scene and into the safety of his arms. With hushed motions, I bring the light over to inspect the creature further, hardly daring to breathe as I brush over the monstrous array of features, steering well clear of the patches of flesh that heave with wriggling maggots.Luckily for us, this creature looks entirely incapacitated- it would not be reawakening to gobble down our flesh just yet. At least, for now that is."So this is what has become of the halfling vampires. Shit," I mutter, pulling back now, causing Kal to noise an audible sigh of relief. I motion briskly for the dragon boy to step around the sleeping corpse of a vampire, both of us sucking in our breaths until we make it past, heading for the junction up ahead where the light of my magic hovers, illuminating the place.Desperately, I hope against hope that will be the first and only creature we come across.. But something in my gut tells me my baseless desires will not be granted.
