The tormented screams of the restless damned will slowly erode any mortal's
sanity. The two inching their way through the paths of hell itself were
no exception. Constant moans of agony and despair bombarded the two from
every conceivable angle, even coming from the walls and the floor below
their feet.
Tanyana, pressed against the wall she only wished to be rock instead of human bones solidified together, made her way quietly down the passageway. Her companion followed, remaining as quiet as he knew how. With much caution, they slowly rounded a bend. The assassin's keen eye spotted a subtle movement in the distance. She held up her hand to Daghot in a fist, her signal to stop, shut up, not breathe. After the movement subsided, they inched their way silently toward the disturbance.
As any assassin should, Tanyana knows the element of surprise. Peering into the gloom of absolute evil ahead of them, Tanyana had could not discern who, or what, had moved. The actions of their possible adversary made her fear that perhaps, whatever it was, it very well could be familiar with the advantage of surprise as well. The assassin quietly strapped her spiked gloves on, while Daghot unsheathed a large dagger from on his hip. The midnight black blade was silent as it was drawn, and the necromancer held it front of him with both hands on the blade, pommel up. Closing his eyes, he whispered a prayer to Trang-Oul. He opened his eyes to stare at the base of the pommel, which was a skull, minus the jawbone, etched into the steel. The eyes began to pulse green with magical energy, and the necromancer smiled.
The passageway widened into a small room, now perhaps twenty feet wide. The path split 3 ways on the far side of the room, about 30 feet away. The movement had come, as far as the assassin could tell, from the far left of the room. She held up 3 fingers to the necromancer. Three became two. Two became one. As one became none, the assassin snatched a glass flask of from her belt and threw it at the estimated source of the movement with blinding speed. As the volatile liquid erupted into a fireball, the room lit up from the flame. With the light, she realized her error. The demon resembled a lion in size and speed, and in appearance somewhat. It differed too, its teeth and claws twice as big as the jungle cat's, and lacked hair except for its black mane. The rest of its body was a dark red skin. She cursed as she saw the demon cat had tricked her, and he was crouched against the right wall, about 5 feet from her, ready to pounce.
Tanyana, thinking it the end, instinctively put her arms up to guard her face. As the cat leaned back on its hind legs to pounce, it suddenly lost its balance for a split second, which gave Tanyana the time needed to roll away. She looked to see Daghot's arm extended. His thrown dagger flew end over end toward the demon-cat, and its pommel struck the cat in its skull, to then fall downwards and stick in the ground, pommel up. Tanyana looked on with fear as the dagger hadn't struck true, and couldn't figure out why Daghot was smiling. The cat averted his attention toward the necromancer, and lept towards him. As the cat left the ground, the ground directly below the protruding dagger erupted forming a creature of iron immediately. The iron thing reached out a humanoid arm and caught the demon by its hind leg in mid jump. The cat came to an abrupt stop with a sickening crack. Daghot's golem swung the cat into the wall, and the force of the impact separated the cat's leg from the rest of its body. Grabbing the cat by its rib cage, the golem flung it across the room, where Tanyana waited. She ducked low and stuck up her artifical claws and skewered the beast. The golem threw the lion with such a force that as the claws bit through the hide, Tanyana was pulled with the beast. She set herself in a backflip, and pulled out her claws in mid air. As she landed on her feet, one foot landed hard heel-first on the beast's neck. The beast gave a slight wheeze of pain, and then silenced.
The two only had a second to reflect on their kill when screams of agony and deep growls came from every direction except the fork that led to the right. "Run, this way!" the necromancer yelled as he began to flee that way, with Tanyana right on his heels. He mentally commanded his golem to remain in the room and facilitate their escape. The mindless hulk obeyed. The two ran down the tunnel for only a few seconds, when the Daghot exclaimed "Dammit, my dagger!" "Get it quick!" the assassin yelled as she stopped running and reguarded him. He quickly reversed directions and made a dash for the dagger. Upon reaching the dagger, the cries of agony were almost deafening. He saw his golem in the middle of the room, awaiting the legions of hell indifferently. "They must be CLOSE, its so damned loud!" the necromancer thought as he reversed directions again. Suddenly, all the cries died out abruptly. All but one. A woman's scream of terror coming from ahead of Daghot. He tried to stop suddenly, but lost his footing and landed hard on his chest and elbows. Realizing that the scream had sounded as if it could have been formed from his companion's vocals, he scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward where she had stayed. Nothing. Breathing heavy, he looked around frantically. "Tanyana!" he yelled. "Where are you? TANYANA!?" The only response to his cries was his own echo, which made his voice sound terrified and helpless as it repeated down the long dark tunnel.
Suddenly the tormented moans of the damned began again, echoing toward him from down the tunnel. The moans became everything from women screaming to roars of demons that, by the sound of their voices, were too huge to fit into a large arena, let alone these small tunnels of the damned. They became louder, sounding as if they closed in upon him with speed that rivaled even the fastest unencumbered steed. Terror overtook the necromancer, and he turned the other way yet again to run back to the room of the slain cat-demon.
He returned to the room to find his golem in exactly the same spot, a sentinel of iron. Daghot ran to the center of the room and silence once again overtook the necromancer. He heard only his frantic steps and his heavy breathing as he darted in circles scanning every tunnel, awaiting oblivion to consume him in droves of demons. They never came.
Clutching his dagger, Daghot stalked down the tunnel where Tanyana had vanished, with his golem following closely. The only thing he heard now were the muffled moans of agony in the distance, the sounds of an eternity of damnation.
He followed the tunnel for what might have been hours, but was probably less than twenty minutes. In the distance, he saw something that gave him hope. For some reason, even though it was pitch-black, he saw Tanyana slowly walking around a room, looking this way and that as if lost. "Trang- Oul has blessed my sight," he thought as he made his way to his wayward companion. Tanyana saw him as well, and put a finger to her lips telling him to be silent. He nodded as she motioned for him to come to her. Quickly and quietly the necromancer closed the distance between them. The tunnel opened up into another room and as he passed through the threshold his surroundings changed. Tanyana was still in front of him, but not how he had seen a second ago. Now only her head was visible, half covered in blood, on a spike in the center of the room. Daghot screamed and his screams were answered by more screams of the damned.
He turned to run and ran straight into a wall of dead. Some ancient, some still decaying, and some fresh. He recognized Tanyana's arm was now part of the wall, complete with its artifical claw as he fell backward. Panicking, he scrambled back to his feet and his head whipped in all around, looking in everywhere for an escape route. Instead he found that this large room, perhaps seventy feet in all directions, was completely enclosed with walls of dead bodies. He began to shake in terror as he fell backward and landed on his rear. He sat there, enthralled by fear and helplessness.
A throne suddenly became visible, as well as its host. Rising to her feet was perfection personified, a naked woman of such sheer beauty that Daghot was dumbfounded. "Welcome, Daghot" she said in a voice that made the necromancer smile despite himself. The voice echoed repeatedly, each time waves of total pleasure overtook the necromancer. She walked slowly, sensually toward him as he just stared with empty eyes at her as his mouth hung open and smiling. "Welcome to my throne. I am Neventesia, and you belong to me now."
Tanyana, pressed against the wall she only wished to be rock instead of human bones solidified together, made her way quietly down the passageway. Her companion followed, remaining as quiet as he knew how. With much caution, they slowly rounded a bend. The assassin's keen eye spotted a subtle movement in the distance. She held up her hand to Daghot in a fist, her signal to stop, shut up, not breathe. After the movement subsided, they inched their way silently toward the disturbance.
As any assassin should, Tanyana knows the element of surprise. Peering into the gloom of absolute evil ahead of them, Tanyana had could not discern who, or what, had moved. The actions of their possible adversary made her fear that perhaps, whatever it was, it very well could be familiar with the advantage of surprise as well. The assassin quietly strapped her spiked gloves on, while Daghot unsheathed a large dagger from on his hip. The midnight black blade was silent as it was drawn, and the necromancer held it front of him with both hands on the blade, pommel up. Closing his eyes, he whispered a prayer to Trang-Oul. He opened his eyes to stare at the base of the pommel, which was a skull, minus the jawbone, etched into the steel. The eyes began to pulse green with magical energy, and the necromancer smiled.
The passageway widened into a small room, now perhaps twenty feet wide. The path split 3 ways on the far side of the room, about 30 feet away. The movement had come, as far as the assassin could tell, from the far left of the room. She held up 3 fingers to the necromancer. Three became two. Two became one. As one became none, the assassin snatched a glass flask of from her belt and threw it at the estimated source of the movement with blinding speed. As the volatile liquid erupted into a fireball, the room lit up from the flame. With the light, she realized her error. The demon resembled a lion in size and speed, and in appearance somewhat. It differed too, its teeth and claws twice as big as the jungle cat's, and lacked hair except for its black mane. The rest of its body was a dark red skin. She cursed as she saw the demon cat had tricked her, and he was crouched against the right wall, about 5 feet from her, ready to pounce.
Tanyana, thinking it the end, instinctively put her arms up to guard her face. As the cat leaned back on its hind legs to pounce, it suddenly lost its balance for a split second, which gave Tanyana the time needed to roll away. She looked to see Daghot's arm extended. His thrown dagger flew end over end toward the demon-cat, and its pommel struck the cat in its skull, to then fall downwards and stick in the ground, pommel up. Tanyana looked on with fear as the dagger hadn't struck true, and couldn't figure out why Daghot was smiling. The cat averted his attention toward the necromancer, and lept towards him. As the cat left the ground, the ground directly below the protruding dagger erupted forming a creature of iron immediately. The iron thing reached out a humanoid arm and caught the demon by its hind leg in mid jump. The cat came to an abrupt stop with a sickening crack. Daghot's golem swung the cat into the wall, and the force of the impact separated the cat's leg from the rest of its body. Grabbing the cat by its rib cage, the golem flung it across the room, where Tanyana waited. She ducked low and stuck up her artifical claws and skewered the beast. The golem threw the lion with such a force that as the claws bit through the hide, Tanyana was pulled with the beast. She set herself in a backflip, and pulled out her claws in mid air. As she landed on her feet, one foot landed hard heel-first on the beast's neck. The beast gave a slight wheeze of pain, and then silenced.
The two only had a second to reflect on their kill when screams of agony and deep growls came from every direction except the fork that led to the right. "Run, this way!" the necromancer yelled as he began to flee that way, with Tanyana right on his heels. He mentally commanded his golem to remain in the room and facilitate their escape. The mindless hulk obeyed. The two ran down the tunnel for only a few seconds, when the Daghot exclaimed "Dammit, my dagger!" "Get it quick!" the assassin yelled as she stopped running and reguarded him. He quickly reversed directions and made a dash for the dagger. Upon reaching the dagger, the cries of agony were almost deafening. He saw his golem in the middle of the room, awaiting the legions of hell indifferently. "They must be CLOSE, its so damned loud!" the necromancer thought as he reversed directions again. Suddenly, all the cries died out abruptly. All but one. A woman's scream of terror coming from ahead of Daghot. He tried to stop suddenly, but lost his footing and landed hard on his chest and elbows. Realizing that the scream had sounded as if it could have been formed from his companion's vocals, he scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward where she had stayed. Nothing. Breathing heavy, he looked around frantically. "Tanyana!" he yelled. "Where are you? TANYANA!?" The only response to his cries was his own echo, which made his voice sound terrified and helpless as it repeated down the long dark tunnel.
Suddenly the tormented moans of the damned began again, echoing toward him from down the tunnel. The moans became everything from women screaming to roars of demons that, by the sound of their voices, were too huge to fit into a large arena, let alone these small tunnels of the damned. They became louder, sounding as if they closed in upon him with speed that rivaled even the fastest unencumbered steed. Terror overtook the necromancer, and he turned the other way yet again to run back to the room of the slain cat-demon.
He returned to the room to find his golem in exactly the same spot, a sentinel of iron. Daghot ran to the center of the room and silence once again overtook the necromancer. He heard only his frantic steps and his heavy breathing as he darted in circles scanning every tunnel, awaiting oblivion to consume him in droves of demons. They never came.
Clutching his dagger, Daghot stalked down the tunnel where Tanyana had vanished, with his golem following closely. The only thing he heard now were the muffled moans of agony in the distance, the sounds of an eternity of damnation.
He followed the tunnel for what might have been hours, but was probably less than twenty minutes. In the distance, he saw something that gave him hope. For some reason, even though it was pitch-black, he saw Tanyana slowly walking around a room, looking this way and that as if lost. "Trang- Oul has blessed my sight," he thought as he made his way to his wayward companion. Tanyana saw him as well, and put a finger to her lips telling him to be silent. He nodded as she motioned for him to come to her. Quickly and quietly the necromancer closed the distance between them. The tunnel opened up into another room and as he passed through the threshold his surroundings changed. Tanyana was still in front of him, but not how he had seen a second ago. Now only her head was visible, half covered in blood, on a spike in the center of the room. Daghot screamed and his screams were answered by more screams of the damned.
He turned to run and ran straight into a wall of dead. Some ancient, some still decaying, and some fresh. He recognized Tanyana's arm was now part of the wall, complete with its artifical claw as he fell backward. Panicking, he scrambled back to his feet and his head whipped in all around, looking in everywhere for an escape route. Instead he found that this large room, perhaps seventy feet in all directions, was completely enclosed with walls of dead bodies. He began to shake in terror as he fell backward and landed on his rear. He sat there, enthralled by fear and helplessness.
A throne suddenly became visible, as well as its host. Rising to her feet was perfection personified, a naked woman of such sheer beauty that Daghot was dumbfounded. "Welcome, Daghot" she said in a voice that made the necromancer smile despite himself. The voice echoed repeatedly, each time waves of total pleasure overtook the necromancer. She walked slowly, sensually toward him as he just stared with empty eyes at her as his mouth hung open and smiling. "Welcome to my throne. I am Neventesia, and you belong to me now."
