Fani Mor
I have returned ^^ 4th instalment in the Eliza chronicles, takes place after the events of Hanstark in the recently discovered underground colony of Makuro. Sorry it starts off without any hint of how they got there, but I want to set a new chain of events off, and forget the Forgotten Warrior series.
The caverns were treacherous down here, No light got through the thick grasp of darkness. Eliza checked her Yoma senses for any sign of life, but she found none, except for bats and a couple of bugs. Ellen was petrified of the dark, but so far she had managed to keep it together for the sake of the group. The human instinct to protect oneself becomes clouded when in impenetrable darkness. Yvette followed close to Ellen. She hadn't said a word since they entered the colony, but Eliza sensed she was still with the group, so she proceeded with the mission.
Ellen felt her way along the walls. Glowing mushrooms provided some little light, which re-assured her.
'Hey Eliza' Ellen called 'Couldn't we collect these mushrooms and put them in a jar ?'
'Hm, The mushrooms won't provide much light, but sure, if that's what you want.' Eliza Replied.
Ellen Collected the mushrooms into a small pot, making a makeshift lantern. She shook the jar, which caused the mushrooms to give off a little bit more light. At last Ellen could see.
Makuro, recently discovered once more, was once a settlement thousands of years ago. It was spoke of in legends as being the Religious Epicentre in ancient society. The most important temples and churches were here, all Vicars and Priests went through Initiation here, to become better trained and gain knowledge. Many religions started here, and many religions ended here. Makuro was erased from history when an awakened being attack wiped out the city, but what is more worrying is the fact that the city is buried now, it once was an open aired metropolis, on the surface of Alphonse.
Rubel set the girls a mission, to scout Makuro and make safe travel to the great Temple of Mor, Better known in legend as 'Temple of Blood' for the fact a sacrificial cult operated from there, legends say the spirits of those sacrificed were contained within the great halls of the temple. If an awakened being was down here, surely that would be the place to find it.
Eliza felt her way to the exit of the tunnel. She could feel the air around her opening up, providing relief from the claustrophobic black of the tunnel.
Makuro was an open cavern, the roof of the cavern glowed with the mushrooms Ellen had collected, they acted as the Sun in the cavern, giving off an electric blue hue, making everything seem modern. Eliza looked around the cavern. The entire city was here, even the great Cathedral of Zaxovi, once heralded as the new religion, but soon the attack ended that following.
The great architecture had somehow remained intact, though pieces of builidngs had fallen off, and a few houses had begun the collapse under their own weight. Eliza turned to Ellen and Yvette.
'Ellen, Yvette, we're going to have to split up and search the area for any Yoma or Awakened being activity, I'm sure you can both handle any yoma, but if you find any trace of an Awakened Being, then call us, do not face it alone, unless you have a death wish.' Eliza colded instructed
'Okay Eliza' Ellen and Yvette responded
Ellen went towards the Cathedral of Zavoxi, Eliza went to the residential area of the city, and Yvette went to the Temple of Purity, once home to the Abonici religion, which still exists today.
Ellen quickly found the entrance to the Cathedral. The wooden door had decayed many thousands of years ago, leaving only the metal door frame, she stepped through and entered the church. She quickly equipped her Jar of Mushrooms so that she could provide herself with an assuring glow to spur her onward. She made her way towards a set of pews at the back of the church, the stink of decay was nauseating, which was unusual as any bio-organic matter would have decayed many years ago.
Yvette also found the entrance to her destination. Though the Temple of Purity had a large, marble door, which creaked open upon Yvette's push. The inside of the church shocked Yvette, the church interior was intact. Everything that once was the church furnishings had stayed intact, even tapestries, which should have decayed a long time ago. The door must have acted as some sort of airlock, prevent decay from occurring. Yvette made her way to the back of the cathedral toward the altar. She ran her fingers across the intricate fabric that lay upon the altar, it soothed her to feel something smooth and delicate. She walked over to the door which lead to the Temple Spire, when she heard a moan. The moan only lasted shortly, and was very quiet, but it scared her. She went through the door, and quickly closed it fast behind her.
Eliza entered a large family home. The remnants of toys and primitive cooking apparel remained within the home. There was a sorrowful sense of loss in the home, especially when Eliza found drawings the children had made for their parents. She left the home, encouraged to carry on and complete the mission. She entered a smaller home next to the large one.
This home felt cold, it felt unnatural. A stale, musky stench clung to the air. Eliza unsheathed her Claymore, and slowly walked to the living room. She stepped lightly, so as to not tread hardly on any floorboards. She walked into the living room, and checked it. Nothing, no signs of life anywhere. Simply rat droppings and the remains of a table. Eliza walked toward the staircase, she walked up them and walked toward the master bedroom. She cautiously opened the door, Pale light from the mushrooms lit her gaze. Across the room stood a figure, not moving. It stood without moving, not even breathing. Eliza quietly closed the door, not making a sound and turned towards the staircase. A disfigured, decayed face met her. It let out a piercing scream which shook Eliza to the bone. What was this thing ?
She grabbed her claymore and quickly cut off the creatures head. She knew that that creature had alerted any others that lived down here, so she must tread carefully. She inspected the corpse, more specifically the head, which looked a lot like a human face, but showed no signs of it being a yoma, because there was no purple skin, and the blood was red, not purple.
'This can't be' Eliza murmured to herself 'Oh my god, it's human… This thing was human…'
Eliza sheathed her weapon and crept down the staircase, she couldn't afford to alert any more of those things to where she is. She walked across the living room and exited the home.
Ellen clutched her nose, so she wouldn't have to stand the smell of decay, and walked through the Cathedral aisle. The altar was strange, as some form of red gloopy liquid clug to the fabric of the altar cover. She inspected the fabric when she heard a piercing scream. The scream pierced her eardrums making her ears ring awfully. Ellen felt dizzy from the mix of the smell and the noise. She made her way toward the exit when she heard a rushing sound from behind her. She unsheathed her claymore and swung, it caught the attacked under the ribs, cutting it in half. The stench became worse now. The attacker was already decomposing, which left green, disgusting pus all over her dynamo blade. She looked at the body, she looked at the face of the attacker. It looked human, but it was decayed and the flesh had become grey and loose. Suddenly, the attackers eyes opened. It reached out with its arms to try and grab Ellen, but she quickly dodged and struck it on the head with her heel, crushing its skull.
'What… The hell was that thing…' Ellen whispered.
Yvette found her way up the stairs to the Temple Spire. There was a large bell up here, and an open sided tower wall, which let her look out over the city. She looked towards the Temple of Mor, It had a menacing presence within the city, its architecture was different to any other temple within the city. It was jagged and red, unlike the flowing, white of the other temples. A scream rung in Yvette's ears, the bell behind her rung with the resonance of the scream.
'What the…' Yvette gasped 'That came from residential… Eliza what are you doing ?'
Yvette walked down the stairs toward the door to the temple altar. She opened the door, and walked toward the altar. She looked down the aisle, and it looked clear. She walked down the aisle toward the door. She grabbed the handle of the door and opened it. Shadows poured into the temple, knocking Yvette off her feet, she struggled to see past the dark. She tried getting up but her legs were numb, a chill travelled from her feet to her head, Yvette soon fell into unconscious.