The Karcist and the Lord
a S.C.P. Foundation Mythos x MGE crossover
Chapter 1: Prologe
1200-1000 BCE, Gyaros Island
Karcist Tundas was running down the intestinal-hall of the Bleeding Heart, flanked by five of his remaining Halkost, the others gone ahead of him. Despite having run for 3 hours nonstop through the quivering and bleeding muscle and flesh of his now dying sister cultist, he and the others with him barely felt tired, their bodies and minds having transcended normal human frailty with trials and tribulations that would make a normal man drop dead. Indeed, he himself felt like he would die, but by his will, he proved himself worthy time and time again of the blessings he had been bestowed by Ion himself. Now, for once, he was put in a no-win situation. Not once did he stumble or trip, despite having no eyes, having shed the need for normal sight to replace with an understanding of how the life force of that which lived flowed around him.
And it is all about to end because I was blind with pride! Hubris had blinded me to what was happening around me! He thought, remembering what led to his current predicament of running to the Shrine of Consumption in the Feeding Chambers, having seen to the evacuation of as many of his followers as he could ensure, the rest now buying time with their lives fighting the heathens of Mekhane and their allies.
Several weeks ago, Tundas was giving the charge of seeing to the maintenance and defense of the Bleeding Heart. It was an underground temple and fortress made from a woman Nalkacite priestess' body, as she was one of several remaining strongholds in the Aegean Sea that was created and held by the Nalkacite Cult. The Cult was formed from a slave revolt that a now dead empire known as the Daeva failed to take down, and was conquered by them. What gave them the edge was the stealing and making their own the secret and divine art of flesh crafting, allowing the enslaved populace to make themselves stronger through the consumption of their would be masters and their weaker peers. It was granted and taught to them by their leader and founder of the Nalkacite Cult, Ion the Grand Karcist, who defeated Yaldabaoth, then wore its skin as his armor, and from its body learned how to commit Theophagy, the literal devouring of a god and its power, which would cause the Cult to grow in power each time he succeeded in bringing his rival gods to the levels of mere mortals and enacting holy justice upon their wretched kind.
Upon learning of Yaldabaoths' defeat, the Archons who served her tried to restore the Old God by issuing the Six Ordeals, which not only were passed by Ion, but also taught him how to use his new found powers, much to their chagrin, who then attacked him and once again failed. Ion would then issue to his followers to never make a sacrifice to them, nor to fear the Archons, for for all their terrible power, they were undeserving of the love of humanity forever and ever more. As a result, they fell out of his notice, and left Earth itself.
Grand Karcist Ion would then go on to teach his servants what he had learned, as well as how to be free from the bondage of mortal limitations. Now armed with powers and weapons with which to arm themselves, they would rise up against those who opposed and considered naught but cattle, eventually founding the living city of Adytum, the capitol of their new empire, ruled alongside him by the four Klavigar, his most trusted servants, and some would say closest friends;
Nadox the Tongueless Speaker and All-Seeing Lord of Mysteries. He was a sage who spoke for peace and equality, and was unjustly punished for it by the Daeva who tortured him, cut out his tongue, sewed shut his mouth, then had him emasculated. Afterwards, they marked him with Symbol of Sufferers, meaning the poor and oppressed he spoke out for were required to torment, but never kill. As he wondered, now a pariah, he came to Ion, guided by a dream to show his savior his destiny. Ion and his followers had then showered him with mercy and loyalty, such that the broken and abused shadow of the sage that once was wept in joy.
Next was Lovataar, Most Desired by Ion, and Brood Mother. She was a Daeva Priestess and daughter of their royalty, who was visited in her bed chamber at night by the Grand Karcist himself, who had come due to his mutual infatuation with her, as she had tried and tried again to capture and bind him as a consort. Waves of slave-hunters were sent, none of whom returned, prompting Ion to visit her at night of his own accord for twelve days. He spoke with her softly with words meant only for her, and they both would then make the decision to leave her home, never to return.
The third Klavigar was the Brute Lord and Horned Beast known as Orok. Orok was yet another tortured soul like Nadok, enslaved to the whims of a Daeva Matriarch named Asvighosa, but in all other aspects, the two were as different as the sky and earth. Where Nadok was talented in the mystical and weak of limb, Orok was blessed with unnatural strength, speed, and power, but it came from being cursed from being experimented on by sorcerers and alchemists. Where Nadok where was shunned, Orok was respected only as a useful tool, used for nothing but his masters amusement as the greatest gladiator of his time, and as an enthralled guard. While Ion was conquering the city of Jel, which Orok and his master were residing in, the Grand Karcist freed Orok, who struck his would-be master, and joined Ion in his cause.
Finally, came Saarn, Coiled Shadow and Faceless One. She was a young house servant, who quietly her Daevite lords abuse throughout her life. When she finally had enough, she slew the lord and their entire family, but was caught and thrown into prison. While awaiting execution, Ion came to her cell, for the winds had whispered her actions to him. He would then liberate her, and tutored her in the art of assassination and stealth.
As the Daeva lost time and again to the Sarkic Cult, they would then flee from the whole of the earth, scattering to many realms, with only a single city-state left of their original holdings. Over the next few centuries, the Sarkics drew many into their Deathless Empire, prompting a war with the Hitties, who then fell like the Daevites, prompting Ion to spread the Empire to all the world. Then came the Mekhanites.
The Mekhanites were Greek worshippers of a Machine God named Mekhane, and had saw the Sarkic Cult as an apocalypse in the making. Calling forth and becoming the driving force for a coalition with the Egyptians, Mycenaeans, Minoans, Canaanites, Assyrians, and other foes. While initially winning, the use of mechanical abominations and fire and light-based weaponry would prove to be more then fatal to the organic and flesh-based arms and powers of the servants of Ion. However, despite this, the damage was done, and thus both sides had become trapped in downward spiral, not willing to pull back lest the other push forward.
And now the Bleeding Heart was under siege, a remnant of its forces sent to evacute another stronghold driven back and tracked to the island of Gyaros, were Karcist Tundas and the recently rescued Karcist Bola, with his own Halkost and fold in need of rest and respite from the heathens that pursued them. He entered the Feeding Chamber, where a congregation of those chosen to flee and preserve as much of the Brood and knowledge in the temple had gathered. He turned to Karcist Bola.
"Are you ready?" he asked, staring with what would've been eye contact, his voice gravelly and wet. Karcist Bola then turned to address his peer.
"I am." he answered in a deeper, more raw voice. Karcist Bola was a tall, with skin blackened with infectious diseases, and had claws which were bloody from his most recent bout of fighting. "I'll have the slaves sacrificed and open the portal.
**POV SHIFT**
Anna was standing guard at the village gate, and was examining her nails. She huffed in annoyance.
I swear, Janica is trying to prevent me from getting a man she thought, the Amazon swordwoman having been ever relegated to the back lines, or put on guard duty, or any other job that ended with her not been able to find a husband whenever the tribe went out to raid a village or Ares blessed them with news of an Order Crusade being declared. Seriously, I was only flirting with her husband for the reaction it'd got from him. No need to be such a sour puss- her thought were interrupted when she felt something stirring, as the latent spiritual and Demonic energy around the village was suddenly disrupted by... something. Then, she saw it.
A patch of the ground was suddenly bleeding. Blood pouring out from the grass, forming a red spot approximately the size of a house. Anna quickly turned to her partner.
"Ava, sound the alarm. Something is off about this."
"You mean other then the ground literally bleeding like a severed arm? Other then that, everything seems normal to me." Ava replied in a deadpan manner, before pulling a horn, and pausing when she looked back at the patch.
When Anna turned back, she saw movement within the puddle of blood, before a hand came out. It was gnarled and covered in spikes, but was clearly a woman's hand and arm that was emerging. As the woman in question crawled out, other figures were emerging, many of which were strangely, for lack of a better term on Annas part mutated and clearly sick, wearing what appeared to be a kind of armor that was made from bone and sinews. When one of them turned, it paused, staring with four eyes, each pale white or bleeding black blood. Then it barked out something to its closest companions, who suddenly turned and charged at the Amazon warriors.