Chapter 12
The House of the Damned
Spike's Interlude: Yes, this is THE next chapter of The Woodsman. Yesterday, due to large amounts of stress, I uploaded Chapter Twelve of Crimson Moon by mistake.
This problem has now been fixed and the correct chapter has now uploaded.
Apologies for any inconvenience and confusion caused by this mishap.
Night time had once again descended upon Dakeyras.
In this cover of darkness, in the many shadows, in the many darkened areas of the village, an evil force was brooding. Now that the sun had disappeared and been replaced with the shade of night, the village had now turned into the perfect setting. A perfect setting for a sinister evil to go about it's plans without any interference. A perfect setting for an evil force to make the village it's playground.
An evil force that was growing.....
The villagers had all retreated to their homes. Yet this retreat did not just come about from weariness brought upon from the day's activities. Nor was it just to escape the chill of the night air.
No, this retreat had only come through paranoia. The murderer whom had been threatening this village had not been forgotten. The threat of losing one's life was still a hideous probability as it had ever been. Hence the villagers, acting upon their own fears, had all fled to the safety of their houses. Nobody was courageous enough to take a step outside: Doing so would mean a death most ghastly.
But the villagers needn't have worried. There was no reason to be afraid. There was no murderer out tonight. There was no homicidal lunatic out stalking the darkened, empty streets of Dakeyras.
Instead, there were many shapes.
Many shapes - all of which being humanoid. All of these shapes moved with the quickest of movements and without pauses. All of these shapes kept in the cover of shadows. All of these shapes, whilst being humanoid, revealed the outline of a hood and robe....
All of these shapes were moving through the village.
To a certain house.
A certain house that stood on the outskirts of the village. A certain house that stood on it's own, a short distance away from the other buildings. A certain house that radiated with a sense of individuality from the other buildings that made up Dakeyras.
And it was this house that the hooded shapes were all heading for.....
One marched up to the front door. Pausing, the hooded form looked around. After making sure he truly was alone, he knocked on the door. Following that, he whispered a secret, forbidden word. Once he'd done that, the door was opened and the hooded form entered the world that lay within the walls of this house.....
Inside, a sea of these hooded forms gathered. Now that they were in light, they could be seen for what they truly were: They were human in form but each of their features were concealed by a magenta, hooded robe. Such a robe revealed nothing of the wearer's identity. These people were all members of a cult: A group of people made up from various people who called Dakeyras home. A group of people who had formed such a gathering underneath the nose of the village authorities. A group of people who were all planning something rather sinister......
Suddenly the room was rocked by the sound of a huge gong. At once, all the cultists ceased all sorts of chatter and fell into silence. A door on the far side of the room opened.
And in marched another member of the cult: He too was bedecked in a purple robe. But, unlike the others, he had his hood pulled down, revealing his face. But what a face! It was no face of a human being. Instead of flesh and blood, this newcomer had a bare skull! A bare skull stripped of all flesh! Even as this newcomer bore a horrific appearance, he still radiated with a sense of command. This was, without any a shadow of a doubt, the leader of the cult himself.
In his hands, he presented a basket full of disembodied body parts.
"Bretheren" the cult leader said in voice that was nothing more than a raspy whisper. A raspy whisper that was drier than a desert in the summer and it sounded as if the he had difficulty speaking - as if he had not spoken in a hundred years.
"Bretheren, the time of rebirth draws near!"
"Tonight is the night, that our great lord shall return to earth, to walk among us! The task of acquiring twelve souls necessary to seal the bargain has been achieved! And these souls shall make the sacrifice a reality! And our great lord will walk again, crushing all that dare stand before him! He will make the world a place of beauty and wonder! And we shall be the first chosen in this newly created utopia!
"Yes, tonight is the night! For the chosen one approaches even as I speak...."
Elsewhere, all around the village of Dakeyras, all was quiet. All the residents had gone to sleep, leaving Dakeyras silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Well, nearly all of the residents.
Zelgadis was brooding in his room, pondering on the day's events. Pondering on that conversation he had witnessed between Xelloss and that woman.....
Who was that woman? She seemed vaguely familiar....
The chimera racked his brains, trying to seek answers.....
In his time spent travelling with Lina, he could recall her saying very little of her past. Yet she said she used to be friends with a woman called Naga. Yet this Naga woman proved to be just as enigmatic and mysterious as Lina's past. What information Zel had of Lina's former travelling companion were only scraps of rumours. He couldn't be sure whether this information was fact or fiction. But what he did know was Naga was exceptionally tall, had a disposition made from greed and arrogance and an irritating laugh.
Well, if that mysterious woman was indeed Naga then that would certainly explain her dreadful laugh.....
Then Zel was struck by another thought: Amelia had mentioned various details about her long-lost sister Gracia. Although Amelia's memories of Gracia were hazy to say the least, she recalled enough of Gracia to say that she was of rather tall stature and had quite a loud, if frightening, laugh....
Zel blinked, as all the pieces fell into place: Could this Naga actually be Gracia.....?
That was a possibility. It would certainly explain why this Naga bore facial features reminiscent of Amelia.
And weirder things certainly have happened....
But even if Naga was Gracia that doesn't explain as to why Xelloss would want anything to do with Lina's former friend.....
Was this all part of Zelas' plan as well? Or was it part of Xelloss' intricate plans?
Dammit, what on earth was that blasted mazoku planning?
In any case, when it comes to Xelloss it's neither black or white, only shades of grey.
Wait.
Hold on.
What was that?
Zelgadis' ears pricked up at the sound of a noise.
A noise that came from the room that was right next door to his.
A noise that sounded like someone opening a door and heading out into the hallway.
Zel launched himself into action. That sound came right from Amelia's room!
He made his way over to the door and flung it open.....
Only to see a hooded figure disappear around the corner and out of sight.
Odd. Was that really Amelia? Why would she run off like that? Why would she run off like that in the middle of the night? And why would she run off like that without telling anyone else?
Does she know something no one else doesn't?
Zel made his way down the hallway. If his suspicions are correct, then he is caught right in the middle of something big. Something big that's taking place right in the middle of this village. Something big that can't be good.....
It seems that Dakeyras, like Xelloss and Naga, has it's own secrets hidden from all else.
In any case, if Zel is being led towards trouble, he needs to find some help.
And there was only one other person who'd probably be still awake at this hour.....
"This had better be good" Gourry said. "Good enough to drag me away from my meal!"
"Oh come on" Zel replied in hushed tones. "Those were just leftovers."
"Yes, but it's still food!" Gourry argued. "I don't want to leave any unfinished meals unfinished!
"Look we don't have time for this." Zel retorted. "This is not the time for arguing! We've got more important things to worry about....."
They both made their way through the darkened streets of Dakeyras, following the shape that, according to Zelgadis' claims, was Amelia. They kept their movements confined to the safety of the shadows, not wanting to get caught. Not wanting to get spotted. Not wanting to be seen.....
Not before they work what their quarry was up to at least.
"Are you sure that's Amelia?" Gourry whispered.
"Yes" Zel answered. "I'm certain of it!"
"What's she doing still awake?" the swordsman inquired. "And where's she going?"
"That's exactly what I would like to know...." the chimera growled.
"Why don't we ask her?" Gourry grinned.
"HEY AME...." Gourry began - before being cut off as Zel put his hand around the swordsman's mouth.
"Gourry, are you insane?!" Zelgadis snarled. "Are you trying to blow our cover?!?"
"....Err.....Yes?" Gourry said, his voice muffled through Zelgadis' hand. "You did want to know why Amelia is heading off this way right?!"
The chimera sighed.
Meanwhile up ahead, Amelia was moving on, heading for a certain house. A certain house lying on the outskirts of town. A certain house that Kurt directed her to. A certain house where, according to the enigmatic young man, would provide a cure for her condition.
However there was, as is always the case when dealing with dealings such as that, strings attached: Amelia, under no circumstances was to tell any of her friends about this revelation. And she was to come alone and not to ask any questions about this unusual discovery.
With such conditions, it was with little surprise that Amelia was consumed with doubts.
Who was this Kurt? Why did he suddenly show up with the prospects for a cure? And how the Hell did he know about her ill-health? Could he be trusted? He didn't seem the warm, friendly and trustworthy type. In fact, despite his charming demeanour, he seemed somewhat.....
...peculiar.
Peculiar in his appearance: While he sported a well-groomed and indeed sophisticated appearance, it was directly contrasted by the oddity that was his spectacles: They were like nothing Amelia had seen before! Hell, they weren't even called spectacles! They were just two circular lenses held together by two nails driven in through a weather-beaten, rotting scrap of wood!
Equally peculiar was how he showed up right at the exact time when she was struck by her recurring nightmare was his offer. And how he unexpectedly offered help right when she needed it. He knew how Amelia could find a cure to her condition. But, in order to obtain this fabled cure, all she had to do was turn up at a certain house. At midnight and by herself.
Consequently, Amelia found herself pondering on what she had gotten herself into. Indeed, she felt terrible that she had to move off, into such a seedy situation without telling anybody else. It wasn't like her to be doing dealings with such characters of suspicious motivation and the type who show up out of nowhere seeming to know everything about her. It wasn't like her to turn away from her friends like that.
But in any case, the ends always justifies the means. If this little scam involved a cure then this is one opportunity she didn't want to miss.
And besides, this was her fight. And one she would have to do alone. One she would have to do without the power of Lina's spell-casting ability, the skill of Gourry's swordplay and Zelgadis' exceptional fighting skills.
This was the only opportunity, so far, to get her hands on a cure. And it was as good as any other. And as it's her choice, she will see this through on her own.
By this time Amelia had finally reached the house. And there it was: It stood on it's own, at the very edge of the town. Considering it was a fair distance away from the rest of Dakeyras, it certainly radiated with suspicion. And it certainly looked conspicuous enough.....
But if it did promise a cure, then this place is as good as any other....
Amelia shrugged and made her way up to the front door. She knocked three times, just as Kurt instructed her to, upon it's weather-beaten surface.
For a while nothing happened.
Then the door slowly opened. Light spilled in from the house itself onto the hooded princess. Amelia blinked and squinted at the light, as her eyes adjusted to this change in situation. Eventually, she could make out the world that offered itself on the other side of the door.
Somebody, whether it was a man or a woman Amelia couldn't tell, stood before the princess with their features completely concealed by a magenta robe. Yet this did nothing to reassure Amelia that was doing the right thing.
"Welcome" a voice from the robe said. "We've been expecting you."
"Err.....thanks" Amelia said, now growing more suspicious with each passing moment.
Amelia was allowed to step inside....
....wherein she was confronted with a scene that defied all meaning of sanity.
There, standing before her was a whole group of people - each with their features hidden by the distinctive magenta robe. They were all gathered in this room which was lit by a whole lot of candles. They were all gathered in two rows, in a fashion that made a walkway. They had all gathered at the foot of a staircase. A staircase that led up a sphere of blue blazing light. A sphere of blue blazing light that was held in place by a plinth made from the blackest of iron.
Needless to say, Amelia was more suspicious than ever. What had she gotten herself into here? These people certainly don't look like the friendly type!
Better get out of here! And quick!
Amelia donned an embarrassed expression.
".....Ah....I'm sorry there must be some sort of mistake here.....I must be in the wrong house"
"Oh no you're not" said the hooded figure, who let Amelia in. "We know you've come in search for a cure. And we are here to offer it to you."
Amelia blinked. That was hardly reassuring.....
Well from the looks of it, it would be fair to say that she's encountered yet another goon squad. Man, it would appear that she has a terrible habit of running into idiots of this calibre.....
Oh well, no one said the life of a Champion of Justice would be easy.
"Oh yeah?" she said, her voice reeking with suspicion. "And where pray tell is this cure?!"
"It is waiting for you at the top of the staircase." Said the hooded figure, raising a hand and gesturing towards the sphere.
"You call that a cure?!?" the princess yelled. "That doesn't look like anything a cure!?"
The hooded figure, slapped it's forehead. Man, Kurt said this fool would be persuaded! He didn't say anything about her being a sceptic!
"See that sphere?!" the hooded figure said in exasperation. "Your cure is inside!"
Amelia sighed. It seems that she's truly stepped into the hands of some cult. What's worse still is that this cult seemed unlikely to provide a cure. Immediately, Amelia's high hopes came tumbling down with a tremendous crash. It would appear she was right to doubt the enigmatic Kurt....
Oh well, might as well play along. What choice did she have? She was trapped in a room with a bunch of cultists. Who knows what they might do if she refused? Besides she can't take this lot on by herself!
Sighing Amelia began marching towards the plinth. She made her way slowly through the walkway made up of the rows of cultists and ascended the stairs. Even as she did so, she could still feel a sense of doubt. What was she doing here, being an unwilling co-conspirator to some cult whilst no-one else knew where she was? Was she doing the right thing here? Was she just a pawn in a sinister plot? There was no way she could back out this is there?
Dammit, where were Lina, Gourry and Zelgadis when she needed them?!
By now, Amelia had finally made it to the top of the staircase. She now found herself staring into the extraordinary blue light that radiated from the sphere. Even now Amelia wondered if there still was any way to escape this situation.....
She reached out to touch it....
Then all of a sudden she found herself being pulled into the sphere! Some force that was residing in the sphere had somehow got a hold of her and was pulling her into the depths of the sphere! She tried to break free but to no avail! She found herself being pulled into the sphere, against her will! And no amount of struggling would change that!
It didn't take long before she was pulled into the sphere completely....
Suddenly the sphere glowed with blue light. Now that the sphere had the princess in it's possession, things started to happen: The sphere began to move. It rumbled and shook, growing more and more unstable with each passing second! Within moments, the sphere sent lightning bolts across the room and shook from the confines of the iron plinth.
All of a sudden, without warning, the sphere exploded! Exploded into dust! Exploded into a cloud of blue smoke! Exploded with a sinister, bestial roar....
Down below, the leader of the cult pulled down his hood - to reveal a sinister grinning skull. A skull that grinned with the sense of pure victory.
"Bretheren" the necromancer known as Adolphus said with absolute triumph. "We have succeeded. The great lord has arrived. The time of rebirth is now...."