Chapter Four. R'yloth K'than Shuggarath Lives!
I managed to escape the House of the Black Lotus unseen and set off back through The Black Mews. The sun had set and the ancient borough was dark and silent. There was no street lighting evident but I had no trouble making my way as the light of the full moon lit my path sufficiently. There was no one abroad on the ancient cobbled streets, the houses and establishments were dark and shuttered, but I had the distinct feeling that I was being watched. I drew my revolver, deriving some small measure of comfort from the feel of the weapon in my hand. At some point I must have taken a wrong turn, I emerged in a sector of The Black Mews wherein the ancient buildings had a wholly different appearance to those I had noted earlier, this area had a distinctly medieval aspect to it. Upon exiting a dank alleyway I chanced upon an open Common, the Common was ringed on three sides by trees which were stunted and deformed, the grass was long and withered and in the moonlight appeared to be a deep blood red. There was a stone circle in the center of the blasted heath surrounding a tall intricately carved monolith, the standing stones bore a superficial resemblance to Stonehenge, but the arrangements were far more complex, and the geometries involved subtly alien. The monoliths were carved with patterns and strange hieroglyphs and there was an overwhelming sense of great antiquity about the megalith, predating even the Druids.
The moon disappeared behind the clouds and it was then I noticed a dim light inside the stone circle, surrounded by shadowy figures performing what I took to be a pagan ritual. I quickly concealed myself in a narrow stone stairway that led down to a basement door, as two of the bizarre, black hatted, black robed, long beaked bird masked figures emerged from between the monoliths, lanterns in one hand, staffs in the other, flanking a tall figure dressed in black robes and elaborately embroidered vestments. A line of the degenerate Mews inhabitants filed out behind the three figures and the procession entered the alleyway I had just traversed. I slipped out of my concealment and followed at a discreet distance and in a few minutes I found myself back in the main thoroughfare. The strange procession entered the tavern, the establishment from which had issued the disturbing music and repellent chanting I had heard on my earlier journey through the Mews. The place was dimly lit and someone inside was orating loudly in the strange language, it sounded like the intoning of a ritual or prayer, the establishment was obviously no tavern but some kind of Stygian tabernacle. I made haste back to the well lit streets of a more familiar part of the city. As I neared the streets of the Chinese district proper, I again had an intense feeling of being observed, I turned back and saw two of the black clad, long beaked bird masked figures bearing staffs, standing in the cobbled street behind me, I hurried my step but they made no attempt to follow. Were these the bizarre "constables" that patrolled the cobbled Roman streets of the degenerate Mews? I pondered on the enigma of this bedeviled place as I made my way, ancient pagan cults, degenerate, debased inhabitants, how could this decrepit borough exist unsuspected in modern day 19th century London? I had certainly been unaware of its existence as were most Londoners I was sure, but I assumed someone in a position of authority must surely know of this accursed place.
At length I found myself back in the brightly lit crowded thoroughfares of London and within ten minutes I chanced upon a patrolling constable. I waylaid the man and entreated him to return to Scotland Yard with all haste to fetch Paxton and Barnsley and as many constables as could be mustered. The policeman at first thought I was some half-crazed drunkard and was obviously humouring me, and given my appearance I thought not without justification. I was brandishing a revolver, my face was begrimed, my clothing was dirty and disordered, the false whiskers had come unglued and were hanging askew, the results of my experiences in the Black Mews and the House of the Black Lotus. I finally managed to convince the skeptical policeman that I wasn't a crazed madman, and that this was indeed a matter of life and death. He departed to fetch the detectives and reinforcements, bearing a short note to deliver to Paxton telling of what I had witnessed, imploring him to make all haste if we were to save the latest victim, and to ensure that they were well armed as our foes probably had the advantage over us. I retreated to a nearby tavern, The Horse and Hound, to await their arrival and to fortify myself.
After downing two stiff measures of whisky I returned to the street and after about fifteen minutes Paxton, Barnsley and five constables arrived. They had heeded my warning, both men were armed with revolvers and Barnsley had also brought a double barreled shotgun. I thought that Paxton would remonstrate me for taking matters into my own hands rather than taking what I had to him, but Paxton was so happy he finally had a concrete lead in his case that he didn't even mention it, "I thought I may have to consult that Holmes fellow that Lestrade consults on a regular basis. Damned if I wanted to though, he solves most of Lestrade's difficult cases for him, the man's gotten lazy, he hardly does any real detective work anymore." Paxton explained.
I gave the detectives a brief account of what I had witnessed at the House of the Black Lotus and we made our way back to the opium den through The Black Mews with all possible haste, yet I feared we may be too late to save the latest victim of these inhuman monsters in human guise. We banged on the door of the House of the Black Lotus and Liu T'sing admitted us. Paxton left constables McCallany and Burgess to clear the establishment and with the assistance of Liu T'sing they began the task of rousing the clientele from their opium induced stupor and evacuating them. Constables Lynch, Haise and DeLarge accompanied us as we made our way, weapons in hand, through the corridors to the storeroom that housed the secret stairway to the temple. We arrived at the underground lair to find it apparently deserted. Most of the lamps had been extinguished, only a few Chinese lanterns gave a dim illumination.
The heavy wooden door to the antechamber was open and inside eleven of the K'than werein some form of hypnotic, meditative state. The atmosphere was thick with a cloying, sickly sweet incense, and dimly illuminated by lanterns. The K'thanwere arranged in a circle around a jade/obsidian statue, twelve feet in height that dominated the centre of the antechamber. They were sat crossed legged on silk cushions, their hands folded in their laps, eyes closed. We became aware of a continuous muted humming, far too deep to be made by human vocal chords emitting from the eleven K'than, the humming rose and fell in pitch in precisely timed cycles as we stood listening. We raised our weapons but the K'than did not appear to register our presence, they were deep in a hypnotic trance. The aspect of the statue they surrounded was disturbing to the eye, but it also had a dark beauty to it. It depicted two mighty creatures locked in a death struggle. A bipedal creature carved in jade, roughly humanoid in shape though scaly and grotesque, with a pulpy, rounded octopoid head, a profusion of short tentacles in place of a mouth, and I realised this was a three dimensional representation of the complete creature from the K'thuy'lhu head sketch in St. Etienne's notes. The scaled body was stood upon muscular legs with reptilian, three toed, splayed feet. A cylindrical, millipede like beast, sculpted in black obsidian was coiled around one muscular leg, up around the green scaled torso and it's blunt rounded head was reared up like a cobra ready to strike at the jade creature's head. The black beast I recognised as a Shoggoth from St. Etienne's description. The K'thuy'lhu/Cthulhu creature had the Shoggoth in the grip of its powerful four fingered hand, just below its enemy's head, holding back the fatal strike. There was nothing about the statue to indicate the true scale of these unearthly combatants, but the overwhelming impression was of two mighty behemoths, a clash of titans. The detail of it was minutely intricate, the work of a master craftsman. Even though they had obviously been carved from separate stones, the two creatures were intertwined seamlessly, the skill of the artistry suggested that it had been carved from but a single stone.
Beyond this statue was another barred door, maybe this was where St. Etienne was being held. Paxton and Barnsley kept the K'than covered as I made to investigate, yet they still didn't seem at all aware of our presence. I opened the door and was hit by an overwhelming stench, this though was an all too human foetor, corruption, unwashed bodies, stale sweat, faeces and urine. This room was in total darkness so I fetched one of the lanterns, and it was a shocking sight that met my eyes. The small room was filled with grotesquely deformed men and women. They had severely malformed heads, bodies and limbs, which were covered in suppurating tumorous growths, they appeared to be afflicted by the same disease as Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man. I retreated from the room and Inspector Paxton favoured me with an enquiring glance, I handed him the lantern and took his place covering the unmoving K'than with my revolver. Paxton ventured inside the room and emerged white faced and grim countenanced, the nauseating sight had conveyed the true horror of the situation far more effectively than my words could have done. We left the antechamber and quietly closed and barred the heavy door, the K'than had not moved at all.Except for the K'than priest the Shoggothi were securely contained.
I pointed to the screened off section of the temple, "That's where the woman was taken" I whispered and we pushed through the screens to confront what lay beyond. The nauseating sight we beheld nearly robbed me of my sanity right then and there. To describe the utter alien monstrosity of the thing, obviously no product of terrestrial evolution, to someone who hadn't seen it is a difficult task, mere words could never convey the corpulent malignancy of this abomination from the stars.
A chorus of muttered oaths sounded from my fellows as they beheld this horrific scene, Constable Lynch made the sign of the cross and grasped a crucifix hanging about his neck.
The central body was reminiscent of a common slug, about twenty feet in length and six feet in diameter, tapering to about two feet in diameter at the tail which divided into two long flexible spines (which called to mind the tail of a centipede) from which sprouted short feathery growths. It had a pattern of mottled dark green patches on its back, which was covered in short, thorny spines ranging from between eight inches in length to eighteen inches. From the top of the head protruded three sensory appendages in a triangular arrangement, one in front two behind, very similar in appearance to the eyestalks of a common garden snail or slug. From the snout dangled whiskery tendrils. It had the same semi-translucent appearance as St. Etienne's diseased torso, a gelatinous quality combined with a slug-like texture.
It rested in a circular, beslimed nest formed from some noxious secretion. Half a dozen of the semi-rigid, thorny spines on its back, which could apparently be extended and retracted from the mass were attached to six bulging organic shapes arranged about the walls which I realised with horror were its victims which had been cocooned around the rancid, pestiferous nest. Where the semi-rigid appendages entered the cocoons, they splayed out into multiple thin black strands and my blood went to ice when I saw these strands were inserted into every one of the victim's bodily orifices. Their skin had become pale grey and translucent and I saw that these strands were inserted into all the bodily organs. The spines pulsed with unearthly green light flashes, the pulses "travelling" from victim to beast. They were being broken down at a cellular level and "transmitted" to the beast by the green pulses, which were I thought, some form of electrical energy. It didn't seem as if the beast was digesting them more like absorbing them as "information" - the All Knowing Beast? The facial features of the victims appeared strangely melted. As I scrutinised one of the victims whose pigment hadn't yet been leached, obviously a later victim than the barely human translucent things, the dead eyes opened.My heart skipped a beat, he was still alive. The poor devil tried to scream but couldn't because his mouth was full of the loathsome tendrils. He struggled and strained but the cocoon was made of strong stuff. I vomited copiously and judging from the sound behind me so did some of my companions.
I realised this was the hideous "Communion" St. Etienne had spoken of. The most recent victim had been cocooned but the creature had not as yet begun the process, she appeared to be unconscious, but it wasn't too late to save her. To be "absorbed" alive by this foul creature, cocooned in its rancid nest whilst it slowly breaks you down and consumes the very essence of your being, the poor devils must have been quite insane before they finally perished.
The twelfth K'than, the "priest" was standing in front of this unholy creature. The beast's head was raised up level with the K'than's head, which was enveloped by the thin, whiskery tendrils which extended from the snout of the thing. These tendrils also pulsed with the sickly green light, the light pulses "traveled" along the tendrils giving the impression of something being transmitted from the beast to the K'than. I turned to my companions, they were very pale, almost grey in pallor, as I imagined I must be too. We looked at each other in bewilderment, this was a situation that we couldn't have imagined in our worst nightmares. Even the hardened detectives and policemen were at a loss as to how to proceed, their training could never have prepared them for this. We met each other's gaze in silence, each of us looking for an answer in the eyes of our companions. The damned wretch struggled to free himself, his eyes pleading with us for help.
Unable to bear the horror of the victims futile efforts to escape, or his muffled screams any longer Paxton aimed his revolver at this poor devil and immediately the man stopped his panicked struggling and blinked his eyes twice, giving his consent. "May God have mercy on all our souls" and with that he fired two rounds into the fellows heart, with precise accuracy, the poor devil was dead instantly. This had an immediate effect, the whiskery tendrils enveloping the K'than's head abruptly grew dark and withdrew back into the body, leaving only short "whiskers" dangling from the snout, the beast had registered our presence, though it was unable to move as it was anchored to its victims. The thin strands in the victim's orifices began to withdraw, and one by one the appendages were slowly withdrawn back into its body, leaving only the short thorny spines protruding. The K'than revived abruptly as it also became aware of our presence.
The K'than priest snarled and uttered an oath as it turned and leaped toward me, intent on doing me harm. It was a shock to see those alien eyes that gleamed with an unearthly light, in close proximity, and an icy shiver ran down my spine. I shot the repellent creature in the chest at point blank range and it staggered backwards a few steps before recovering, the wound which would have been instantly fatal for any mortal man, spurted a thick, black viscous ichor instead of blood. The loathsome thing again sprang at me whereupon Paxton shot it several times in the back. Unbelievably it rose again, the foul ichor dripping from its wounds as it turned and sprang towards Paxton with a demented shriek of rage. Paxton shot the creature and Barnsley emptied both barrels of his shotgun into its torso. The K'than was jolted backwards but it did not go down, Barnsley hurriedly reloaded. Paxton aimed his revolver at the thing's head and fired, his last round, the shot penetrated its left eye which exploded in a spray of black gore. The foul thing let out a deep roar of rage and again attacked, St. Etienne had been correct when he stated the Shoggoth's were nearly indestructible, if bullets couldn't stop it what would?
Barnsley aimed his shotgun at its head and fired both barrels at point blank range, the K'thans head disintegrated in a spray of grue and black ichor and it slumped to the ground the diabolical "priest" was finally dead.
A loud pounding came from the antechamber, the K'than had revived from their hypnotic state and were trying to smash through the heavy wooden door.
The beast had retracted all the thorny appendages and rose up as if to challenge us. On the underside of its central mass I perceived a large sphincter which opened to reveal a cycloid orifice surrounded by loathsome tendrils that writhed continuously, a high pitched mewling screech of rage issued from the obscene orifice. I emptied my revolver into the hideous creature, four shots, which had no effect whatsoever on the unearthly monstrosity, the bullets were harmlessly absorbed by the gelatinous mass.
The unarmed constables wielded their Billy clubs, but there was nothing they could do against this monstrosity and Paxton waved them back. Barnsley fired both barrels of his shotgun into the thing, with no apparent effect. He reloaded and aimed at it trying to hit one of its sensory appendages and on his second shot he hit his mark, the top of the sensory organ exploded with a spray of thick slime and the damaged appendage retracted into the head as did the unharmed ones. The abomination thrashed about wildly as a hideous mewling scream of pain issued from its oral orifice. Barnsley dropped the shotgun, he must have exhausted his supply of shells. Paxton taking advantage of the thing's distraction, ran past it into the nest and ripped the unmolested victim from her cocoon, which obviously hadn't yet hardened to the same consistency as the other cocoons. Barnsley drew his pistol and shot repeatedly at the abomination hoping to keep it distracted. Paxton threw the slime covered body over his shoulder and ran back past the beast, as Barnsley's revolver clicked on empty cylinders. Paxton's act of bravery was the most selfless thing I have ever witnessed another human being perform, the man is a true hero in every sense of the word, I couldn't have summoned up the courage to risk my life the way he did and I was no coward. He took her to the chamber entrance and laid her down gently. After reloading, Paxton came back and fired two more shots at the creature, but the bullets had little effect. The enraged creature again rose up to attack, the tendrils surrounding the cycloid orifice became semi-rigid and extended from the mass toward us. Paxton yelled for everyone to retreat and we turned and ran for the temple entrance.
I heard a loud scream, the slimy, probing tendrils had wrapped themselves around the unfortunate constable Lynch who was just behind me and were dragging him inexorably toward the hideous abomination's orifice. At the same time Paxton was seized by a grasping tendril around his leg, which hastily released its grip, possibly due to the heat of the muzzle flash as Paxton emptied his revolver into the vile appendage at point blank range. Barnsley and I seized Lynch by the arms, we struggled in vain to release the man from the beast's deadly embrace but more pseudopods were groping toward us and we had to release our grip, lest the monstrosity capture us as well. "We must retreat Barnsley, there's nothing more we can do for this poor devil" I shouted at the sergeant. Paxton had reached the temple entrance, followed closely by Haise and DeLarge, and he entreated Barnsley and I to hasten our escape. We ran for the entrance, the muffled screams of the doomed Lynch rang in our ears as he was slowly consumed by the diabolical creature's hideous oral orifice.
I was only ten metres from the entrance of the chamber that housed the monstrosity, when I felt something wrap around my legs, one of the feeding tendrils had me. I was pulled off my feet and dragged feet first towards that obscene orifice. Barnsley took hold of me and tried to pull me back, in vain, the creature's strength was herculean. More tendrils were approaching Barnsley, "Save yourself man, I'm done for, there's no need for us both to become a repast for this thing" I shouted at the sergeant and reluctantly he let go and raced for the temple entrance. The creature dragged me slowly towards i's upright form, but the creature did not feed me into its cycloid orifice as it had the ill-fated constable Lynch, instead the tendrils relented their grip slightly and placed me upright on my feet in front of R'yloth K'than Shuggarath, the All Knowing Beast. The short whiskery tendrils around the snout extended and enveloped my head, a feeling of intense panic overcame me as the slimy sensory appendages engulfed my face, I struggled to escape, but it was in vain, the grasping tendrils held me in an iron grip. The panic subsided slightly as I realised I was able to breathe normally. I felt a strange rhythmical pulsing sensation, and the sickly green light exploded in my head and faded, in time with the rhythmic pulsing. I perceived a "voice" inside my mind, at first faint and indistinct, slowly becoming louder, and I realised with a shock that made my blood run cold that the "voice" was speaking my name. It had a hissing, sibilant quality and although distorted, it was unmistakably the voice of my old friend. St. Etienne's "paranoid delusion" had been no delusion at all, he had undergone the foul metamorphosis he had spoken of, how could I have known? A small vestige of my old friend's consciousness still survived within the monstrosity and was communicating with me, St. Etienne's strong will was resisting the alien mind of the parasitical beast "God" from the void. "Fffinssshh" the voice "spoke" and at the same time I beheld images that shook my already tenuous grip on sanity.
I perceived the passage of untold aeons, the elemental aether, an inky black void, the vast dark emptiness between galaxies and distant constellations never observed by the telescopes of earthly astronomers. Beneath a lurid green sky, a colour no human eye had ever beheld, I "saw" a vast ancient stone city, deserted and derelict millennia before primitive life arose on Earth, the waves of a blood red sea lapped at its befouled shores. The architecture of this decrepit stone city followed no earthly laws of geometry, the impossible, insane angles of the non-Euclidean geometric system employed in the construction of the sky-flung monoliths was disturbing to the eye. Strange stygian temples and towering statues of grotesque creatures, the products of an infernal evolutionary process, lined the irregular avenues and plazas. Representations of strange unearthly "Gods", unspeakable beings, their hideous forms unimaginable in even the most fevered nightmare delirium. The profane names of these abominations echoed in my mind as I beheld their repulsive, inhuman visages: Cthulhu, Yog Sothoth, Shub Niggurath, Dagon, Tsathoggua. The "voice" of St. Etienne echoed in my head, "Fffinssh you musst dessstroy usss, ussss iss pppreparing to sssspawn, tthere wwill be thoussssands of uss, and usss wwill devourrr all lifesss and leavess thisss wworld a lifelesss desertss".
Many scourged alien worlds did I "behold" all lifeless and barren, ravaged by R'yloth K'than Shuggarath and its foul spawn, only the mouldering, beslimed ruins of great cyclopean cities remained, infested by thousands of the beast's loathsome nests and surrounded by blasted plains of ash, slag and clinker. "Ffire isss thhe only wweaponss thatss can hharm ussss". I perceived an ancient Chinese village which I "knew" was Zhengyu. Inside a temple was a large nest holding the earlier incarnation of R'yloth K'than Shuggarath, the spines on its back were extended out in all directions, many victims had been cocooned into the walls and ceiling of the nest and were undergoing the hideous "Communion". The cocooned remains of former victims were withered, mummified husks, totally consumed in the unspeakable, parasitical/symbiotic union, only dried leathery skin and bones remained. I "saw" the Western Zhou Emperor Wu's army attack Zhengyu, slaughtering the Shoggothi and putting their diseased God to the torch over two thousand years ago. I "saw" a vast field of crucified Shoggothi on the Plains of Leng which the Chinese soldiers set afire. Ahideous moaning and wailing arose from the burning creatures. As the crosses burned some of the Shoggothi fell to the ground and these, still burning fiercely, rose and attacked the emperor's troops. Laughingsoldiers shot the burning Shoggothi full of arrows.
This was the "Spiritual Enlightenment" that my old friend had pursued so relentlessly since our university days. In it lay no comfort or reward as promised by the Christian religions, only terror and madness. It revealed the true nature of the universe and our place in it. The human race are less than vermin to the Elder Gods. "Go nowww Finssh, briinng fire beffore usss sspawnsss"
With that the whisker-like sensory tendrils withdrew from my head, the feeding tendrils released their grip and I was free, they pushed me insistently toward the chamber entrance. The room was suddenly filled with an icy, alien presence, and I knew my old friend was finally gone. I bolted for the doors as the grasping tendrils again tried to capture me, I knew if they succeeded I would undoubtedly end up in the belly of the beast. Paxton and Barnsley had barred the doors to the chamber, and I pounded on them as I yelled for release, "Paxton, unbar the doors, its Finch, for God's sake unbar the doors man", with that the bar was removed and I fell through. Paxton and Barnsley replaced the wooden bar across the doors of the large chamber. "Barnsley fetch oil and torches, we must burn this diseased place to the ground fire is the creature's only vulnerability". Barnsley looked to Inspector Paxton who nodded, "With all haste sergeant, round up as many reinforcements as you can muster. Haise, DeLarge, fetch an ambulance for this poor soul". With that Barnsley departed taking Haise and DeLarge with him. I knelt down beside the beslimed woman and felt her pulse, it was regular, she was breathing shallowly, she was unconscious but hadn't suffered any injury the creature had not begun the profane "Communion". She had suffered through a terrifying, traumatic experience, but she hadn't been physically harmed. The creature began attacking the barred doors, pieces of timber splintered, were ripped free and tossed aside.
The beast would tear the doors apart in a matter of minutes. We retreated back through the narrow corridor, carrying the unconscious woman. The beast itself was too large to navigate the cramped corridor although its questing pseudopods continued to follow us, I was unsure how far the appendages could reach. Paxton found a pile of old newspapers beneath the concealed stairway, and he hastily made a fire on the floor of the corridor with a tinderbox he removed from a jacket pocket. The creature's appendages retreated back toward the chamber when they encountered the fire. For the moment we were safe. We could hear the beast's frenzied thrashing as it sought to escape the chamber, destroying the dais, the altar and other fittings in its temple.
Presently Barnsley and a contingent of constables arrived with barrels of oil and flaming torches. Constables DeLarge and Haise picked up the unconscious woman and carried her up the cramped stairway to a waiting ambulance. We entered the chamber through the wrecked doors, using the torches to fight back the beast, and the oil was splashed all around the wood paneled temple. One of the constables was caught unawares as he was performing his task and he was seized and dragged toward the beasts quivering orifice, I sprang forward and thrust a burning torch onto the grasping pseudopod, which quickly released its grip and the young policeman was free. We saw that the creature had increased greatly in size in the forty minutes it had taken Barnsley to return with the oil and torches, the thing was going to spawn and I understood that if this occurred, we would have a devil of a time escaping alive let alone finding them all and ensuring their destruction. The spawn were nearly as deadly as the full grown creature upon birth, but they wouldn't be contained by the chamber as their fully grown progenitor was. The loud pounding on the barred anteroom door continued, as the K'than tried to escape, their strength was massive, the heavy wooden door was beginning to splinter and at this rate they would soon smash through the door and be free.
The beast reared and attacked but was driven back by our flaming torches, venting its rage and frustration with a squealing, hissing screech. The task was complete and Paxton, with an unprintable oath, hurled a burning torch at the abomination. We all threw our torches into the oil drenched temple and retreated to the entrance. The chamber was well ablaze and the beast caught fire with a hideous sizzling sound. The creature writhed and contorted in its death agonies as it tried in vain to escape the flames and every manjack of us there clutched our heads in pain as unearthly, squealing, shrieking screams exploded inside our heads. The hideous mewling screams slowly faded and I felt blood drip from my nose onto my shirt. Every one of us had nosebleeds from the pressure of the beast's dying screams inside our heads. An inhuman, eerie wailing sounded from the imprisoned K'than Shoggothi as they were slowly cremated with their verminous God. With an almighty crash the splintered door of the burning antechamber exploded outwards in a shower of sparks and flaming wooden shards, one of the Shoggothi emerged, burning fiercely, and it slowly staggered toward the entrance. The flaming K'than fell to the ground, and unbelievably the creature rose and again staggered toward us, before falling again and finally succumbing to the flames. The ceiling was now ablaze, the fire was starting to spread through the corridor and the concealed wooden stairway had caught alight, the whole establishment would soon be ablaze. Paxton took hold of my arm, "Come man, we must evacuate or we will share the beast's demise". With one last glance at the burning monstrosity I had once called friend, I followed Paxton and his men through the maze of corridors and out onto the street in front of the House of the Black Lotus, and we watched the ruins burn.
Paxton and I explored the smoking ruins once the blaze had burnt itself out. The creature was shriveled and blackened, obviously dead, the remains of the beast's victims had been incinerated as had the twelve K'than. We poured more oil on the remains and again set it ablaze to obliterate it completely and irrevocably. The foul stench of the burned monstrosity was overwhelming, and one of Paxton's men was vomiting in the corner. The night's work was done, the abomination would take no more victims. Yet I knew there was still one last task to perform before it was finally over.