Chapter 34:
Part 3:
Keeah frowned a little kneeling in front of the tattered robe, sifting through it with the tip of her katana. Soon she found what she had been looking for, a set of gold manacles embossed with strange archaic symbols, the scent of an elusive evil still wafted from the ornament that lay so innocently amongst the folds of the ancient garment. Behind her Suraco drew a sharp breath.
"That's the fifth one. " His voice was strained.
Keeah frowned. "Hmm. Let's keep moving. "
"That's all very well Princess. " Sotisku limped up beside her. "But, we simply have to take a break and treat our wounds a little before moving on, otherwise, we will be pushing ourselves too hard. "
Keeah sighed. Sotisku was right. The last fight had not gone well. Suraco had been right when he said that they had taken the first lich by surprise because the other four they encountered were remarkably hard to get past. The foul creatures held onto whatever semblance of life they had with a pugnacious tenacity that was at once frustrating and disturbing; their attacks fuelled by their primal urge to remove something that they considered as a threat to their survival.
All of them were wounded; sporting dark bruises on their bodies. Taasha had an especially nasty cut on his forehead, which bled copiously, wetting the linen strip that Sotisku had tied over it as a makeshift bandage. He was looking rather pale and Keeah realized that even though he did not say anything he was beginning to feel a little faint from the loss of blood.
She looked up and down the stretch of tunnel they were currently in. The semi dark serpentine corridor was deceptively quiet, but she knew better. There was a blind curve around both the ends and frankly she had no intention of being surprised by something that might lurk just beyond the corner. Besides that tunnel was really narrow at this point so that only two people could move side-by-side leaving very little room for maneuverability.
' When I had resolved that I would go to the gates of Hell to free Seiryuu, I had not really thought that I would have to indeed do so. ' She looked at Sotisku. "We will take a break. But ... not here. "
Sotisku cast a worried glance in Taasha's direction. "Very well. But soon."
Keeah nodded reassuringly and moved ahead. The turn abruptly ended in a wall with a narrow low door. Keeah cautiously entered through the door, bending to avoid her head from grazing the top of the door, straining her already strained sensed to sense anything hostile beyond the entrance. She sensed nothing. However, that did little to allay her nerves. The kind of magic employed here was something she was not acquainted with and she found her skills strangely lacking. She curbed the flicker of insecurity in her and stepped beyond the door.
The narrow door opened into a large spacious cavern that reminded her disturbingly to Tur. A high ceiling was supported by roughly cut crystalline arches shining with the same inherent glow that Keeah found singularly fascinating and like all the other things here ... disturbing. The cavern seemed to be leading to many other smaller or perhaps bigger areas; they had stepped from one maze into another.
Keeah saw several lamp- stands placed strategically on the uneven floor of the cavern, their structure similar to ones in Tur. However these were stark, free of the intricate designs that Keeah had thought was a characteristic of this place. The starkness of the lamp stands lends a certain austerity to the place and the air was cool and dry. Yet, there was something in the air that made little icy shivers ocasionally creep down her spine.
Keeah concentrated. A small fireball formed in the flat of her open palm.
' Well, if this is anything like Tur.' Carefully she applied the flames to the brazier in the middle.
She was correct in her assumption that this place was indeed like Tur because no sooner the brazier burst into flames the other torches followed its suit flooding the cavern with flickering yellow light. Yet somehow that bright cheery light failed to dilute the strange twisting in her gut.
"Very convenient. " Sotisku said dryly, stopping behind her. "Though personally, I will be glad to see the sun again."
Keeah agreed with him.
"Hey look, water. " Suraco's shout drew her attention. He was kneeling in front of one of the hollows that dotted the cavern floor. "Though I can't say whether its enchanted or not. "
Keeah moved up beside him. A tiny spring gurgled up from some unknown source and filled the hollow with clear blue water. The waters sparkled innocently in the light, its cool depths looking refreshingly tempting. But the incident earlier had made her extremely wary of clean sparkling pools and even though she had managed to wipe away most of the blood from her face, her hair was still knotted into a frightening wig because of the dried blood that caked it. The long and the short of it was that she felt unclean and this clear pool tempted her clean herself.
Sotisku limped up besides her, gingerly dipping a finger into the clear water. "Well since we can't say whether the water is enchanted or not, I guess we'll just have to take the chance. " He pulled out a strip of linen from his bag and wetted it in the water before turning towards Taasha. "Do sit down Taasha and let me see that wound of yours. "
Keeah sighed. It would be impossible to clean her hair, but she could at least have the luxury of cleaning her face. Sighing she borrowed a piece of linen from Sotisku's bag and began to painstakingly clean her face, the water felt cool and refreshing. Suraco sat at the edge of the pool warily studying their surroundings.
"I'll be glad to get out of this place. " Suraco said at last.
Keeah agreed with this sentiment. Slowly she lowered the wet cloth from her face. It was almost immediately that she felt that strange sensation to the world violently revolving around her before coming to an abrupt halt. She had the familiar sensation of standing as a mute spectator of some drama of a bygone age, as if looking upon its participants through buttered paper.
She felt dark fireballs whiz past her ear mercilessly pelting the warriors who were cornered in the middle of the cavern, its floor muddied with their blood as their lifeless bodies fell like felled trees, their fingers still clutched around their halberds.
' Their uniforms ... They are similar to the ones that the soldiers of Bastet wore in the vision I saw earlier. Are they the soldiers that Mehen led to Fa Sang?'
They fought ferociously, knowing that they were trapped in a loosing battle, knowing that they were surrounded at all sides by a circle of dark hooded mages, outnumbered by at least twenty to one. Their weapons flashed in the dull light of the cavern and Keeah saw that their bodies were covered by their own blood and the blood of their assailants...
She stood in the crossfire, feeling the fireballs roar dangerously past her head, entranced by the bravery of these warriors.
Suddenly she felt herself lifted off her feet, landing with a splash in the cold pool. Pain exploded throughout her being as she felt something sticky roll from the side of her ribs.
' Blood?' Another fireball passed dangerously close to her head. ' How is this? How can I be hurt in a vision?'
Dimly she felt somebody shield her with his own body. Looking up she saw red hair and a desperate blue eye that tried to convey something to her. The mouth moved soundlessly as he tried to say something to her. Clarity returned to her getting her like a vicious kick in the stomach.
' Sotisku! Damn it! This is no vision. We are attacked.' Acting purely on instinct she pulled Sotisku flat on the ground instinctively putting up a shield around them all.
Sotisku looked at her. "Are you all right Princess?"
"Yes. " She stood up.
Sotisku did not look convinced. "If you say so. "
Suraco and Taasha crouched in front of her, both were panting heavily. Taasha was leaning on his halberd; the wound in his forehead had begun to bleed again. As the force field shimmered under the repeated assaults, Suraco turned at her with a queer expression in his eyes. For a while it seemed he would say something but then he decided against it and turned towards the assailants.
They were surrounded by the Liches, their dark tattered cloaks hanging from their rotting body, skeletal fingers curled over fireballs that crashed with an incessant rhythm on the shield. Looking at the hoods that covered their faces and the strips of black cloth hanging from their bodies Keeah was reminded of the hooded men from her vision, only then they had appeared like a sea which had a thousand black crests and now, perhaps only ten of them circled them.
All of a sudden she felt a sudden rage coil inside her. Never before had she felt the inadequacies of her skills as she did now. Some instinct told her that these ... creatures was perhaps part of the group of mages that attacked the soldiers led by Mehen and where they had fought viciously bringing down many of their enemies along with them; they struggled against a group that was hardly one percent of its original strength.
Her head throbbed violently as the anger rose in her. She heard Suraco's urgent whisper.
"The shield won't hold for much longer. What now Princess?"
Suraco needn't have said that. She felt her shield weakening and somehow that fuelled her anger even more.
' Gentlemen, I believe it is time for you to retire.' Her aura spiked abruptly, her hair moved a little in some unseen wind, her eyes glowing an almost silvery white, soft lips curving up into a singularly cynical lopsided smirk. ' So, I guess, this is good night.'
Suraco sensed the anger in Keeah and the subtle spike in her aura. Both he and Sotisku exchanged troubled glances when they saw her lips curve into a smirk. They knew from experience, that smirk usually always meant trouble.
"Down Taasha. " He urged Taasha to lie flat on his stomach, lying down himself, pressing his body firmly to the ground.
Looking up from the ground he saw Keeah float slightly above the ground before a sizzling sphere of electricity engulfed her. For a while the sphere seemed to expand in diameter before exploding with vicious force and an intense white light that seemed to vaporize the darkness around them. Almost blinded Suraco hid his face in the crook of his arm.
After some time he slowly raised his face to see that it was only the dull yellow flames of the braziers that shed any light on muted darkness that ruled the cavern. He saw Keeah on her knees by the pool, her face very pale and beads of sweat accumulated like dew drops on her smooth forehead. That spell had drained a lot of her energy.
He saw Sotisku pull himself from the ground and hand Keeah a cordial.
' Thank Seiryuu for Sotisku and his never ending cache of cordials.' He smiled a little picking himself from the ground assessing the damage caused. There were scorch marks on the nearby cavern walls and one of the lamp stands were totally destroyed, a broken stump was all that remained with the battered iron brazier lying in the midst of the rubble some distance away.
There was no sign of their assailants as well. Only their cloaks and golden manacles remained as a testament of the attack. He would have investigated further if a wrathful shout from Sotisku hadn't diverted him.
"What were you thinking?" There were spots of high color on Sotisku's cheek and his eyes literally shooted blue flames. " Standing like some ... zombie in the middle of a battle ... What were you thinking?"
Suraco's lips twitched. ' My thoughts exactly. '
Keeah smiled. " I am sorry. "
Suraco instinctively knew that she was keeping something from them. Apparently, Sotisku sensed that as well because his color heightened even more.
" Oh no. I am not going to let you talk your way out of this." He said dryly.
"I am not trying to. "Keeah sighed. "But I will tell you all about it later. "
Suraco felt Sotisku's anger spike. An irate Sotisku was never good news. But before he could intervene he heard Taasha shout.
"Hey! Come look at this. "
All of them turned at Taasha who was standing in front of the broken stump, pointed at something gleaming that poked from it. Moving closer he saw it was a cylindrical silver case embedded in the stone. There were a few scorch marks on it but otherwise it was okay. Carefully Taasha closed his clawed fingers around it and extracted the case. It came out remarkably easily. Only then he noticed a circular hollow in the rock, as if niche was made for the sole purpose of holding this case.
"A secret compartment. " Taasha said quietly as he turned the case in the palm of his hands. "The explosion unearthed this. Should I open it and see what is inside?"
Keeah nodded. "Certainly. "
Taasha opened the case and brought out a yellowing manuscript from within. Carefully he rolled it open. "It is written in my tongue. " His voice was surprised.
"Read it." Keeah commanded.
"Very well." Slowly he began to read.
I am yet to sense anything.
It ran.
Yet, I can feel the serpent slowly uncoiling his sinewy length and raising his head to strike. No matter, let him come, for I have come willingly to receive the serpent's kiss. I have come because I will leave the serpent guardian of the well he covets so much. Thus, he will wind his poisonous girth around it guarding it for all eternity. My purpose will be served.
I will thus leave the serpent to guard the sword.
It is I, Mehen, commander of the Bast Berserkers, wielder of the Scarlet Fang who writes thus.
It is I, Mehen, childhood playmate of Bastet, her most devoted lovesick slave who writes thus.
May the Gods treat our love better in our next life?
Taasha looked up. "That's all what is written. " He looked around the faces of his companions and found that Keeah was looking very pale and grave. Finally she spoke.
"What could this mean?" She frowned. "Let us try to piece together what we have found out so far. "
"Hmm. " Suraco looked thoughtful. "Fa Sang was known for is Great Library and we all agree that the knowledge of Fa Sang is worth possessing. And we all agree that knowledge is power. We also can safely assume that the people who attacked Tur also attacked Fa Sang. It is my guess that when Mehen had stepped on Fa Sang, it had already switched loyalties. I think he expected that. But, he did not want the knowledge of Fa Sang falling into the enemy's hand. So, he somehow wanted to seal the door the library so that no one could enter it. " He took a deep breath before continuing. "I also believe that Taiskun hid the scroll in the library and if we want to get out hands on it we have to figure out how to unseal it. "
"I have a question Suraco. " Sotisku said slowly. " How do you know that Mehen succeeded in sealing the door?"
"I don't know. I am only assuming that he succeeded. "
"Assuming?"
"Taiskun would never leave the scroll where a couple of Liches could get their dirty hands on it. "
"Yes, you've got a point there. "
"He left a hint in this scroll. " Keeah said quietly. "We have to find this serpent. I am sure that he is the one who betrayed Fa Sang and Bastet. " She looked up. "Let's keep moving. " She turned at Taasha who was standing with a faraway expression in his eyes. "Taasha?"
' I am walking on the ground made sacred by the sacrifice of so many noble berserkers. You were right Master, I have found my purpose outside Ubasti.' His mouth curved into a small smile. "Yes Princess. Let's keep moving. "
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
' He is not here.' That was the first thought that crossed Menesku's mind when he stepped into Hotohori's room. Vaguely he could feel a twinge of irritation in him. ' Where could he have gone?'
The room was mostly in shadows, the only light came from a small lamp kept on the low ornamented table by the door. The lace curtains fluttering in the wind, the sweet smell of the flowers that floated in from the terrace garden, the flickering shadows on the walls somehow managed to magnify the emptiness of the room.
Freya picked up the lamp and glided around the room applying the flames to the wicks of the other lamps in the room. The lamps flickered to life flooding the room with light. The light only proved what Menesku had felt the moment he had stepped into the room. Hotohori was not in the room.
Menesku moved around the room, soundlessly studying the surroundings, the irritation he had originally felt was slowly turning into anger and a nagging sense of fear. This was the second time that he had seen Hotohori act so impulsively. Menesku and Hotohori were childhood playmates; he knew Hotohori's habits well. He knew that Hotohori was impulsive and sometimes hot headed, qualities that his grooming as a warrior and prince taught him to control. But lately...
A small tinkle of laughter drew his attention. He turned to look at Freya who was standing in front of the door that led to the terrace holding a couple of parchments in her hand.
"So, your Prince is a painter?" She held out the parchments for his inspection.
Menesku took the parchments from Freya's hand and studied the incomplete pictures. "Yes, my Lord Hotohori is a tolerably good artist. "
"Then I know where we might find him. "
"You do?"
Freya nodded. "Yes. I am sure that you noticed the splendid irrigation we have here at Fa Sang. All this water comes from an underground river that comes out as a thousand springs in the mountain face. Our ancestors harnessed this water. Come, I will show you. " She turned to go.
Moving out in the terrace she turned to see Menesku still standing in the room, his gray eyes fixed on something just outside her line of vision. "Menesku?" She called. "Is everything okay?"
Menesku turned towards her, lips curving into a chilly smile that did not touch his eyes. "Of course my Lady. " He was beside her with a few easy strides of his long legs. "I am sorry to keep you waiting. "
Freya looked up to his handsome face and once again felt that she did not understand him at all. With a little sigh she turned. "This way my lord. "
Freya walked a little away from the room coming to halt in front of one of the ornamented archways that formed part of the decor of the terrace garden. Carefully she parted the curtain of fragrant creepers to reveal a flat wall behind it in which a small door was carved.
"I am guessing that Lord Hotohori chanced on this door by accident. " Freya said quietly as she led Menesku down a narrow staircase. "It is very cleverly hidden."
"Yes, so it is. "Menesku said dryly.
A sudden gush of cold moist air greeted him as he came out into a narrow platform that seemed to be built in the rock face itself. He felt a spray of water hit his face and was surprised to see a waterfall merrily rush past him, jumping with unbridled haste to the ground below. In fact the whole rock face looked porous which waterfalls rushing out of every orifice, falling with a vigorous force into the pool below.
"Come on. " Freya stood on a narrow crystalline bridge that joined this platform to a much bigger platform in the middle that seemed to be suspended over the waterfalls.
He followed her stepping onto the large platform. There were braziers built on the marble railings that burst to life when Freya applied the small flame to it. Looking down Menesku realized that he was perhaps at the highest point in Fa Sang. There were three major waterfalls that gave the illusion of rushing out from under the platform itself before joining with the smaller streams in the mad rush to reach the ground.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Freya asked. She was leaning on the railing, the flames casting a soft look on her face.
"Yes. But, My Lord Hotohori isn't here." Menesku said quietly.
"No he isn't. But do not worry. I am sure that he is perfectly safe. "
" I am sure he is. " Menesku's eyes rested on the brilliant explosion in the sky, its momentary brilliance stunning him.
"What is that? It is so beautiful. " Freya rested a hand on the railing admiring the spectacle.
"Yes, so it is. " Menesku said quietly. " And so are you. "
Freya blushed, pushing her wayward hair from her face. "My Lord!"
"Yes, you are as beautiful as a rose. "
" Please my Lord, no more. I..."
"Let me finish Lady Freya. " Menesku cut in with a chilly smile that was quite out of place with his ardent speech. "You are as beautiful as a rose, soft, sensuous ... fragrant. But where are your thorns my Lady?"
"I beg your pardon." Freya stiffened, spots of high color on her cheeks.
"Oh, I would be glad if you abandon this odious pretension. " Menesku shrugged. "I have little time to play this silly game of cat and mouse or pretend to be surprised when you stick a dragger in my back. I really have a lot of work to do, than be delayed by this silly sideshow. "
"Silly side show?" Freya's lips curved into a smile and suddenly it seemed as if cruel lines defined her luscious mouth. "You are a troublesome man. Here I was, wishing to give you a painless death ... But..."
She lifted her hands and gestured. The arched bridges that joined the platform with smaller doors in the rock face cracked before the splintered with an ear splitting noise to crash into the waters below.
"Cutting of my route to escape. " Menesku yawned. "How predictable. "
Freya's iris melted away to reveal something dark inside. "You will not be so smug when I rip the flesh from your bones. "
"You are welcome to try my dear. "
Freya roared. The voice that issued from her swan like neck was more like a caged beast than the soft feminine tones she employed. Menesku raised an impassive eyebrow as he watched something akin to a dark dye stain her creamy complexion before the skin began to rupture like an oversized cloth as she increased in height and girth. Her slender digits elongated into long carved talons and her nicely turned ankle mutated into some kind of reptilian foot that had no resemblance whatsoever with the small feet that were once in its place. The huge and grotesque beast that stood in front of him seemed to the work of some demented artist who wished to draw the creatures of Hell, a being that could only be born of a man's deepest most foul desires, a creature carved of nightmares.
"Very interesting. " Menesku studied his spotless nails. "I like you much better now. "
The creature bend forward, looking down from its great height, till its elongated reptilian face was barely an inch away from Menesku's face. Yellow teeth slowly bared into a vindictive smile, red eyes gleamed with blood thirst.
"Do you now?" The voice was strange and raspy, as if it was being grated against something and gave Menesku the unpleasant sensation of something crawling up his skin. "Perhaps I should inform you that your friends are also being tolerably entertained. "
' Shit! That is why they put us so far away from each other. Divide and conquer.' Menesku felt a twinge of panic in him, but his face remained impassive. "I would expect nothing less. "
The creature straightened, flexing its long claws instinctively, thick tail thumping behind it. "You are brave human. But never fear I will rid you of that noble quality. "
The claw came down with a crushing force as fast as lightning striking the marble floor like a hammer, the rock cracking with the force of the collision, a slight hissing sound rising from it as the rock slowly dissolved in the acid that flew from the tips of the dark claws. But no human lay pinned under it thrashing in the last throes of agony. Turning the creature saw Menesku sitting of his haunches, balancing his frame on the railing, studying it with amused gray eyes. His brown hair flew behind him, lips curving in a slight smile as he lifted his palm and mockingly beckoned the creature to attack him.
Menesku watched the creature move like a flash; for a creature so huge it moved with remarkable speed. Vaulting out of the way he balanced himself on top of the railing facing the scaly back of the creature. Even though his face remained impassive and his eyes held a kind of bored amusement, his stomach knotted with dread.
' I have to wrap this up quickly.'
He watched the blood red eyes turn at him. He raised his palm and beckoned it mockingly. He felt the creatures anger spike as it jumped towards him with one fluid motion. He waited, ready to jump aside at the last moment.
As the creature's claws came rushing down towards him, cutting through the air viciously, he dived aside. But it seemed as if the creature had anticipated his moves, for at the very last moment it twirled in a graceful arc, so swiftly that it was almost a blur, the thick spiky tail catching Menesku violently in his abdomen.
He had seen the tail arc towards him and had made a move to swerve, but even though the deadly spikes missed hurting any internal organs, the force of the collision send him flying into the railing.
"Do you like my thorns human?" The creatures gurgled mockingly.
Menesku got up instantly, wiping the blood that dribbled from the corner of his mouth, his face betraying none of the pain he felt from the parallel gashes on his stomach. "Very much. " He brushed the dirt from his shoulder casually. " What I don't understand is why go through all this unnecessary drama? "
"The master said so. "
' The master? Hmm... Who could that be?' His hair had fallen over his face obscuring his eyes. " It must have been very boring I suppose, waiting, pretending to be nice..."
"Yes it was." The beast gurgled. "So you must understand why I am so eager to taste your blood. "
"Forgive me. I have no intention of keeping you waiting. " Menesku raised his eyes. His irises had contracted to almost a point. "But I believe that this is my turn. "
Jumping in the air he concentrated letting the scarlet ki swirl over his fingers solidifying into sharp kunais. Almost instantaneously he left them fly. The scarlet blades flew in the air, but the beast avoided their nasty sting easily, side stepping their razor edge with a speed that made it appear like a blur.
"You disappoint me human..." The creature had hardly finished before it felt something rushing towards it. It moved but did not manage to completely avoid the force of the attack; something hot rushed through its shoulders. A pained screech emitted from its throat as it instinctually grasped the punctured shoulder to stop the flow of the flow of sluggish black blood that oozed from it.
Menesku watched the creature screech with pain and pursed his mouth. ' Dammit! I missed! Even with my heightened abilities ... my sensei will die of shame.'
The sign on his neck glowed a dull red, as he concentrated again. The creature launched itself towards him, half mad with pain. To an ordinary man the creature's movement would have been too fast to follow, but Menesku gracefully avoided its attacks.
' I cannot remain on the defensive forever. ' Menesku parried the more successful attacks, his arms almost jarred with the effort of keeping the beast at bay. The twin blades he had created frizzled and disappeared. He was beginning to tire. ' Well, sensei did warn me that if I should not use this skill for long because it drains a lot of ki. But then again, I never had the need of keeping this up for so long.'
Suddenly he felt himself being lifted off his feet, a clawed hand cruelly closed over his neck threatening to break his windpipe. He felt himself dangled in front of the creature and felt its foul breath on his face.
' Yes indeed. My sensei would indeed die of shame if he were not already dead. Captured! Most inappropriate.' Menesku struggled a little. ' But wait, this may work to my advantage.'
"Not so smug now are you?" The creature's teeth bared into a parody of a smile, tightening the grip around his neck. "Now I have you."
' I beg to differ.' Menesku concentrated. A small glowing sphere of scarlet ki formed at the tip of his finger. Gritting his teeth he aimed the fireball at the creature's stomach where it collided with a slight fizzing sound.
"Pathetic human. " The creature gurgled. "To think that could harm me! " A long purple tongue came out and licked his face. "You will make a good plaything for master. Yes, you will make a good familiar when you are reborn."
' Reborn? Well... I will send both you and your master to hell!' The sign on his neck glowed a vivid red, a scarlet ki swirling over his arms molding them into scarlet scimitars. With a vicious sweep he chopped off the hand that held him falling lightly on the ground breathing heavily. Impaling the severed organ on the edge of the sword he wrenched it from around his neck throwing it into the fire.
The creature was thrashing blindly, tortured screams emitting from its throat, clutching the bloodied stump. " You pathetic human..." It roared before its roar melded into a sobbing plea. "Master ... Master ... I have served you well... Aid me now. See what this human has done to me..." Then it turned its red eyes towards him. "I will kill you. "
"You should have killed me when you had the chance. " Menesku said quietly. "Now, I am afraid, that I will kill you instead. "
"Kill me? I cannot die human. I am immortal..." It never finished its words but stopped midway casting a frightened look at its stomach.
"Remember that small ki ball I aimed at your stomach. " Menesku said pleasantly. " Actually it was a lot of energy concentrated into a small point. After having burrowed into your stomach its starts expanding there having a lot many sordid side effects that I rather not discuss ... the point is, if you are indeed immortal, you just might survive. "
The creature gave an angry roar and rushed towards Menesku only to paused midway. Suddenly its body inflated like a balloon, with its sockets bulging outwards before exploding with a violent bang. Instinctively Menesku flung himself to the ground, letting the hot air ripple over him before settling down again.
He straightened absentmindedly brushing the dust from his tunic, his face was impassive, but the thin sheen of sweat on his pale face betrayed how much he had been drained in carrying out that attack. Only a small haze of smoke hung over the platform. No sign of the creature was apparent.
' Immortal! Right.' Menesku paused at the edge of the railing. ' The beast spoke of a master. The puppeteer of this entire puppet show. ' His eyes hardened. ' And I can make a fair guess who that might be. ' He looked over the railing. ' But first I have to get down.'
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Hotohori paused at the mouth of long corridor, sharp hawk like eyes studying the shadowed hallway. The flickering light of the yellow flames cast melancholy dancing shadows on the marble walls. He always knew that any place had two faces; one that it wore during the day and another that it donned during the night. Yet, he had to see a place that differed so much between night and day. The fragrant gardens, gurgling fountains and arched hallways that had appeared so charming in the light of the sun appeared sinister and forbidding in the darkness. Walking through the semi dark hallways, with only the sound of his feet as his companion, following an elusive Shadow, Hotohori had the unpleasant sensation that perhaps this was the true face of Fa Sang and the one it had during the day was a mask ... and strangely, he felt more at home in this hostile atmosphere.
He saw Shadow crouch in the flickering shadow of a torch, red eyes studying him. Slowly it raised a long smoky finger and beckoned him to follow before disappearing around the corner.
Hotohori followed. Turning the corner he found himself in a corridor that seemed to end in a blank wall. No torches lit this corridor, but a ghostly green light emanated from the walls casting a pale glow on the surroundings.
' What does this mean? Did the shadow disappear?' Hotohori frowned. ' Have I been led into a trap?' Instinctively he half turned, but saw no one behind him. ' Well, my assailants are taking an abnormally long time to appear if there are any. Or maybe...' He turned to examine the walls, carefully tapping the walls for a hollow sound. ' Or maybe there is a hidden door here somewhere...'
None of the walls emitted the sound he was looking for and as he moved towards the end of the corridor, he found that the floor was slowly sloping upwards, so that when he faced the blank wall at the end of the path his head brushed the ceiling and he had to hunch his shoulders to prevent banging his head. This gentle slope was not apparent from the mouth of the corridor and Hotohori realized that the strange lighting of this place created the illusion that the path was flat.
' But why sloping?'
He turned his face towards the ceiling. Unlike the walls which were bare and stark, the ceiling was somewhat ornamented, with colored rectangular tiles forming a chequerboard pattern on the white background.
' Maybe...'
Turning around the corner he wrenched a torch from one of the ornamented brackets, its yellow flames casting a little light on the semi dark corridor. In the dull yellow light the pattern became much more apparent to him. It was a repetitive design, with five colored boxes forming a pattern somewhat similar to a flower. There were four boxes in the four corners, a deep red in color, joining with a pale green box in the middle. He frowned heavily before his brow cleared.
' I must have been blind. ' He paused under the second to last block, observing it with a half amused smile. ' Yes, the shade of green employed here is definitely different from the rest. ' Raising his fingers he felt the edges of the block. ' Loose earth. Hmm.'
Pushing his palm flat against the tile he exerted his strength upwards. After sometime the tile moved upwards before he heard a slide clicking sound. Suddenly the weight on his hands ceased to exist as the tile suddenly slid aside, revealing a dark hole in its place.
' Very interesting.'
Balancing on his arms he pulled himself in the hole at once greeted by the strange musty smell. It was the same smell that the caged air in a room had that had not been opened for many days. The hole extended vertically upwards, with metals rugs embedded in the walls forming a makeshift ladder. The metal was cold to touch as he climbed upwards. He had to leave the torch below since it impeded his progress as he moved upwards into the semi dark tunnel. A sudden noise behind him caused him to turn, the tile had slid back into position plunging him into darkness.
He climbed blindly through the seemingly never-ending tunnel, the darkness had caused his other senses to sharpen and as he climbed upwards he could hear a soft hissing sound that grew louder and louder as he ascended up the rungs. Suddenly the tunnel bend, taking a ninety-degree turn so that he found himself moving horizontally to the ground.
The tunnel was diffused with a red glow and the walls were strangely hot to touch. He could feel the touch of hot air on his face and judged that he must be near an exit. He froze.
' What the hell!'
The tunnel ended abruptly. But the mouth was guarded with vicious jumping flames, which shot over the opening, like the fire coming from a Dragon's mouth.
' Charming.'
At first there seemed to be no way that he could get out, but then Hotohori noticed that the flames did not always guard the opening. In fact they shot out with a regular rhythm and between two such cycles the mouth was unguarded. Slowly he edged near the flames, the heat almost unbearable at this point and the walls scalding to touch. He crouched near the edge biding.
' Now!'
He moved like a flash rolling out of the tunnel onto the hot tiles of the room that lay beyond it. For a while he crouched on the floor trying to steady his pulse, as sweat dribbled from his forehead, before a small sound caught his attention. Instinctively he grasped the hilt of his sword looking up.
Shadow crouched in one of the niches of the serpentine columns that supported the arched ceiling, impassive red eyes studying him.
' Live... You late.'
' I should be angry. Shadow did not warn me about this. I should feel uneasy. I should feel that Shadow is leading me into a trap.' Hotohori frowned, more uneasy by his lack these sentiments. "So I am Shadow. What is this place?"
Shadow did not answer.
Frowning Hotohori looked around. This room was different from the other rooms. Small narrow bricks lined the walls and the floor with serpentine curving columns rising to support an arched vaulted roof. There were several round hollows in the walls, similar to the hole from which he had emerged, yellow flames forking out from it ocasionally like a serpent's tongue. The room was unnaturally hot and Hotohori could feel the back of his tunic get drenched with sweat.
' Interesting place.'
There was a large iron door at the end of the room. There was a curious pattern of a snarling tiger drawn on it with silver paint.
"Live. "
Hotohori turned at Shadow. "Call me Hotohori. "
Shadow tilted his head a little to the side. "Hotohori ... " He repeated the name slowly, before raising a long clawed finger and pointing at the door. "That way. "
"Thank you. "
Taking a deep breath Hotohori neared the door, pausing for a while in front of the door, observing the picture painted on the door. He had not seen this pattern used in any of the decorations in Fa Sang. Frowning he ran a hand over the picture.
' It looks like a crest, but I have not seen it used in other parts of Fa Sang. There is something very different about this part of Fa Sang. It looks somewhat ... older...' He pushed the door open.
Hotohori froze. He had never seen anything so beautiful ... or anything so dangerous. The door opened into a small platform that stopped abruptly at the edge of a deep gorge. A narrow marble bridge connected both ends of the gorge. Looking around he realized he was in some kind of natural cavern, with shimmering crystal spires hanging like nature's chandelier from the ceilings. Sharp crystal spikes rose from the bottomless nadir, their pointed tips reflecting the shimmering light of the cavern. The whole place reminded him of some kind of twisted fairytale, both enchanting and horrifying.
' Now this is a perfect place to lay a trap. ' Hotohori stepped onto the narrow bridge suddenly aware of how little place he had to maneuver.
He took another step. Nothing happened.
' I suppose nothing will happen until I step into the middle of the bridge. So be it. '
With brisk steps he approached the center of the bridge and suddenly the temperature of the place seemed to drop and the shimmering glow of the crystal seemed muted. A tiny blizzard appeared before him, tiny crystals revolving in the spiraling wind before it seem to solidify into a swirling white cloak that spread over the shoulders of the man who kneeled in front of him.
' Che. They sure know how to make an entrance.'
Vaguely he was aware of a similar presence behind him. The man in front of him straightened. His complexion was pale, so pale that it appeared bloodless and chalky with the skin drawn tightly over a cruel face. His features were sharp and aquiline and his eyes sunken and filled with a strange swirling darkness. Hotohori did not understand how anything that appeared human could seem so inhuman.
"And who are you?" He raised an eyebrow. "State your business quickly for I have a lot of work to do."
Thin black lips curved and it moved like an malevolent wind, gliding through the air. Instinctively Hotohori defended, raising his sword and parrying the attack. But he had hardly countered the attack when he felt the being behind him move. Almost by habit he countered the jarring blow. For a while nothing was heard but the clash of steel as the two creatures hassled Hotohori; almost as a pack of Hyena's hassle a trapped tiger.
On the defensive and with little place to move Hotohori had to admit that the trap was indeed well set. Trapped in the middle a warrior would have no chance to get on the offensive, but always be torn between defending himself and keeping himself from falling down. Suddenly the attacks ceased and both his attackers crouched in front of him, silver hair falling over their face. Both were similarly dressed except the one who was originally behind him wore swirling dark robes.
"You asked our names human. "They spoke in unison, voices as cold as the northern winds. "We have none. We are the Guardians. "
' Guardians?' Hotohori frowned. "Why bother telling me all this now?"
"We, the Guardians of the Well, have been ordered by our Master and Creator to answer the last question of our prey..." They paused for a while. "Before we dispose of them."
' Admirable sentiments.' Hotohori's mouth curved up in a small smile. "What if I tell you that I am a guest here and I got lost?"
"Guest? We do not know any such word. There is no guest on Fa Sang. Only prey. "
They had hardly finished their words when they raised their swords bringing it down in unison with a vehement force. A violent whirlpool of cold air rushed at him almost blinding him with the wind that howled in its wake. Hotohori flung up his sword whirling it like liquid lightening to form a shield in front of him unconsciously digging his feet into the ground.
The wind rushed by him like a maddened beast and even though he avoided the major blast, he could feel the sleeves of his tunic ripping as the wind raked its cold fingers over them leaving a trail of shallow wounds in its wake.
Hotohori grinned, feeling the thrill of battle fill his veins like molten fire. "Well guess what, this prey is not ready to die yet. " His fist tightened around the hilt of his sword feeling it pulsate as if answering his call and rejoicing in the bloodlust that clouded his eyes.
He moved like a scarlet blur, feet hardly touching the ground, the sword moving like a serpents kiss in his hands. It was almost as if man and sword had become one, moving as a single entity, fast as lightning ... unforgiving as Death.
' This grows boring.' His feral grin deepened as he pushed back the duo that was on the defensive. ' I will end this.'
He vaulted back to a crouching position in the middle of the bridge, watching the Guardians stagger a little but still pressing on. With a mocking laugh he vaulted out of their reach once more before raising his sword and swinging it in a vicious arc. A violent scarlet light emerged from the sword sweeping over the cavern like a tsunami.
The Guardians were caught in the blast and Hotohori watched with macabre satisfaction as the flesh crumbled from over their white bones ... till the bones disintegrated into dust as well.
' Well, I guess, despite everything I am sort of a savage at heart.'
He saw Shadow crouching in the darkness on the other side of the bridge and felt a twinge of irritation. "Were you there all the time?"
Shadow nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me anything about this?"
No answer.
"Are you trying to betray me or something? "
Shadow's eyes seemed to flicker for a while. "Be ... tray... Betray..." He chanted the word like a mantra.
"Shadow?"
Shadow stopped squeezing his eyes and Hotohori had the sensation that he was trying to remember something.
"Shadow?"
Red eyes looked up and for a while Hotohori saw a flicker of emotion in them before they melded into hatred once more.
"I Shadow." He hissed. "You live. "
Hotohori was struck by the hatred in his voice. He kept his voice calm. "I am Hotohori. Remember?"
' Che. Like why bother?'
Shadow paused, head tilted to a side. "I ... nothing. I Shadow. " He raised his head to that mournful cry Hotohori had heard once before bounding off into the darkness.
Hotohori sighed. "Well, I guess I am on my own now. "
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