Chapter 5: Keeper of The Gates
Sheldon and Felas knelt next to the crying form of Siena, her shoulders heaving as she cried. Felas hesitantly reached out a hand, but then pulled it back. Sheldon instead placed his hand on Siena. "What's wrong?"
"Wha-what's wrong?" Siena snapped through her tears, looking up to glare at Sheldon. "You've all gone insane! The mayor of Passwall… how could you be a mayor of a town in less than twenty four hours?"
"Well, the place was pretty deserted when I got here." Sheldon admitted, shrugging. "Of course, once I was here others followed. Can't say I blame them."
"Of course you can't blame them!" Siena raised her voice at the Redguard, causing him to back away. "They came into the portal just like you did!"
"I find it to be a nice place. Less dirty than others." Felas remarked, causing Siena to turn her wrath upon him. "The old man, in the room made out of butterflies, he said to wait here."
Siena stopped, unable to think of a nasty comment. Instead she blinked, her anger fading into simple inquiry. "Wait for what?" Felas simply shrugged.
"I think we are supposed to wait for the Gatekeeper to allow us through." Sheldon remarked, and Siena found herself turning her head back to him.
"Through what?"
"The Gates of Madness." Sheldon replied as if he were talking about the sunny weather.
"One leads to the lands of Mania, and one to Dementia. The Gatekeeper makes sure no one gets in who isn't supposed to." Felas explained, folding his arms over his chest.
"The Gatekeeper?" Siena asked again, looking about as confused as when she had first set eyes upon the island portal.
Sheldon nodded. "He guards the Gates of Madness. They say the keys are sewn up in the Gatekeeper's body." Siena cringed at this, wondering what perversion was required to accomplish such a task. "Basically, that means you're not getting in."
"So… the Gatekeeper guards the Gates of Madness, which is the only way out of here?" Siena questioned, looking dazed.
"Yeah, he's pretty scary isn't he?" Felas asked, looking at Sheldon.
"Yeah. Come see for yourself, he's about to destroy a party of adventurers." Together Felas and Sheldon took off down the path with more gusto and excitement than Siena felt was truly appropriate. But what could she do except follow? She was stuck in this world, so far as she knew, and the Gates of Madness were the only escape she knew of. So she ran after them warily, her feet moving from cobblestone road to marble staircase and back again, as she brought herself up through four flights of stairs onto a small valley between two walls of stone. Before her lay a large wall with twin arches almost as tall as the tree she had seen on her way to Passwall. The architecture reminded her distinctly of Imperial battlements in Morrowind. Between the arches was a giant bust of a man, looking remarkably like the doorframe that led into this wretched realm, only with a closed mouth. He looked like he had the collar of a suit not unlike Sheldon and Fela's on his shoulders. From beneath the giant archways came two curving stairwells that ended in a plaza of marble.
And that plaza was the scene of a bloodbath like no other. Siena stood between Felas and Sheldon as an Orc in iron armor charged forward. "Stay back! Leave the Gatekeeper to us!" The Orc had snarled, but Siena had lost him in the sheer horror of what she saw.
It wasn't man. It wasn't beast. It wasn't even a Daedra recorded by mortal hands. It was… a behemoth of flesh. It had no face, at least none she could discern from this distance. It had to be almost ten times the size of the men it faced in battle now, obscenely large feet stomping down the comparatively miniscule steps as it charged. It didn't roar, didn't snarl, but gave more of a deathly groan, deep, loud, and throaty.
Chains connected to a cast iron choker on the monstrosity clanked as it landed on the stone plaza, its big toe crushing the steel-clad Argonian's foot. Two leather belts as wide as Siena were wrapped around its waist above a steel codpiece she was thankful was there. She might have puked if she saw the organs beneath that metal. A Nord with a steel claymore charged forward, sinking his blade into the leg of the Gatekeeper.
Siena couldn't see the wound inflicted from here, but she didn't see any blood, and that worried her. Reaching down with its massive left hand, the assortment of flesh batted the Nord away with the iron bracer it wore. Like swatting a fly, the Nord clattered to the stone a yard away and did not get up. That same left hand moved to grab the Argonian who had been crippled. Lifting the lizard from the ground effortlessly as the others futilely smashed at its shins, its fleshy fingers wrapped around her ever tighter.
Siena had to close her eyes and plug her ears to drown out the scream of agony, and kept her eyes closed when another cry rose shortly after.
"Oh no. They're bleeding all over the place!" Her eyes sprung open as Felas said this and she straightened to stare at him. Who was this man who looked like Felas? He was holding his hand to his mouth and… Giggling!
"They should have listened to me." Sheldon said haughtily. Siena looked between the both of them in disbelief, before clenching her fists and cuffing the both of them in the head.
"They are dying and all you do is watch?" She cried out as both men rubbed the backs of their heads, glaring at her.
"Well yeah." Sheldon snapped back, not flinching under Siena's harsh gaze beneath her shades. "Jayred Ice-Veins wants to kill it, but that sounds like suicide to me."
"The Gatekeeper looks indestructible." Felas affirmed, nodding towards the scene. Siena watched, as the last of the adventurers was cut vertically into two halves by a man-sized toothed sword. As his two sections fell to the ground, the Orc from before ran past them.
"He's too much! Killed all my men! Get out of my way!" The Orc stammered, shoving Siena out of the way and into Felas, who hastily pushed her away and began brushing off his suit.
But Siena could not take her eyes off the scene. She had only just realized the blade that had dealt the fatal blow was not held in a hand; it was the hand! From the right elbow down there was only iron, molded into a viciously serrated sword.
"Yuck. Look at all the blood and gore! I'm getting out of here." Felas remarked, and quickly removed himself from the premises.
"They should have listened to me." Sheldon sighed, shaking his head. Then he nodded to Siena. "Don't get to close to him, or he'll kill you. And leave a mess in my town like they did." Without another word Sheldon followed Felas, leaving Siena staring at his back like he had grown spikes along his spine.
Lower lip quivering, she turned to look back at the scene. Blood was smeared like confetti upon the right steps, at the base of which the massive fleshy thing stood. Shredded steal and gore decorated the ground. If Siena had eaten in the last day, she would have puked it up. Shuddering, she took a step forward, uncertain why. But her eyes were trained on the faceless giant in the distance in front of her.
When she felt her bare foot touch cold stone, the face of flesh turned to look at her with eyes that did not exist. She could see now that crimson red symbols were etched on its brow, and in various places on its body. Lines of red weaved around the Gatekeeper's body, a quilt of badly sewn together flesh. A low, rumbling groan emanated from the Gatekeeper, which lumbered toward her.
Siena screamed and fled, fear gripping her heart tighter than at any other time in her life. She stumbled down the stairs in a rush, hearing the impossibly heavy footfall of the Gatekeeper behind her.
On the second steps she fell, rolling to the base to look up and see the wicked sword coming towards her. "Ahhhh!" She rolled to her right, and felt the earth rumble beside her as bits of stone and dirt fell from the air. She wanted to lay there and catch her breath, but as the horror groaned she knew she had to move. Getting to her knees she crawled away desperately, feeling leathery skin brush against her wet leg as the hand closed around thin air behind her. Scrambling to her feet she ran with renewed energy.
The Gatekeeper took one step forward, and she knew it was already upon her again. Biting her lip she forced herself to concentrate as she leaped off the top of the third set of steps and into the air, arms spread as if she were flying. A whoosh of air informed her of how close to a skewering she had been.
She brought her arms over her head and bent her elbows, bracing herself for impact. Her hands hit the ground first, pain flaring in her wrists as they absorbed the shock and she rolled onto her back, getting to her feet at a crouch.
Her breath caught in her throat when she expected the thing to slash at her now, destroying every attempt she had made to survive. But nothing came. In a daze from the adrenaline rush Siena turned to see the Gatekeeper staring at her with that empty face, before it turned around and lumbered up the steps once more.
Trembling childishly, Siena looked at where she was; she had leaped over the third and fourth set of steps, getting back to the road to Passwall. A shaking hand brushed back her dark blue hair from the side of her face as she looked warily up the steps from beneath her shades. It had… stopped. It did not chase her past those steps. She was shocked into a stupor, unable to say or even think anything.
And then she heard a grumbling, and leaped to her feet. Her iron dagger shook in her hand as she looked around her to find nothing attacking. The grumble came again, and she looked down.
It was her stomach.
Sighing, Siena inhaled deeply, closing her eyes before exhaling. She continued these deep breathes for half an hour until her heart had calmed, and then sheathed her dagger. Opening her eyes again, she placed her hands on her lean stomach.
"I need to eat…" She moaned, turning to the small town of Passwall. Jayred Ice-Veins wants to kill it. Jayred… wasn't that the ship captain? Siena thought as she approached the Wastrel's Purse. Maybe I should find him when I am done eating. She knew one thing was certain. If she were to get through the Gates and find a way to help her friends, she would have to kill the Gatekeeper and get the keys from its flesh.
But as she came to the door of the Inn, she shuddered at the image of the Gatekeeper amongst all that gore. She forced herself to forget the image for the sake of her appetite.
It may be that the real reason she would have to kill the Gatekeeper would be in order to eat and sleep properly again. And that was more powerful an enforcer than helping her friends.