Ren…
Ren…
REN!
Laurence woke up in a frenzy.
Hey! Don't shout.
I CALLED YOU OVER 5 TIMES.
Okay okay, I'm up…where are we again?
You collapsed over the moss and slept until morning.
He got up and dug himself out of the wet ground he slept upon. Murky soil clumped over the woven clouds of moss and sagged onto his hand, pushing his bottom up. He stumbled back onto his legs, still crooked and broken from the many horrors that had weathered him.
He raised his palms off the moss and rubbed out his eyes, gaining his vision, yet still darkness faced him in the lushness of the caverns. He moved his fingers, and they made snapping noises through the tendons over his bones, rainwater running between his protruding knuckles.
He gripped his tattered cape, and it crunched like the crust of bread. He pushed his palm to his head, the crushed shards of his crusted blood over his skin like broken eggshells, the crimson crust coating streaks over his entire body.
Ren, we have much to do.
He took what felt like his first steps in his lifetime, stumbling mindlessly over the moss bed. The layers and layers of tissue strewn and spanned over his skeleton, every single string ached. It ached and ached until he felt nothing. It ached until that burning hot sensation blended with receptacles of chilling cold, and his entire system was locked shut.
We do not need to return to The Godseeker, I know many ways to escape. Escape to somewhere where he cannot find us.
He kept stumbling, feeling like his legs were wooden stilts and the ground was quicksand. He pushed one leg forth, it was rigid and still, another forward, it was the same. He kept pushing, one step at a time, his body straightened like a frail scarecrow, and he kept pushing. He kept pushing.
Please, if you keep doing this, they will capture you. I cannot dread what they could do to you if that happens.
He kept pushing.
You can be safe, you can be comfortable. You must trust me, I have arts that can fix you.
He kept pushing.
Please, If you just listen to me.
He stopped…and crawled under a bush, and planted his face into the grass.
Tomorrow is another day.
He couldn't tell how long he lay there. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Time became just another thing to worry about. He couldn't escape it, he couldn't escape the fact that he desired to crumble but his body. Still. Kept. Pushing.
So he laid there for who knows how long, doing nothing. By now, he had grown accustomed to the fact that anything that doesn't help him is deemed useless. Wandering around The Citadel was useless. Enjoying his atmosphere was useless.
Crawling under foliage and wallowing in his sorrow was useless.
But he couldn't help but do it. Were his wants more important than his needs?
"HEY!" A loud voice shouted.
From all around him, the clanking of heavy boots was wreathed behind the undergrowth of vines. He could hear them load their laser rifles and aim behind the foliage, circling him across steep ledges and cliffs. They slid through the clearing in front of him until an entire battalion faced him.
"HALT! You are to be returned to the court of The Citadel!" One of them angrily said as they stepped in front of the fleet.
He scooted a tiny bit out of the bush and raised his palms, his head still hung behind his thighs. One of the soldiers stepped out of the crowd. He grabbed a pair of large metal rings, with a chain locking them together, and quickly snapped them onto his wrist. The soldiers lifted their guns, but then slowly put them down after the rings were cuffed on.
You're just going to turn yourself in? You're going to get executed!
Do you really think Yharim's just gonna kill something like me?
The soldiers spoke nothing and tugged him into a large track-treaded vehicle. On the back, a huge metal door lifted up and they threw him into the cell. The room was dimly lit, and crates and cargo were scattered throughout the corners. Ren slowly squirmed himself to the wall and sat.
Maybe a few minutes through the bumpy ride across the caverns, Laurence finally asked the voice.
Who are you?
…
Please answer.
…
Tell me later.
After an hour or so, the vehicle stopped its movement and slowly docked onto a platform. The metal door slowly opened and the soldiers wrangled him over the deck. Once exiting the ship he realized they had landed on one of the open spaces over The Citadel, many citizens still roaming the streets, though it was clear most had stayed in due to his attack.
The soldiers tugged him into the doorway of the palace and up many flights of stairs before he could recognize that they were in the same hallway where he and Kade met Yharim a couple of weeks ago.
The soldiers dragged him upon the carpet like a ragdoll, and toward the door frame. He pushed open the massive ornate door and into the court of Yharim.
It was an entire awe to take in. Like the aisle of a cathedral, white marble pillars raised off several dozen feet from the ground and merged into the ceiling, painted with the valor of dragons and framed over gilt wooden carvings.
At the end of the court stood Yharim, armored in his auric, a royal blue cape draped over his body, practically glowing over the sunlight. He stood in front of his throne, raised atop a black marble plinth, the audience seats fixed over the walls and lined with gold.
The stained glass depicting more dragons beamed their rainbow light over Yharim, as he turned his head to face Laurence.
" We have delivered the runaway who caused the massacre." The soldier informed,
"Good, release him from his restraints, I have important business to tell him."
"I'm not sure if that is a good idea, He di-"
"Release him," Yharim replied sharply, "Do not forget that I am still your ruler."
The soldier quickly took off the metal cuffs and walked away from the throne room.
"You, how about we talk a bit."
"It's Laurence, your ma-majesty" Ren replied
"No need to address me like that, but Laurence…I need you to answer some questions.
Yharim lifted his hand and one of the doors slid open, revealing an open balcony to the view of the city. He gestured to Laurence to follow him out the door, an instant waft of smoke and smell spilling out the opening. Ren quickly pushed himself into the railing and witnessed what he had done to the city.
It was shrouded in black smoke, but in the distance, he could make out the wreckage of his attack. It was like the crater of a meteorite, a huge dent in the ground filled with rubble, officers and soldiers still surrounding the area. There were still even people being pushed out of the debris and into the hospitals.
"My first question is…do you feel sorry for what you've done?"
That question struck him like a spear through the chest. He froze up, his eyes discerningly wide and twitches strung through his palms. He stared again, completely consuming the horrors that he had caused. How people could have lost their lives due to him. How people could be impeded forever due to him. How buildings and businesses collapsed due to him.
Yet, there was nothing.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find any sliver of him that cared for what he had done to others.
It was nothing but himself.
Should he be ashamed of this? Should he wallow in his sorrow because of this? He tried so hard to find any scrap of care, but he just…couldn't.
"...No," Laurence responded after a few seconds, "I don't. I can't."
There was a spanning silence before Yharim spoke,
"Very well," He said, "Next question, what are you willing to get for experiencing Hell?"
The man twitched again, "W-what?"
"What is something you are willing to die for? To maim and mangle your body, to go through unimaginable torment over? What would that be?"
"...I'm not quite sure…"
"I'm sure you do."
"I don't know…"
Another spanning silence filled the air.
"Very well then. I'm sure you will find out soon."
He took a few moments to breathe in, finally gaining some rest without conflict. Though those slow breaths were stuffed with the smell of smoke, he instead coughed a little.
"Is Kade alright?"
"A few fractured bones, several severe flesh wounds, but he's healing nicely."
"That's good to know."
"Laurence, for the safety of my kingdom and people, I cannot let you stay here. I'm moving you to a location more remote and discreet, so no more harm can happen. I'll notify you whenever I need your assistance. We'll discuss more tomorrow."
Yharim grabbed something from his cape and handed it to Laurence. It was a silver mirror.
"Wait wha-"
In an instant, the mirror began to shine brighter than anything he had seen, and Ren disappeared from the balcony like magic. He then found himself in a cave of sorts. The rock surrounding him was pitch black, with bright blue crystals jutting out. The temperature was immensely colder than the jungle atmosphere.
Where the hell am I?
Somewhere near the abyss, I believe.
The abyss? What's that?
The deepest trench embedded within this planet, with only a few hundred fathoms dividing its end to the surface of The Underworld.
The cave was riddled with sharp stalactites, rock pillars, and cliffs. Small drops of water trickled down the stone.
Maybe you should know who I am now,
Then who are you?
I've been stuck down here for thousands of years, waiting for anything that could reach me. And then I found you. Finally, somebody who could help me. And conveniently, they've placed you exactly where you need to be.
What? What are you talking about?
What I'm saying is that I am Cthulhu.