Death in His eyes

Bina woke up and started looking around. She was in a large leather tent, lying on a thick layer of blankets. She wasn't sure what planet she was on or what had happened to her recently. She only remembered that it was something terrible. She was probably in some underground place where something attacked them, she was probably fighting powerful being in tomb and then... something happened earlier. She was supposed to warn someone about something, something extremely important. Suddenly her eyes widened as she remembered who she was thinking about. Her kids... Miss Daisy is a Shadow Weaver! She jumped to her feet and immediately doubled over, feeling a shooting pain in her arm. Oh yeah, she got hurt fighting a damn Archon . She cursed several times, getting up slowly this time so as not to be overwhelmed by a wave of Pain again, and then moved to leave the tent. She needed to get to Brightmoon as quickly as possible . He has to save his kids...

„Take it easy, tough guy. They say that scarlet owls will chew up the weak and spit them out, but on you that would probably break your teeth." Huntara said with respect in her voice. She offered her arm and helped her outside.

Tung there Lashor, and members of his gang who occupied the camp . As soon as he saw her, Tromlin waved at her friendly, still with the whip in his paw. Zgniotek was parked far away from the camp. His back was turned towards them, which indicated that he was offended. He could be extremely irritable and moody.

„How did you manage to get him to give you a ride?" she asked with undisguised surprise in her voice.

„It was not easy. At first he didn't want to let us in. Tung Lashor wanted to challenge him to a duel and they both loved the idea, so I literally had to wave you in front of the mask to convince him. He asked if it was the small cars, I don't know what he meant." explained the Princess of the Wastes.

„ It's his quirk, out of respect for your mental health, it's better not to delve into it.„ She explained and tried to move forward, but the pain shot through her again and she offered her arm to Huntara again. "I need to get to Brightmoon as soon as possible. This bitch is alive and has my kids. You understand? I brought her here... I didn't know she was her. I wouldn't have agreed to bring her here if I'd known who she is

„What are you talking about?" Huntara asked, looking at her with complete lack of understanding. Bina wiped her forehead and said.

„We brought your Shadow Weaver, that nasty bitch you were talking about! Wrongdak's brother right hand woman. You know, Hordak's Right Hand ….

„She's dead, it must be someone like her. The dead stay dead, there is nothing more certain in the world. – Huntara said with a mixture of confidence and concern in her voice. She looked at her with concern. I guess she thought Bina was crazy. But then Tung Lashor approached them.

„Maybe not here, but necromancy is widely practiced in the galaxy. I remember one time we had a campaign promoting a new line of bone whitener. It didn't sell well." said the lizard with sadness in his voice. Huntara looked at him like he was crazy.

„Well, once I saw in some store a product advertised as "Providing natural bone whiteness"„ she said thoughtfully. "But what am I talking about? We have to go to Brightmoon because that bitch kidnapped my kids. Fuck, that's why she was so fascinated by Eti..."

„Who kidnaped Cat-girl?" Tromlin looked at them suspiciously .

„Your Shadow Weaver. I brought her here, although in my defense I had absolutely no idea who she was." explained A Tung Lashor looked at her in surprise.

„The Shadow Weaver was the undead! That would actually explain a lot." he scratched his with his clawed fingers. She shrugged.

„She didn't seem to be undead, but I don't know anything about this sort of thing. Maybe Lady Cala… Holy shit!" she cursed when she remembered the young aristocrat.

„What Lady Cala?" Huntara asked with resignation. She was clearly overwhelmed by the recent news.

„Miss Daisy's ward... this is Shadow Weaver. Lady Cala is Shadow Weaver's ward, a very wealthy aristocrat from Carurystal, though I'm not sure what their relationship really is. She claims to be a descendant of that Mara, but I don't know how much truth there is in it, especially now it seems suspicious. We transported her and the other members of her expedition here, and then Cala took some of them to go to one place... How long was I unconscious?" she asked Huntara .

„Two days... „ said the older warrior, and Bina uttered a string of curses.

„I don't know if they're still alive. If this girl is what Dilayla thought she was…" Bina bit her lip. Of that group, she appreciated only Dilayla. Arkan-tar, Rechiza, Doctor Quin didn't concern her. They weren't very nice to her kids, who were the most important people to her. She had to save them at all costs... Even at the cost of several other people's lives.

On the other hand, she had no idea where to look for Shadow Weaver. She had no ship or other support, apart from Huntara and Lashor , and she wasn't sure she could rely on the latter. Perhaps the queen would be willing to listen to her, especially when the desert warrior was with her, but... Damn, she couldn't leave them to die... Perhaps they were okay and continued their excavations safely... But could she have them on her conscience... She remembered. about a that family that Igzar left Kesler for dead while taking their car. Motherhood had softened her, and once she would have had no scruples about letting them die. She sighed and said.

„Okay, I'll go to Brightmoon, you find Lady Cala and the rest... I'll give you the coordinates, I think I even have their communicator frequency. Try to capture Lady Cala alive, but I warn you it won't be easy. She is an incredibly formidable fighter and if you have no choice, don't hesitate to take her out. Huntara , could you write me a letter of introduction or something like that, because I need to contact the queen as soon as possible and warn her." Bina said and started packing.

Kane looked around. He was in the middle of hills covered with dense vegetation, mostly short, thorny trees and bushes. The area was desolate, although the planet was generally not densely populated. There were probably a dozen or so million creatures living here, maybe twenty at most. Even his Carurystal, which was called a galactic village, was a metropolis compared to Etheria , although on the other hand this place could not be denied a certain charm. It reminded him of the old days, before the young races took off into the stars. Although how long ago was that? How many millennia have passed since then? He couldn't count, and it didn't really matter anyway. What happened will not come back, longing for what has passed is vain. At least that's what he always told himself, perhaps deceiving himself. Nostalgia had always haunted him, and sometimes the weight of the past centuries overwhelmed him so much that he was unable to do anything else but drift in the ocean of memories. One hasn't experienced this for a long time. Since arriving on Carurystal. Perhaps it was due to the Break, which had deprived him of much of his memories. Maybe it was the nature of his planet, where so little had changed, that was responsible for this. He wasn't sure and preferred not to go into it, he was enjoying this short period of respite. A peace he didn't deserve.

After the first meeting with Shadow Weaver, he had a feeling that this woman was bringing great changes, that she was not who she seemed. He was sure of this when he found her in the library, looking for information about Krannor Rill. He considered killing her before she destroyed his wonderful oasis of peace. He could have sent assassins or some terrible demonic creature after her, but something told him that this was how it should be, that nothing lasted forever. That he cannot hide for eternity from the inexorable rush of history, turning away from the universe, because the universe will not forget about him. That's why he joined this expedition organized by Prince Zed and Doctor Sidonius, fully aware that he would probably never be able to return home.

However, there were also other reasons why he went on this expedition, although he realized some of them only after arriving on this planet. At first he thought it was the first bout of nostalgia in centuries. He felt like deja vu, only much stronger. Memories flooding him from all sides, as if they were trying to materialize in his mind, but at the same time fading into nothingness at the last moment. He guessed what it meant. His mind reacted differently to the Gap. It didn't completely deprive him of his memories of his old life, it just made them hazy, hidden behind translucent glass. He could sometimes decipher them with some effort as long as he was near an object or place associated with it. And this place brought back shadows of many memories, not very pleasant ones... No, it wasn't, it wasn't precise sentnce. It would be better to say very dark. Something terrible happened here a long time ago and he was involved. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember anything specific. He remained as unaware as the nice inhabitants of this planet.

Their ship Memory landed near Eternalsong, the capital of a country ruled by Princess Sweetbee, a strange winged Lashunti. The capital had suffered greatly at the hands of Horde Prime and was now being rebuild. For this reason, many inhabitants of even distant kingdoms, such as Salinea or the Kingdom of Snow, came here and helped with the reconstruction. The native inhabitants of the region, mainly the local variety of Lashunta and Strix, showed them some reserve, but considering what they had experienced during the war, they showed them much more cordiality than they could have expected. Prince Zed and Dhampir Daughter of Doctor Sidonius paid a visit to the Princess, Doctor Sidonius had gone to Brightmoon for a purpose known only to him, and he had come here to seek... He wasn't sure what. Probably his own past, although he wasn't sure if he would like what he found...

On the other hand, he wasn't sure if he would find anything here. So many centuries had passed... At first glance, Etheria seemed like a place where time had stood still, but even here, constant and inevitable changes were taking place. The landscape was changing, and even if his memory hadn't been obscured by the fog, he still wouldn't have been able to recognize this place. But he could have searched them in a more traditional way. In his time, he had explored many of the ruins left by the Elder Races, guided only by vague references in forbidden tomes. He was really good at it, almost as good as he was at killing. Unfortunately, the results of these searches were usually far from expectations.

This place was not always as desolate as it is now. When he climbed one of the higher hills, he discovered that the terrain showed that it had been leveled in ancient times to make a road for heavy vehicles, perhaps tanks? It would not be easy to notice something like this for someone who was not as familiar as he was with the remains of ancient technological civilizations. However, there were traces of a much more recent presence of Intelligent beings. Paths in the forest, remnants of camps that have been broken up many times over the decades. He even found traces of dragging a large block of rock. Most of these remains were at least five years old, if not older. This was not surprising, because recently the locals had gained access to much more efficient means of transport...

However, he eventually found something much fresher. Clues of a group of Humanoids , including one wearing power armor, which suggested that they may not be from this planet. They didn't try to hide, they were very confident for guests on a foreign and unknown planet. It was very interesting. So he decided to follow in their footsteps and he did a very good job. He came to the top of a hill where he saw a statue. It represented Chaugnar Faugn, one of the less influential Old Ones, largely because his followers shunned civilization, his much less monstrous descendants were much more influential. The sight of the statue, while definitely disturbing and thought-provoking, was actually irrelevant considering the reason he had come here. It was far too new and made with tools too primitive to be the work of one of the ancient civilizations, and it did not stir any of his memories. Much more important was the place he seemed to be guarding. It was a tunnel leading deep underground, where something extremely important was hidden, something he almost remembered...

Centuries spent in the safety of Carurystal made him lose some habits, but his wild instinct of a murderer, a predator who without blinking an eye shed the blood of anyone who stood in his way. Therefore, although he forgot about caution and did not sneak to this place as he would have done in the old days, he still dodged a second before the attack. A beam of electricity hit the spot where he had just been standing. The beam was fired from a weapon held by Strix woman, and her Lashuntian companion stood behind with a machete. Stryxa looked at him in bewilderment, clearly not expecting her target to dodge, clearly he had no experience in fighting, so he jumped at her, stabbing her with a dagger into her throat, then jumped at her companion and knocked her to the ground with a shoulder blow, which caused the woman to release her weapon. He grabbed her hand by the wrist and pressed it to the ground.

„Tell me who you are and what you are doing here!" he growled menacingly, staring at her with his blue, cold eyes that reflected death. The sight of those blue eyes of his often made others more terrified than a blade held to their throat.

„Lady, she told us to. Let's all keep an eye on this place. And she ordered her to take care of the prisoners, even though the latter had taken them. We… „She burst into tears, clearly unable to cope with the situation, so he spoke in a calmer voice.

„Who are you, who are they and these prisoners?"

„We are the servants of the Mistress Of All Life." she mentioned the name of one of the gentlest aspects of Shub-Niggurath . "Lady Cala participated in our rituals and then ordered us to come here and take care of the people trapped here. But we're not like that, we just want to honor life in all its aspects, and those... They were terrible. They worship this horror, whose statue was built here. But even they weren't as scary as Lady Cala. She seemed nice, at least at first, but then she turned out to be a monster ... Those people, they want to sacrifice them. I'm just a teacher, I didn't sign up for such things. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I don't really want to die anyway. Please don't hurt me."

He thought about her request for a moment and decided he would spare her. He was neither merciful nor cruel, and did not kill or harm others unless he felt the need to do so. He became curious about the issue of prisoners. They certainly had extremely important information. However, they were probably guarded by fanatical cultists and perhaps worse things. Did he really want to risk his life for them? He thought for a moment. He was genuinely curious about what they had to say. He has already risked his life for lesser reasons...

„Which direction did they go?" he asked in a gentle voice. The woman showed him which direction to go, tracking down the cultists dragging prisoners behind them probably won't be difficult. He decided to let the woman go, rather she would stop worshiping the Ancient Ones once he understood what it entailed. But then he heard a scream.

„No thorny weed can stop the great Tung Lashor!"

Well, someone who shouts throughout the forest that his name is Tung Lashor is certainly not a cultist of the darkness beyond the stars. He could also use some help, he was a good warrior, but it's always better to have support... So he ordered the woman to stand up and let her go ahead.

She stared at that idiot Tung Lashor in disbelief. She never thought they would work together one day. What's more, she was just discovering that he wasn't an idiot, at least not like she had previously thought him to be. Somehow he got here from outside Etheria. He's someone as extraordinary as Adora and Hordak . Until now, everyone believed that only two people had arrived on Etheria during the time it was hidden in Despondos, but it turned out that there was a third one right under her nose, and one with connections to some great power outside the empire. She didn't understand much of Bina's story , except that the Aspis Consortium seemed dangerous. She didn't say whether she might have hostile intentions towards Etheria and it was difficult to learn anything specific from Tung Lashor.. He began to tell his gang members about the greatness of the Consortium, even though he said terrible generalities or things that they did not understand at all. Now, for example, he was praising meat mondays. She was sure of one thing. From an ordinary idiot he became a dangerous idiot.

With Bina they separated two days ago. Tung Lashor gave her two members of his gang to escort him to the Valley. He chose those who seemed to be quite composed, especially Kublodka, who seemed to be quite sensible. The burgundy-haired traveler lent them this strange carrier, even though traveling in it was one of the most terrifying experiences. The vehicle drove itself and, deprived of its owner, paid no attention to the health of its organic passengers. He took them as far as he could, which was definitely further than she wanted. It was definitely too much for her old bones. They followed the directions of Tung 's Datapad, Bina uploaded the appropriate data to him. They had to make their way through the jungle, and neither she nor the Aspis chief knew the area well, but several of the reptile's subordinates were from here, so they made their journey much easier. They were almost to their destination when they heard the snap of branches and suddenly two people emerged from between the trees. One of them was the Vespid woman. She seemed both terrified and distraught, like a criminal caught in the act being led into custody by the entire village. Her hands were even tied. However, it was her companion who attracted much more attention. He was a tall and powerful man. He had reddish-red hair and his face looked wild, even brutal. His eyes were the worst. Cold, light blue. They seemed to emanate an inner glow. She felt as if Death itself was lurking in them. He was dressed in a surprisingly elegant outfit, resembling a suit or uniform, but he seemed to wear it like armor. He was armed with a sword and a pistol, although he also had a rifle on his back. He looked at her and she shuddered involuntarily.

„I'm Kane. I can help you." he said, his voice completely incompatible with his powerful and barbaric figure.

„ What's the point... „ Tung growled Lashor approached Kane but he looked at him and the lizard doubted his abilities.

„I've been following you for some time and eavesdropping. You could only go to this place for three reasons." Kane continued, smiling gently. „Either you are cultists who want to perform dark rituals here, or you are looking for ancient ruins of the First civilization, or you want to free several people imprisoned by these cultists in order to assemble them into cultists. You are definitely not cultists, and in the remaining two cases I can help you."

„How? We have to save my friend's companions. If you can lead us to them, we would love to have your help." She said, completely unsure if she should trust him.

„Not only will I take you to them, but I will even help free them. I kill things and I'm pretty good at it." his eyes lit up and she realized that death really was lurking there.

She woke up with a terrible headache. She tried to reach out to check the damage, but something was holding her hand. When she opened her eyes, a wave of nausea and pain washed over her. Even though it was dark around her, she saw flashes of light. She hoped she didn't suffer brain damage. She looked at her hand, it was handcuffed to the floor, her legs were tied with chains. They did not look very strong, those who put them on did not know the possibilities of modern military prostheses. However, before she could free herself, she had to find out what happened to her and where she actually was. The last thing she remembered was Lady Cala, with a surprised face, throwing a backpack filled with explosives at them. The plan was good, but they didn't expect that this bastardess would throw it so quickly.

She saw Rehiza staring glumly ahead. Her hands were tied tightly behind her back. Next to her lay Arkan-tar, looking thoughtful, and Dr. Quin, who looked obviously pissed. Ysoka looked at her and said furiously.

„Oh, she's already awake! Great! Now break those chains and break some heads until the brains fall out from between your fingers! These idiots broke most of my equipment. I rented some of it and now I will have to buy it back with my own money! Ignorant people like them don't deserve to live."

Well, it must be admitted that Ysoka's breve spirit gave her some encouragement. She tried to get up, but then she felt dizzy. She felt nauseous and vomited. Rechiza turned to her and smiled wryly.

„You got hit in the head really hard. You lay covered in boulders for several hours, so we weren't sure if you survived. In fact, if it weren't for those bastards trying to take your armor, you'd still be lying there. Maybe that would be better for you?"

She didn't like Laszunti's words or her resigned tone, but the Warper had always been a fatalist. Dilayla wasn't going to give up.

„Maybe you'd better tell me what happened!" she growled, and then Arkan tar spoke up in a very tired voice.

„ You took most of the shock wave, so it was only bruised. Unfortunately, the tunnel was buried and we were trapped for several hours, maybe even a whole day, until we were dug out. Unfortunately, the people who did this were cultists, I didn't expect them on this planet, but considering who Lady Cala and Miss Daisy are, and what the statue we found represented, it shouldn't surprise me at all. The aristocrat, of course, survived the explosion that no mortal could. They dug us out and detained us immediately. We tried to resist, or rather, Rechiza tried, but they teargassed us and electrocuted Rechiza... Really, someone should start requisitioning the Horde's old equipment, because it ends up in the hands of those who shouldn't. They somehow took off your armor, I admit I helped them, because they were going to cut it with a blowtorch and then they brought us here."

She sighed and asked.

„Where is it HERE and can you guess what they are going to do with us?" the mercenary asked in an irritated voice.

„ Some complex of caves and gorges. They made their base here. I think they're organizing or something." said Verthani, and Lashuntka added.

„They are mostly followers of various Great Old Ones, emigrating all over the planet to worship various beings in their holy places. They are led by Nyarlathotep's cultists, but they do not dominate here. And what are they going to do with us... It's probably quite clear. They want to sacrifice us to Chaugnar Faugn, or rather to one of his brothers, which is somewhat ironic considering the history of this place."

Dilayla sighed heavily. Everyone had their time. It was important to choose how to leave.

„Over my dead body." the mercenary growled.

They came for them in the evening. They didn't seem to care that Dilayla was conscious, luckily for them. They led them out of the cave in which they were held and led them to a low hollow in the center of which was a statue of Chaugnar Faugn. Arkan-tar could tell at first glance that there was something unnatural about him. The stone it was made of seemed almost organic. His amazing glasses had not been taken away from him, and he could see the shadows of his past swirling around him. He didn't really like what they were doing, but that was what he expected to see.

The cultists were among the many species that inhabited Etheria, and most did not appear to be true fanatics. They seemed more scared than Verthani's companions. However, the group of followers was large enough to enforce obedience. They were lined up in a row in front of the statue and a woman dressed in black robes.

„The Cultist of Nyarlathotep, along with the cults of Great Cthulhu and Hastur, are the most powerful, but it is rare for their cultists to lead rituals for other ancient ones. Apparently they have a staff shortage." Rechiza murmured quietly, and the priestess began to speak.

„Embrace your shadows. Look deep within yourself and release what you hide in your own hearts. Listen to the whispers coming from the darkness. To ascend, every being must free itself from the shackles that society imposes on us. Embrace your shadows, for they are your true Self. Follow your instincts. Surrender to your innermost desires, your darkest emotions, for only a free being can rise to create your own destiny. " the woman spoke and rubbed her hand, then placed it on the statue and then began to chant in Aklo, the language of the ancient races. Unfortunately for him, Arkan-tar knew this language and his bones shuddered when he heard it. So then it was time to act. Dilayla broke the shackles and shattered the skull of the nearest cultist with one powerful blow, while she grabbed the Electric Baton from the other and shocked him with it. At the same time, a laser fired from Ysoka's cybernetic eye, hitting the priestess in the base of her skull, killing her instantly. With her hands bound, Rechiza could not cast spells, but she was able to distort reality, causing the cultists to start suffocating in poisonous fumes, and Verthani took a knife and began to cut the Warper's bonds.

The four of them moved back closer to the statue, their backs to it. They probably won't survive this fight, but it's better to die in battle than to be slaughtered. He smiled bitterly, because this was not the fate he expected when he joined this expedition. But then he heard battle cries from everywhere and a swarm of warriors ran on ropes into the valley. Most of them were lizardmen, kobolds, and other creatures with the symbol of the Aspis Consortium on their chests. They were led by Tromlin with a strange whip and an orcish woman. However, the greatest slaughter was caused by a huge man with blood-colored hair. Arkan-tar was sure that death itself lurked in his bright blue eyes.

After less than a minute, the fight was won with no losses to their relief side. Almost all the true cultists died, the rest surrendered.

„I'm Huntara, Bina sent me here to save you... Is Lady Cala alive?!" the orc woman asked.

„Unfortunately, she is difficult to kill." Dilayla said, smiling evilly.

„We'll see... She hasn't met me yet. As you saw, I'm really good at killing." said the man with eyes like the heart of winter.