It was a vast impenetrable darkness, unfathomable and unyielding. But in that void, a voice. Weak, faint. A whisper. A sigh.
Caaaarn…..
Then silence, only all-encompassing darkness once again. Until, so ethereal and insubstantial that it
was as mist or a wisp of smoke…
Caaaarn…. Alistaaaeeee….
The voice was dying, he could tell, the last
utterances of a fragment of a soul irrevocably sundered. Of a remnant drained.
Carn himself felt insubstantial, he had no feeling, his body was absent. He had
no sense of physicality, only the insistent fading echoes of that voice.
If he had eyes he could not open them. If he had a
mouth he knew not how to use it to speak. He did not hear the words as much as
feel them. He had no sense of time, no grounding. In this vacuum of reality the
voice eventually spoke one final time.
This… is the end my…. friend…..
As Larkarsky’s voice faded reality reasserted
itself. Not with a rush but with a slow increase, marked mainly by pain. Lots
of pain. Carn quickly decided that he had preferred no feeling at all as now he
was in burning agony. He tried to move but was utterly immobile, his body
broken, shattered and wracked with pain. His eyes didn’t hurt so he opened them.
It made no difference. Everything was black, he could not see a thing and had
no idea if he was blind or if it was just THAT dark. But however dark it was it
was not silent. He heard shuffling, grunting, breathing and a soft hissing. It
was getting closer, inexorably drawing nearer and coming from all around.
Carn couldn’t even turn his head, couldn’t even lift an arm. His
breathing was ragged and wet, his scalp was sticky and as his senses returned
there was a strong smell of copper mingled with the chemical tang of ore and
mineral. His legs were crushed, covered with rock, stone and chunks of ore, he
could not feel them but was aware of the weight of the rock pinning him to the
floor. There was a sharp pain in his hand, though it took him a while to isolate
it from the general agonies he was experiencing.
Yes, there was something in his fist, dug deep into his
palm, slick with blood. It was sharp, angular. He knew
it’s shape, it’s weight, the way it felt. He wept.
The sound was getting closer. Shuffling, snorting,
the scraping of claws on stone. Grunting became audible with accompanying
hissed instructions. There were no lights. Whatever these things were they were
able to see at least a little in absolute darkness. Heavy objects were lifted,
inspected and dropped. They fell with a dull thud, Carn realised they were
bodies, they were looking for him.
And there was nothing he could do, he could only
lie there, utterly helpless. He awaited the inevitable, it was intolerable,
staring into the inky blackness (though he thought now that he could pick out
some semblance of form above him) unable to act, move. More thuds, more grunts
and shuffling, getting closer, ever closer. Soon the noises were right next to
him, he could hear breathing and soft snarling, it was coming from his
right, though there was sound still all around. Then, a boot beside his head. A
triumphant hiss. A claw reached down and grasped the front of his stolen mining
suit. It pulled and Carn fought back a scream as his body was strained. A grunt
from his molester plus a hiss slightly further away and then he could feel
rocks being moved away from his lower body. Another hiss and again he felt
himself being pulled. The remaining loose rocks and stones tumbled away as he
was dragged away and up. It was still dark but he could just about see a shape
in front of him. Every nerve in his body screamed, no that wasn’t right. He
couldn’t feel below his waist. That wasn’t good. The creature that had hoisted
him up grunted in satisfaction and without warning and in one swift smooth
motion tossed Carn over his shoulder. Now Carn did scream, just for a
split second before he passed into blissful and peaceful unconsciousness.
He knew not how long it was before he finally came
round but he was being dragged roughly across a stone floor which passed
beneath him as he opened his eyes. He was being gripped by the shoulders, which
screamed in pain the moment he came to, along with the rest of his tortured
body. There was a cultist either size of him, he managed to turn his head
slightly, though it was agony to do so, to behold his captor. It was not as
hulking or bestial as some but far from human, featuring chitinous plate on its
arm and clawed hands. It’s head was bowed and the creatures gaze downcast. It looked
reverent, almost fearful. Amidst the various pains shooting through his body
Carn began to feel a deep dread as he noticed many other similarly bowed heads
around. There were hundreds, many hundreds of cultists all around him and all
had their heads bowed, arms, be it two or three, crossed in front of their chests.
Inch by agonising inch Carn raised his head to see
his destination, his nerves screamed their protestations but he had to
know. His vision was still slightly blurred but ahead he could make
something large out. Large and yellow, actually many yellow things. As he was
dragged closer the objects came into sharp and terrifying focus one at a time,
each more horrifying than the last. Ganvan Seris was there, looking quite
recovered. He was flanked by two large broad shouldered cultists. further the
Magus’ right were actual monsters, bipedal let utterly alien, some had enlarged
claws or extra arms, come carried strange looking weapons, some had tentacles
for arms, some even had a tentacle mouth, yet for that they stood upright and
were of humanoid proportion, It was an amalgamation most foul and repellent .
Carn felt bile rise in his throat as he beheld the repulsive creatures. As he
got ever closer Carn could see that Ganvan Seris was smiling evilly. The sight
repulsed and petrified him even more than the alien creatures had. To the
Magus’s left was a space,. A noticeable space that unnerved Carn greatly for it
was obviously deliberate. Beyond the gap in the menagerie of horrors was another
singular figure, more ostentatiously garbed, though he still wore the mining
suit, clearly he was some kind of leader or more important member of the cult.
Next to him were a variety of cultists, generally of the more mutated form.
And yet, for all the gallery of inhuman horrors
about and before him it was the space that horrified Carn the most. It was
foreboding and ominous. Beyond it yawned darkness, a recess that Carn could not
judge the depth of. It seemed as a yawning pit threatening to swallow Carn
whole. As his terror began to rise there was a noise, a rumbling and
scraping. Something started to emerged from the darkness. Carn was roughly
shoved to his knees. He was thankful beyond measure that his legs erupted with pain as he hit
the floor. The scraping grew louder and closer. A giant obsidian throne started
to emerge from the darkness, and in that throne…..
The sight unmanned Carn entirely, he began to
gibber uncontrollably and then laugh the laugh of a mind frayed and hysterical.
One of the cultists backhanded him, snapping him back to lucidity and he stared
in wide eyed terror at the Yellow King.
It was monstrous, a gargantuan creature in yellow
chitin and purple flesh, it leaned forward in its throne, resting its chin on
one clawed hand in a monstrous parody of The Ruminator, an ancient statue from the mists of Terra’s ancient past. Two other arms with slightly more human
hands lent on the baroque carved arms of the throne and a fourth on the
creature’s knee, brutal looking claws flexing. It’s cranium was swollen and
enlarged and a prominent bony crest rose from it’s forehead. It’s eyes flashed
green and simmered with a sinister alien intelligence. The creature looked monstrously
strong, sinews and muscle rippled beneath its chitinous armour. A tail looped
down in front of the throne where it crouched, a wicked looking spine at its
tip. The monster regarded its captive coldly and Carn felt tendrils of thought
penetrate his mind. He shuddered, fresh agonies roaring through his frame from
the movement. He looked about him desperately. All around him the cultists were
now staring at their Yellow King, their faces rapt. But it wasn’t fear or any
kind of obeisance that Carn observed. It was devotion, pure unfiltered love. A
reverence and adoration never more true. It was the love a child shows for a
father. With a chill Carn realised that this was indeed the case, the creature
WAS their father, their patriarch. The patriarch for the entire cult and they
loved it unconditionally and would die to protect it, every single one of them,
without hesitation. THIS monstrous alien was the nexus, the core, the very heart
of the entire cult.
The Patriarch leaned back, it’s cursory inspection
of Carn over. It raised its four yellow arms to the sky and barked out a series
of guttural syllables. The congregation bayed its approval. Their Yellow King
lowered its arms and the noise abated, it extended one taloned claw and
beckoned for Carn to be bought closer. His guards gripped him by the arms and
dragged him on his knees in front of the throne. Carn knelt there, utterly
subdued and pliant. The guards stepped back and the Patriarch reached forward
and scooped Carn up in its grasp. Its claws closed around Carn’s torso and his
shattered ribs ground together making him roar in pain as he was lifted bodily
into the air. It hoisted him up and held him in front of its face, as if inspecting
some morsel. Carn knew this was without a doubt the end and that his life was about to finish and he was going to journey to the Emperor’s side. But he
wasn’t dying without one last gesture of defiance. He spat bloodily into the
Yellow King’s face, crimson expectorate spraying across it’s snout. The
Patriarch recoiled slightly and then started convulsing, making strange
snorting soft bellows. It took Carn a second to realise that it was laughing.
It stopped abruptly and stared at Carn with primitive belligerence, a pointed
tongue snaked out and licked the bloody spittle from its face. The Yellow King
grinned evilly, malice glittering in its alien eyes. It pulled the helpless
Prefect forward and Carn closed his eyes and gripped the Aquila charm tightly
as the Patriarch opened its fanged maw wide. At long last, after struggles and
trials immeasurable, Alistae Carn finally knew peace.
The investigation team was only three days out. That was all Ralscon could think of as he idly dismissed another alert from the outermost relay station. There was still a lot to do, things to hide, trails to remove, blame to shift. He'd tried to lessen his use of Emperor's Caress in order to improve his productivity but not using the narcotic for prolonged periods resulted in significant pain. No, it was much better to continue using it and escape the pain and reality. Problem was that it was unlikely that the imperial agents heading his way would feel the same. Therefore it was essential that some semblance of normality was presented. He'd already deleted some incriminating records, and files that seemed unimportant to him but had pleased the tentacles to eradicate.
Now with the team only days away he had decided that the pace needed to step up. He barked orders at his subordinates, directing them to various tasks. Even as they scurried off to enact his instructions he palmed another pill and swallowed it, feeling the tentacles presence increase straight away. The bliss enveloped him and he sat back in his chair and sighed contentedly. Everything would be ok, he would ensure it. The investigation team would arrive, carry out their probing and leave. He would kill them, he reflected, but he had not the means to do so. Besides, it would result only in more arriving. No, let them come, poke about, he would make sure they left empty handed. None the wiser, nothing would happen. .
He was cresting a wave of ecstasy when a light started to flash on the console in front of him. He was about to dismiss it as per usual when a twinge in his temple told him that he should answer. He moved his finger over to the receive rune and duly depressed it. A brief screen appeared showing that the message was coming from Endomaw and then faded as the screen transitioned to video.
A tall man appeared, garbed in a yellow robe. He had some kind of contusion to his head and carried an ornate staff topped with a four armed figure. For reasons that he could not explain Ralscon felt very comforted by the figurehead.
"Supervisor Ralscon, forgive my interruption of your important work but there is something that you need to know" Ganvan Seris spoke smoothly and smiled with warmth. "There has been a development, somewhat surprising but far from unwelcome. We would have contacted you earlier but we wanted to wait until, well, you will see in a moment." He unfurled his free hand, splaying the fingers. "i cannot deny that we have had a few problems here at Endomaw mine, things have not been going.... smoothly. However, I am pleased to report that all is well now and that we expect to be back at full production quotas soon" He beamed. "Now there is someone else who wishes to speak to you." He stepped to one side and off screen.
Ralscon's jaw dropped,. Agape, he stared at the figure on the screen that had been behind the man in yellow. He was severely injured, that was plain but he too was smiling serenely. Even with the bandages and scorched skin there was no denying it. It was Alistae Carn. The Prefect raised a hand in acknowledgement.
"Ralscon, damn you but by the Emperor it is good to see you", Carn spoke slowly, hesitantly, in an unfocused manner. If Ralscon hadn't known better he would have thought that Carn was under the influence of Emperor's Caress. He decided that it was much more likely to be painkillers, Carn looked like hell, no doubt he was hurting considerably.
"Carn", he replied, "You're meant to be dead, the accident....They said..."
"I was lucky, survived the crash, I was in a bad way though, managed to crawl from the wreckage and they found me in the ash wastes." Ralscon nodded dumbly. "They've been fixing me up for the last week. I still feel like hell mind you," he admitted wincing, rubbing the back of his neck. It's been interesting to say the least. While I've been here I've been doing some investigation of my own. About Larkarsky," As he said the Adept's name his expression darkened and from his sleeve he produced a small charm, it glinted in the light and he toyed with it as he continued "It turns out that he had been poisoned, exposed to a hallucinogen from gas that is a byproduct of the mining process. The miners here are unaffected, long term exposure over time I suppose has built up a resistance. Larkarsky had no such luck. Significant levels of exposure straight away unbalanced him, sent him crazy. Poor bastard. They didn't realise till it was too late." He continued to twist the charm as he spoke. The light flashed off it intermittently. It was irritating to Ralscon but a small matter compared to the disorientation that he was feeling. He put it down equally to the effects of the Emperors Caress and the revelations of the last few minutes. He started to gather his thoughts.
"Well it's good to see you Carn" he said, an insincere smile on his face. "You know, there's an investigation team on the way here now to look into the accident, now you can tell them direct that there is no need for concern. When can you get back here?" This was perfect, maybe he could even turn the team around. Ralscon felt the tentacles smooth his worries away. everything was going to work out fine.
"'I'm going to be staying here for a while", Carn said, dashing his hopes "I'm still weak and not really in any fit state to travel. Besides, I still need to compile the report that Larkarsky should have made. Regulations must be followed after all."
"Maybe I can send them to you", Ralscon said, though as he did so he got the feeling that the tentacles would rater he didn't. He was starting to get a headache, that was usually a bad sign.
"No! " Carn exclaimed. "it's alright they are just going to get in the way", he smiled beatifically. "Great things are going on here at Endomaw, you have no idea, really. It's going to change things on Worth, perhaps the entire Celias system. It will be truly glorious. Show them a recording of this message, that will have to suffice. I'll be here another couple of weeks I suspect and then I shall return". His demeanour became serious. "I'll have some cargo with me that i'm bringing back to Narthley, samples in large containers. It is imperative that they not be disturbed. If all goes well the whole system will soon be aware. This could really be the chance to put Worth on the map Ralscon and if we are smart we can all share in the glory."
Glory sounded good to Ralscon, very good indeed. "Well it's about time you did something useful rather than being a pain in my arse" he retorted. I'll look forward to your full report. I'll hold the investigation team off here, no fear. It's just a matter of protocol i'm sure. Once they see you are alive and well they will be satisfied. The sooner they are out of the way the sooner we can get back to normal and make preparations for your arrival. It sounds like there is nothing untoward at the mine so i'm sure i can just show them the operation here and get rid of them. Everything is going to be fine. As you say, great things are coming."
Carn smiled, his manner was still somewhat languid, slowed, "Yes", he said, still absentmindedly spinning the small Aquilla charm in his fingers. "Everything is going to be exactly as it should be, you have no idea of the magnificence that awaits us, no idea at all"
*****************************************************
The investigation team was only three days out. That was all Ralscon could think of as he idly dismissed another alert from the outermost relay station. There was still a lot to do, things to hide, trails to remove, blame to shift. He'd tried to lessen his use of Emperor's Caress in order to improve his productivity but not using the narcotic for prolonged periods resulted in significant pain. No, it was much better to continue using it and escape the pain and reality. Problem was that it was unlikely that the imperial agents heading his way would feel the same. Therefore it was essential that some semblance of normality was presented. He'd already deleted some incriminating records, and files that seemed unimportant to him but had pleased the tentacles to eradicate.
Now with the team only days away he had decided that the pace needed to step up. He barked orders at his subordinates, directing them to various tasks. Even as they scurried off to enact his instructions he palmed another pill and swallowed it, feeling the tentacles presence increase straight away. The bliss enveloped him and he sat back in his chair and sighed contentedly. Everything would be ok, he would ensure it. The investigation team would arrive, carry out their probing and leave. He would kill them, he reflected, but he had not the means to do so. Besides, it would result only in more arriving. No, let them come, poke about, he would make sure they left empty handed. None the wiser, nothing would happen. .
He was cresting a wave of ecstasy when a light started to flash on the console in front of him. He was about to dismiss it as per usual when a twinge in his temple told him that he should answer. He moved his finger over to the receive rune and duly depressed it. A brief screen appeared showing that the message was coming from Endomaw and then faded as the screen transitioned to video.
A tall man appeared, garbed in a yellow robe. He had some kind of contusion to his head and carried an ornate staff topped with a four armed figure. For reasons that he could not explain Ralscon felt very comforted by the figurehead.
"Supervisor Ralscon, forgive my interruption of your important work but there is something that you need to know" Ganvan Seris spoke smoothly and smiled with warmth. "There has been a development, somewhat surprising but far from unwelcome. We would have contacted you earlier but we wanted to wait until, well, you will see in a moment." He unfurled his free hand, splaying the fingers. "i cannot deny that we have had a few problems here at Endomaw mine, things have not been going.... smoothly. However, I am pleased to report that all is well now and that we expect to be back at full production quotas soon" He beamed. "Now there is someone else who wishes to speak to you." He stepped to one side and off screen.
Ralscon's jaw dropped,. Agape, he stared at the figure on the screen that had been behind the man in yellow. He was severely injured, that was plain but he too was smiling serenely. Even with the bandages and scorched skin there was no denying it. It was Alistae Carn. The Prefect raised a hand in acknowledgement.
"Ralscon, damn you but by the Emperor it is good to see you", Carn spoke slowly, hesitantly, in an unfocused manner. If Ralscon hadn't known better he would have thought that Carn was under the influence of Emperor's Caress. He decided that it was much more likely to be painkillers, Carn looked like hell, no doubt he was hurting considerably.
"Carn", he replied, "You're meant to be dead, the accident....They said..."
"I was lucky, survived the crash, I was in a bad way though, managed to crawl from the wreckage and they found me in the ash wastes." Ralscon nodded dumbly. "They've been fixing me up for the last week. I still feel like hell mind you," he admitted wincing, rubbing the back of his neck. It's been interesting to say the least. While I've been here I've been doing some investigation of my own. About Larkarsky," As he said the Adept's name his expression darkened and from his sleeve he produced a small charm, it glinted in the light and he toyed with it as he continued "It turns out that he had been poisoned, exposed to a hallucinogen from gas that is a byproduct of the mining process. The miners here are unaffected, long term exposure over time I suppose has built up a resistance. Larkarsky had no such luck. Significant levels of exposure straight away unbalanced him, sent him crazy. Poor bastard. They didn't realise till it was too late." He continued to twist the charm as he spoke. The light flashed off it intermittently. It was irritating to Ralscon but a small matter compared to the disorientation that he was feeling. He put it down equally to the effects of the Emperors Caress and the revelations of the last few minutes. He started to gather his thoughts.
"Well it's good to see you Carn" he said, an insincere smile on his face. "You know, there's an investigation team on the way here now to look into the accident, now you can tell them direct that there is no need for concern. When can you get back here?" This was perfect, maybe he could even turn the team around. Ralscon felt the tentacles smooth his worries away. everything was going to work out fine.
"'I'm going to be staying here for a while", Carn said, dashing his hopes "I'm still weak and not really in any fit state to travel. Besides, I still need to compile the report that Larkarsky should have made. Regulations must be followed after all."
"Maybe I can send them to you", Ralscon said, though as he did so he got the feeling that the tentacles would rater he didn't. He was starting to get a headache, that was usually a bad sign.
"No! " Carn exclaimed. "it's alright they are just going to get in the way", he smiled beatifically. "Great things are going on here at Endomaw, you have no idea, really. It's going to change things on Worth, perhaps the entire Celias system. It will be truly glorious. Show them a recording of this message, that will have to suffice. I'll be here another couple of weeks I suspect and then I shall return". His demeanour became serious. "I'll have some cargo with me that i'm bringing back to Narthley, samples in large containers. It is imperative that they not be disturbed. If all goes well the whole system will soon be aware. This could really be the chance to put Worth on the map Ralscon and if we are smart we can all share in the glory."
Glory sounded good to Ralscon, very good indeed. "Well it's about time you did something useful rather than being a pain in my arse" he retorted. I'll look forward to your full report. I'll hold the investigation team off here, no fear. It's just a matter of protocol i'm sure. Once they see you are alive and well they will be satisfied. The sooner they are out of the way the sooner we can get back to normal and make preparations for your arrival. It sounds like there is nothing untoward at the mine so i'm sure i can just show them the operation here and get rid of them. Everything is going to be fine. As you say, great things are coming."
Carn smiled, his manner was still somewhat languid, slowed, "Yes", he said, still absentmindedly spinning the small Aquilla charm in his fingers. "Everything is going to be exactly as it should be, you have no idea of the magnificence that awaits us, no idea at all"
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