Saturday, October 11, 2014

Here's another chapter of A Decaying World. And that's about all I have to say for now. I should really try to realize my horror collection soon, but I'm not sure I'll find the time to finish it up in the coming days as I've got some things coming up.

 

Chapter 17: In the Depths of Belia's Tower


Drake hadn't had a good night's rest since the destruction of Arlington, but when the beast overpowered his mind he was plunged into darkness, into an almost comatose state. He could see flashes of reality when the vampire's hold on his body was compromised, but they never lasted for long and quickly faded like a dream. Only when a radiant light penetrated every corner of his mind did he finally resurface.
Cold wind howled past his ears when he sat up. It had already chilled his body to the bone, so he rubbed his freezing hands while inspecting his surroundings. Grey rocks could be seen in every direction. They were illuminated by a ghostly flame floating above. Similar flames could be seen in the distance, but the area in-between was filled by impenetrable darkness.
Look who's finally awake,” said an awfully familiar voice from above. Drake's own voice, just more deeper, more menacing.
What the...?” Drake jumped to his feet and looked up, discovering his spitting image floating through the air. It was sprawled out on a disc made of darkness. “Who are you?”
His doppelganger chuckled and brushed through his slicked-back hair before he spared him a glance. His crimson eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. “Come on, have you already forgotten me? I'm the darkness slumbering within your mind. The source of your power.”
Drake furrowed his brow and looked around in confusion. “Why does it looks so different this time?”
Because we're not inside your head.”
Then why are we separated? Have I been cured?”
The beast laughed and his voice reverberated throughout the darkness, echoing back and forth from barriers unseen. “There is no cure. The only way to destroy me is to destroy us both.” He raised his right hand and snapped it shut, as if grasping onto something that couldn't bee seen. “But there's magic in air, magic so powerful that it was able to split us apart. Don't get your hopes up, though. It's only temporary.”
Drake sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “How did we even end up here?”
Some elven bitch threw me through a portal. Said she'd let me go if I survived this place.”
So why haven't you left yet? Couldn't you just float to the exit?”
I tried, but whoever created this place must have made sure that his puzzles aren't circumvented.”
What puzzles?”
See that lever over there?” The beast pointed towards an object that Drake had mistaken for a stalagmite. “Give it a shove and you'll see.”
Drake had no reason to trust the beast, but seeing as the rest of the island was empty, he didn't have much of a choice. So he strolled towards the lever, wrapped his arms around its top, then gave it a good push. The darkness seemed to grow brighter and a faint hum filled the air.
Look behind you.”
A path paved with glowing platforms had appeared in the air, connecting this island to another in the distance. It faded out of existence the moment Drake let go off the lever.
See? None of us can cross over unless the other holds onto the lever.”
Couldn't you have used your magic to hold it in place?”
Do you think I'm retarded? I've already tried everything I could think of, but I can neither float away nor manipulate the lever without actually touching it.”
Drake wrapped his arms around his body and rubbed his freezing flesh. He might as well have not worn anything, so easily did the cold penetrate his body. “What did the elves hope to achieve by throwing us in here?”
I guess they want us to cooperate so that I don't take over your mind again.”
You did what?” Drake looked up, his voice mad with anger.
The beast shrugged with a smile on his face. “You're the one who lost control and almost got himself killed. What choice did I have? If you'd simply accept what you are, we wouldn't be in this situation.”
I accept that I'm a creature of the darkness, but I'll won't let myself be consumed by my hunger!”
And that is why we will always wrestle for control.”
Whatever. Let's just get this over with,” Drake grumbled and turned around, activating the lever again.
The disc below the vampire dissipated and he fell gracefully, his descend slowed down by his fluttering robes. “You're letting me go first? How nice of you.” He vanished instantly, accelerating faster than the eye could see.
Another path appeared in front of Drake, prompting him to let go off the lever. He stared it for a moment, trying to conjure the energy needed to cross it as fast as his counterpart, but whatever magic had separated them had also returned him to his original state. So he sprinted across instead, just in case the beast decided to drop him into the void.
Two levers were waiting for Drake on the other side. One of them occupied the northern edge, the other the southern edge. It was only logical to assume that these were part of a puzzle, but they looked identical to each other and there were no hints to be seen.
Hey, did you also—” You don't need to scream. We're still connected. Okay. Did you also have two levers to choose from? No, the island looked like a reflection of the first. Hmm...
Drake squinted into the darkness, examining both directions thoroughly. There was a single island up north, about as far away as the first. He couldn't see anything in the opposite direction, however.
Could it really be that easy?”
He walked to the northern lever and gave it a slight push. It refused to budge. So he wrapped both hands around it and applied all of his weight, which still accomplished nothing. Only after kicking it a few times did it finally relent. As soon as it snapped into position, a distant growl echoed through the cave.
What did you do? I pushed the lever, what else? And made the entire ground shake in the process. I didn't feel anything. Must have been too weak for a puny human to notice. Stop trying to insult me and go to the next island! I'd like to, but there's no path.
Drake let go off the lever, yet it remained in place. He stared it for a moment, then peered into the darkness. The sound he'd heard only moments ago had sent a shiver down his spine, so it seemed like a good idea to undo whatever damage he'd done. But the lever refused to be pulled back and was too close to the ground to be kicked again.
Dammit.” What is it? Nothing.
He walked towards the other lever and pushed it down without encountering any resistance.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

And here's chapter 16 of A Decaying World. It's relatively short with only 4k words, which is why I decided to continue with the next chapter instead of switchting back to Loop. That one might be a bit longer, but I doubt that it will go over 10k words. Which means that my plan of having 26 chapters overall will most likely fail. Not that it really matters.

 

 Chapter 16: Losing Control


Drake's slumped over figure rested in front of a pillar that a dozen enchanted ropes bound him to. He had been thrown into a small, dank chamber devoid of furniture. Its exit was located far above and inaccessible by normal means. Even a rope would have been insufficient as there was nothing to affix it to.
A rectangular section of the wall flared up, transforming it into a door made of stones. When it swung open, a tall elf dressed in white stepped through. A small clearing could be seen above his shoulder, but the walls wobbled when his feet touched the stones, swallowing the portal.
The elf raised his right hand and turned its palm skyward, conjuring a pea-sized ball of energy. It exploded from the inside out, doubling in size, continuously repeating the same motion until he could wrap his fingers around it.
“I'm ready.”
A ripple of energy tore through the walls as the elf aimed at the vampire, leaving a series of white concentric circles behind. They pulsed in anticipation as the elf let go, propelling the orb into the vampire's chest.
Drake's body reared up and his muscles spasmed as his consciousness was pulled from the darkness. He slammed his head into the pillar and let out a gut-wrenching scream as the sacred energy tore through his flesh, partially destroying the corruption within his blood. Repeatedly bombarding him with such power could have cleansed his vampirism, but the chances of surviving such therapy did not exist.
His screams echoed from wall to wall for an entire minute before his voice died down and his head dropped onto his chest. Fluttering eyelids unveiled a mixture of light and darkness coursing through his pupils, wrestling for control. His fingers twitched, his chest convulsed, and his flesh began to emit smoke, which caused the ropes around his body to glow.
“Why are you here?” said the Elf after pulling a chair out of thin air and planting his behind on its seat.
The vampire raised his shaking head, still unable to keep his eyes open. His mouth opened and closed, as if crunching something into a million pieces.
“Why”—the elf raised his hand and conjured yet another ball of sacred energy—“are you here?”
Drake's eyes open wide, as did his mouth. He shot forward, as far as his shackles would allow, and his flesh changed, fell in on itself, transformed into a mask of pure horror. Blackened, dripping, grotesque. Huge eyeballs atop an even wider mouth. Fangs so sharp they could have crushed a skull with ease.
The darkness dissolved when the orb of light penetrated the vampire's chest, revealing Drake's unchanged face. His head slammed into the pillar once more and an even louder scream fled his throat. Wisps of smoke followed the sound and turned solid upon coming into contact with the air, lashing out at the elf.
“Fool!” The elf vacated his seat as a dozen tentacles tore through it. He landed close to the wall and slammed his palm into the nearby circle before rolling away, evading yet another attack.
A deafening buzzing noise filled the room as a myriad orbs were disgorged from the walls. They honed in on Drake and spun around his screaming figure, dissolving the darkness and hiding his body from view.