A Decaying World Chapter 19: Resurgence

And here's another chapter of A Decaying World, which turned out a bit different than originally planned, which is also why it's called Resurgence. Although I could have easily called it something else and moved the ending to the next chapter, as it will most likely not have the impact it could have. But whatever!

 

Chapter 19: Resurgence

As soon as the group returned to the camp, Alyssa stopped moving and pressed two fingers onto her throat. “Wake up!” Her voice was as loud as thunder. “We have to return to the village at voice. I'll explain everything on the way!”

Within less than a minute, all tents and campfires crumbled into dust and merged with the earth, wiping all signs of the elven encampment from the face of Meceruun.

“Do you always destroy your camps?” asked Drake and faced Alyssa, but she had already disappeared from his side and made sure that no one else had gone missing.

“We don't destroy,” said an elf who had overheard Drake. “Everything you saw was given to us by the forest. And now it's back where it belongs.”

“I see...”

“Good. Then start moving.”

The vampire looked over his shoulder and the elf backed off. His skin was as smooth as that of a child and his sword looked like it had never seen a serious battle.

You should teach him some manners! I'd rather not.

“You heard what lady Alyssa said! You're coming with us. So move.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

And so began their journey through the darkness of the night. But as luck would have it, dawn was less than an hour. At least it should have been. Yet no matter how long they walked, the darkness prevailed. And it wasn't the fault of the trees lining their path, as even those would have allowed the light to pass through.

“What's gotten into them?” asked Maximilian after catching up to Drake. “First they want to wait until dawn, now they're running as if the reaper himself is chasing us down.”

Drake looked at his companion out of the corner of his eyes. “Two elves were killed while you were asleep.”

“Shit!” The knight cursed and looked over his shoulder, but his eyes weren't able to pierce the darkness. “Are we being followed?”

Drake jumped over a slug-shaped root protruding from the ground before facing Maximilian once more. “No, and to be honest, I'm not sure why exactly we're running.” He sighed. “But the dead elves are the least of our problems.”

“What do you mea—”

A branch bent forward by one of the elves snapped back. It was thick enough to leave at least a nasty bruise, but while Maximilian tried to duck, Drake swung at it with his bare hand and ripped it off, propelling it forward. A wail followed, as it hit the same elf who had reached for it in the first place.

“Thank you,” said the knight, slightly out of breath.

“You did that on purpose, vampire!” yelled the elf, who was now cowering on the ground and pressing glowing hands onto the back of his head.

“And you didn't?” Maximilian recognized the elf by his golden armor. The wild look in his eyes was more than sufficient to tell him the truth of the matter.

“Would you please shut up?” screamed Alyssa from up front without pausing for even a second.

Both companions looked at each other and shrugged before moving on.

A Decaying World Chapter 18: The Messenger Of Chaos

And here's the next chapter of A Decaying World. Took a lot longer than it should have, due to me going on a short vacation, finishing up Aedis Tenebrum, working for Textbroker etc... but I'll try to get the next chapters out a bit faster again. Loop is kinda on a backburner right now.

 

Chapter 18: The Messenger Of Chaos

Drake's feet lifted off the ground when the light receded. He was gripped as if by a tornado and flung through the air, momentarily catching sight of the setting sun before getting entangled in a soft fabric upheld by wooden sticks.

“Guess I should have warned you that this might happen,” hissed Belia as he freed his paws. Light as piercing as the sun's lit up his ashen paws. The fabric was blown apart away and torn to shreds.

The cat freed himself from Drake's grasp and leapt onto a looping branch, just about evading the sight of a dozen elves who came running to investigate the commotion.

“It's the vampire!” yelled the same guard who had been about to fight Maximilian back in the village.

Within seconds, a circle of swords and spears had formed around Drake, with a few archers visible on nearby trees. One of them decided to jump onto the same branch Belia was sitting on, which resulted in him getting smacked into the underbrush without anyone noticing.

“There's no need for that,” said Drake, keeping his voice calm and his movements slow as he stood up with raised hands. “I'm entirely in control of myself.”

His right hand began to twitch and the urge to slap himself welled up within his mind. Only when he bit onto his tongue did the feeling recede. Do you want to get us killed? Just trying to have some fun. And what's so funny about us getting impaled or sliced to pieces? We would have managed. The force keeping your powers in check has calmed down. And even if it hadn't, you could still access the darkness I have amassed within your mind. I'd rather not. Suit yourself. But now that I have gained a bit of control, don't expect me to watch you bumble around.

“We should just kill him. No one would be able to tell if he was about to attack or not!” whispered one of the elves, before an arm landed on his shoulder and turned him around. Alyssa stared at him with cold eyes and he backed off. His feet came into contact with Drake's and he fell over, forcing his companions to pull their weapon's out of harms way, lest they impale him too.

The beast utilized the momentary confusion and catapulted Drake's body to the other side of the camp, where an enormous but artificial-looking tree rose into the sky. A sign with the words “Do not enter the Riddle Tower!” stood next to a gaping hole that seemed to lead nowhere.

An arrow lodged itself into the point of the exclamation mark, narrowly missing Drake's head. He flinched momentarily, then followed its course back to Alyssa. She had already readied another one.

“Don't you dare run away.”

“I didn't plan to.” So stop using my body as your plaything! “But I don't like being threatened.”

“Are you back to your old self?”

Drake turned his head and saw Maximilian standing in front of a tree, with his arms crossed. Feyadal could be seen sitting on one of its branches, but instead of threatening Drake with his bow, he was holding his sword in hand.

“Mostly, yes.” He bent his arm and clenched his fist, constantly feeling a slight pressure coursing through his muscles. “I might even be stronger than before.”

“One more reason to get ri—”

Alyssa lowered her bow and flung her arm sideways without breaking eye-contact. A sticky glob rose from the ground and shot towards the elf. He looked shocked for a moment, then smiled and moved his head out of the way. The projectile instantly corrected its course and slammed onto his mouth, gluing it shut.

“That's not for you to decide.” She lowered her hand and stepped forward, until she was just out of arm's reach. Her other hand was still holding tightly onto her bow, ready to snap back into action at even the slightest hint of danger. “Congratulations on surviving. Not many can claim to have bested that madman's challenge.”

“You meant to say no one, right? They would have had to get through—” Belia's paws shuddered as he collided with the ground, barely missing Alyssa's shoulder. “Hey, you didn't have to step away!”

The elf looked at the cat out of the corner of her eyes and an almost inaudible grumbling noise surged up from within her throat. “Belia … how 'nice' to see you again. I thought you couldn't leave the tower.”

“Maybe not out of his own accord, but carrying him outside proved to be surprisingly easy,” said Drake and smiled.

Alyssa's eyes locked onto his as her lips tightened for a moment. “Looks like I've chosen poorly. I should have killed you instead of risking this beast to attain freedom.”

Belia purred as his fur turned pink and his ass plopped onto the ground. “How dare you call me a beast? What have I ever done to you?”

“You mean apart from ripping off my dress, stealing my jewelry, and being a general pest to anyone who ever dared to venture into the tower?”

“But it's been ages since then!” Belia's ears twitched and his hind paw landed on his head, scratching it furiously.

“About 600 years. Not long enough to forget about your mischief. You could have had at least had the dignity to die of old age by now.”

“Ha, you wish! I'll still be around in a thousand years. But if you'll excuse me, I'll have a world to see.”

“Be my guest. And don't come back.”

Belia's fur turned into a mixture of green and brown, making him almost invisible if looked at from above. Then he sped off into the distance, jumping over sticks and stones like an excited rabbit.

The forest seemed to fall silent for a moment, as if every elf, human, and animal was mesmerized by the cat's departure. Only when his body vanished in the underbrush did everyone's thoughts return to the situation at hand.

“Back to you,” began Alyssa, but she stopped herself when Drake held out his hand.

“I'm Drake.” He smiled and stood there like a puppet, yet her arms remained frozen in place.

“I know.”

His eyes dropped and he mustered his hand, almost expecting something disgusting to be stuck in his palm. It looked perfectly fine, though. Just a bit dirty. He retracted it nonetheless, absentmindedly wiping it on his clothes.

“Sorry, I don't remember us being introduced.”

“We weren't. I was too busy sending you to your inevitable death.”

A few elves chuckled on the quiet but stopped when Alyssa turned her head halfway into their direction.

Drake glanced at Maximilian. A vague smile played around his lips as he shrugged. “I hope you're not planning to finish what the tower failed to do.”

“I stand by my word. You and your companion are free to go. But not until I know what your plans are.”

The vampire opened his mouth and came up empty. All he knew was that Modera had marked this place on a map, as she had done with Arlington and Pagan.

“To be honest, I don't have a clue. We're looking for someone … I guess. But I have no idea who it is or where to find him.”

“So you came here all the way from Pagan, looking for someone you know nothing about, with only a general location to go on?” She furrowed her brow and smirked. “That must be the worst plan I've ever heard.”

Drake scratched his head and eyed the ground. There was no denying her words, but he had acted on the spur of the moment, unwilling to waste even a second, just in case the same event that destroyed Arlington followed him to Pagan.

“Whatever the case, I doubt that anyone would be willing to help you out, even if the fate of the entire world might be at stake. We're busy enough as it is.” Alyssa rubbed her neck and relaxed the hand clutched around her bow. “However, you can follow us back to the village and try your luck if you want. But you'll have to wait until dawn. It's too dangerous to travel at night.”

“I thought the animals wouldn't attack you,” interjected Maximilian.

“They don't,” she replied without turning her head, “but there are other creatures lurking in the woods. You've already met some of them,” and with those words, Alyssa turned around and walked towards the rest of her group, who rapidly stepped aside to let her through. “Oh”—she stopped upon reaching the other side and looked over her shoulder, focusing on Drake once more—“I'm Alyssa Mirazzal. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” The vague hint of a smile flashed over her face before she moved on.

A Decaying World Chapter 17: In the Depths of Belia's Tower

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.

A Decaying World Chapter 16: Losing Control

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.

A Decaying World Chapter 15: Amidst the Ruins

And here's chapter 15 of A Decaying World. It could have gone a bit faster, but I've worked on another project a few days ago, where I ended up writing about 10K words in only three days. If only all my projects were progressing so fast...
Anyway, I'm going to return to Loop next. I've already had it lying around for too long without progressing the story. And I'm still going to release short stories during the next few weeks before I release the entire horror-collection.

 

 Chapter 15: Amidst the Ruins

A hundreds tiny grains of sand dug into Drake's skin like crystal shards, slowly rousing his dormant consciousness. His eyes fluttered open and fell upon two massive legs connected to a beast made of stone, a lapucuz. Its leathery tail entwined the vampire's chest, dragging him from the wreckage of his ship to a nearby forest.

“Wha—” It was a mistake to open his mouth. A load of sand invaded his oral cavity, eliciting painful rattling coughs.

All motion came to a halt. The beast turned around, sluggishly moving one foot at a time, until half of its hideous face could be seen. One lidless eye focused on Drake while a giant mouth opened up, freeing the beast's snake-like tongue. It darted forward and connected with the vampire's skin, ramming a dozen tiny needles into his flesh.

Within seconds, he was paralyzed, incapable of offering any resistance. But his eyes were still open, able to take in his surroundings. He had never been on this continent, but the endless sea of trees and the giant one towering above them revealed that he had reached his destination, despite plunging into an icy grave.

Need a hand? Yeah, but not yours. Still defying me, after everything I've done for you? Modera might have crushed your mind if I hadn't pulled you back from the brink of despair! That doesn't mean I have to like you. Why don't you go back to sleep? No chance!

Another beast had joined the first, with Maximilian in its clutches. He was still unconscious, unaware of the sand cutting into his face. But it was only a matter of time until his skull would bang against the stones scattered across the forest floor.

So, who's going to save you now? Feyadal might still be out there. And if he's not? Are you just going to let them kill you? They could have done so a long time ago. Maybe they're using us to stock up on supplies. Why wait when we could be free within seconds?

There was no reason to wait, yet Drake refused to change his stance. He didn't want to depend on his inner darkness unless it was absolutely necessary. But when the beast could set him free, he should have been able to do so by himself.

He tried to close his eyes, but his captor's poison had frozen his lids in place. Even such a motion as simple as breathing was impossible. If the same applied to Maximilian, he might have already been dead. Good riddance. Fuck you!

Grasping the power trapped within his body, he tried to imagine a wave of energy surging through his body, dissipating the paralysis. A tingling sensation rippled through his flesh, but when it died down, only his fingers had come back to live. His arms were still trailing behind him, so the best he could have accomplished was to throw a fireball into the sky. A few more attempts might have done the trick, but both beasts stopped dead in their tracks, releasing fulminant roars from their cavernous bodies.

“I could be mistaken”, said a squeaky voice from nearby, “but those creatures don't look edible at all.”

“But we to them!” replied a much deeper, rumbling voice. Its owner seemed to have trouble using Meceruun's common tongue, as every sentence came in quick bursts and every T ended up sounding like a D. “Else they wouldn't grabbed those guys.”

The lapucuzs roared once more and raised their tails into the air, allowing Drake a glimpse of the newcomers, none of which were human. One could have been mistaken for a human child, if not for his sallow and wrinkled skin. A giant schnozzle was poking out of his face while the rest was covered by unkempt hair. The second creature was the complete opposite: tall, muscular, hairless, and dark-skinned. His four beefy arms could have easily crushed a human's skull.

Since the lapucuzs had no intention of letting fresh meat get away, they flung Maximilian and Drake into the sand and hurled themselves at the newcomers. The smaller creature, a gnome, shrieked and sped away, swirling up the earth beneath his feet. But his companion, a gialuk, was not inclined to take flight. He slammed his fists together, then pulled all arms back and propelled them forward. A shockwave rippled through the lapucuz's shell, partially rupturing it. But the impact hadn't been powerful enough to reach its fleshy bits.

It slammed into the gialuk and pushed him back, but the creature reacted quickly and rammed his feet into the earth, stopping their movement. A manic smile crept onto his face as he slung his arms around the lapucuz's body, lifting the beast from its feet.

Knowing that it couldn't land a direct hit, the lapucuz opened its mouth. Its poison was powerful enough to take most creatures down, but even though gialuk's aren't the brightest of creatures, this one was quite crafty. He threw the lapucuz into the air, grabbed its tongue wit its upper arms, and began to spin the beast like a lariat.

“You like that?” yelled the gialuk derisively. “Or do you want down?”

The lapucuz screamed and snapped, as if trying to bite off its own tongue, but there was nothing it could do. And then the gialuk let go, sending it off into the sky. It ascended in a wide arc and them came hurtling down like a comet, audibly taking at least half a dozen trees with it.

The gialuk laughed and stretched his limbs just as the gnome came back, screeching for help. The second lapucuz was close on his heels, rolling through the sand like a cannonball.

“Get behind!” bellowed the gialuk as he twisted his body halfway to the right. Then he pulled back his arms, taking a big swing. If timed correctly, the lapucuz's momentum could be used to smash through its shell, maybe even strike it down with a single move. But if the gialuk screwed up … well, it wouldn't be pretty. The lapucuz was moving too fast to be stopped like the first.

The gnome reached his companion and grabbed onto his burly legs as he slithered over the earth. When it came to a halt, it peered over a mountain of muscles at the rapidly approaching threat.

“You got this?” asked the gnome, not quite as loud this time.

“I do!”

The gialuk concentrated, focusing all power into his right arms. Any other member of his clan would have sidestepped the attack, but Gorn was more than confident in his abilities. He would not lose to a mindless beast that had to coat itself with stones to survive.

Moments before impact, his arms shot forward and time seemed to freeze. Neither did his fists penetrate the lapucuz's shell, nor was he squashed. Then, a crack appeared, followed by another, and then another.

The lapucuz screamed in agony and flew off, cutting a swath into the forest. Gorn smiled at this glorious sight, spread his arms, and let out a mighty roar. His companion chimed in, despite sounding like a broken whistle.

Drake would have been thankful for the rescue, but the gialuk gathered him and Maximilian from the sand and slung them roughly over his shoulders while the gnome stared at them with a watering mouth.

Their captors might have changed, but their fate was still the same.