City of IF

[LordoftheNight]

Chapter Nineteen: Sacrifice

K’zon strode out through the swinging doors of the tavern, taking care to push them aside with gusto. No longer would he be forced to cower, to tread with caution – Kagemusho had gone for good this time. K’zon was sure of it. He sniffed the air, inhaling the sweet sickly scent of humanity.

“Dartain…it’s still standing?” he mused, “I thought it would have fallen into anarchy, centuries ago.” He smiled reminiscently, pearly white teeth glinting in the moonlight, and started off along the myriad of back-alleys that interlocked the city.

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Ulliana’s senses flared, acute pain rocketing through her system, blinding her senses. She struggled vainly, tightly bound ropes cutting into her limbs. A loud thump splintered the ground beside her, and she felt herself bodily lifted off the ground. Some…thing, was dangling her from its arms, carrying her as easily as one would carry a child.

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The guard had been most helpful in offering directions K’zon decided upon reflection, idly scratching his teeth with scrap of bone marrow. Somehow, the do-gooder who inhabited his body had managed to get him inside Danzig, City of the Damned. What on earth had possessed him to come here of all places? K’zon considered the irony of that – what had possessed him indeed.

A sharp knocking sounded against the door to the watchtower, but the daemon ignored it. He had far more important things to do than worry about the pathetic meat-sacks who patrolled this city, regardless of the fact their heartbeats would be snuffed out in mere moments should he will it.

Still – no reason to let time go to waste. Who knew what that half-breed bitch would do with the sword? K’zon snarled to himself, picturing her panic as he got his hands on her, imagining her screams. Yes, he would make her scream alight – show her he was more than a weakling, more than a simple tour-guide.

No one makes a fool of an Animus-Rapito.

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Ulliana screamed against the crude gag in her mouth, the rough piece of cloth that the shaman shoved between her teeth. Great fires were lit around the clearing, and the cavorting beastmen threw strange shadows up against her blindfold. The feline could hear the shaman’s rasping voice, screeching out words of praise to their dark gods.

Without warning a slow drumbeat started, the deep repetitive thud resonating through the clearing, the sound echoing like a giant’s footsteps. Between the steady beat, a sharp wailing sprung up, filling the air with howling and braying.

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The horse whinnied nervously as K’zon approached, twitching away from the daemon’s presence. Ignoring the stallion’s wordless plea, the ex-Hoeder swung himself astride the steed, running bloodstained fingers through the terrified beast’s mane. Jerking forwards as if stung, his requisitioned mount burst through the stable doors, splintering the rough wooden beams that held them closed.

“Seth’la Draloctl,” the daemon whispered into the horse’s ear, effortlessly keeping his balance. At his words lightning crackled across the sky, the sudden downpour drenching steed and rider. Had any citizen’s of Danzig been out past curfew, the cloudless sky would no doubt have confused them, yet it seemed as if the heaven’s themselves had parted, spilling the waters of the world down upon the city.

As his mount raced forwards, its flesh began to ripple, the horse’s hair stripping away from its body, revealing swollen muscles. The now bare bones and muscles began to bulge grotesquely, bursting from their previously confined forms and growing immensely in size.

As it galloped through the twisted alleyways, the steed sped up, magically enhanced physique granting extra speed and power to the creature’s natural abilities. Lightning bolts continued to flicker around the horse, striking against the cobblestones with alarming regularity.

A dark stain started to spread across the creature’s body, black drops covering the mutated beast. Within minutes the once grey horse was jet black, bright fiery red eyes glowing brightly from the bony skull. K’zon’s mount leapt the walls of Danzig with a single bound, the thirty foot wall proving no obstacle to the stallion’s incredible strength. The charger landed without pausing, and immediately set off northwards, following the unspoken desires of its rider. Northwards, towards the sword.

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The Rakshasa’s blood dripped from a thousand cruel incisions, nerves and tendons enflamed by the shaman’s cruel butchery. With each cut, something licked her wounds, lapping her injuries and sapping the strength from her body. She squirmed, wriggling against her bonds in vain, desperately trying to worm away from whatever it was slowly forcing itself inside her.

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The daemonically twisted stallion raced through the forest, trees bending to either side before the beast’s presence. Overhead the storm roared, flashes of light rendering the night sky bright as day. To either side of the horse’s path foliage burst into flames from repeated lightning strikes, a great conflagration billowing up behind them, a raging inferno spreading outwards from the beast’s route. Far faster than any mortal steed, the horse covered the ground before it like quicksilver, miles disappearing in moments under the twisted creature’s unnatural tread, leaving black and smoking hoof prints in its wake.

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The shaman had ripped her blindfold from her, evidently wanting her to see her death approaching. The thing before her was grotesque, a writhing glistening mass of muscle and flesh, blood and bones barely contained by a thin transparent membrane. Multiple tentacles waved disconcertingly without pattern, some sporting eyes while others appeared to be little more than feelers. Various recognisable features could be seen throughout the body, minute baby-sized hands nestling within folds of tissue. Over a dozen eyes rolled around the body, varying in size and even shape.

A multitude of mouths sprouted from the creature, seemingly at random. It bellowed, a deep reverberating sound that seemed to come from all directions at once, the echoes rolling over her body again and again. Dagger like teeth clashed together, and the monster slivered towards her, meat and bone pressing together as it rolled closer. A hint of gold shone from somewhere buried within the monstrosity.

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With a final snort, the unholy horse collapsed, fire streaming from its nostrils. Light as a feather, K’zon leapt into the air, twisting to land firmly on his feet. A twisted grimace spilt across his face, and, after sparing one contemptuous glance back at his fallen mount, he continued north, where the black sword glowed like a beacon.

Behind him, his horse slowly turned to ash, the burning embers blowing away in the wind.

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The shaman’s dance continued, the high pitched, screeching voice calling out words of praise to his unholy Gods. Tearing her eyes from the prancing figure, Ulliana looked back at her approaching death, and recoiled. Enthral’s face, complete with golden death mask was protruding from the creature’s folds, covered in blood and ichor. When the beasts had created their monster, they had obviously pillaged all the bodies around they could find, including that of her departed companion. Her stomach retched at his noble sacrifice being put to such depravation, choking in silence as her gag prevented her from releasing her stomach matter.

The creature loomed above her, saliva dripping from its many fanged mouths. As if fell on her exposed skin, the Rakshasa could feel it burning away at her, the evidently acidic liquid scorching her flesh and charring her fur.

The shaman’s chanting suddenly reached a new crescendo, a gruesome gargling squeal that cut of sharply. Glancing over, as much to get away from the monster’s rancid breath as anything else, the feline was momentarily startled to see a hand bursting out from the shaman’s chest. The body slumped to the floor, lifeless but still twitching.

Kagemusho stood behind the corpse, bloody handed and laughing. A crazed smile stretched broadly across his face, and Ulliana could sense he wasn’t himself. Gone was the quiet, serious, contemplating monk she had known. Instead Kagemusho flung himself at the beasts without hesitation, laughing ecstatically as he threw them aside, necks snapped and bodies broken. He was faster, stronger than he had been, and seemed uncaring as the beasts hammered into him with axes and cleavers, dodging away from and between their blows, almost faster than the eye could see.

A space cleared around him, and she could see that even his posture was different, almost crouching, his shoulders hunched, glancing from side to side. Like an animal expecting attack.

The monster before her seemed confused, bewildered, as if it couldn’t act without the shaman’s chanted instructions. In fact the entire herd seemed taken aback, waiting for something to snap. The Head-taker was the only one who acted, bellowing in anger. At his voice, the herd surged forwards, rushing upon Kagemusho who would surely be overcome by the weight of numbers. The grotesque creature before her turned as well, leaving Ulliana gasping at her narrow escape.

Wincing in pain at her broken arm, the feline rolled her shoulders backwards, slipping her bonds out from behind her. She dropped away from the rock, landing awkwardly on the floor, and proceeded to dip the ropes still binding her in the acidic slime the monster had left. With a cry, she snapped the weakened bonds and staggered to her feet.

The black sword was embedded in a mound of earth, not ten feet from her. Ulliana stumbled towards it, grasping it firmly in her left hand, and turned to help her ally. Yet…her she was with a broken arm, badly injured and weak. Kagemusho, though just awaken from a coma, seemed fine, and was obviously prepared to sacrifice his life to rescue her, otherwise why would he try to attack an entire army like that. Was it worth throwing her life away as well?

[LordoftheNight]

I don't get it - why has it gone so wide again?

Oh well, no matter. Have fun, and try to enjoy it.

Decision point - if you haven't guessed it - is whether Ulliana should help out 'Kagemusho' or not, and what should she do instead, if she decides to use the distraction he poses.

Add to favourites, read it twice (no real reason, just that I said so) and enjoy yourself.

Have a cookie too.

Lordy out.

[Crunchyfrog]

She doesn't know that Kagemusho is now K'zon, so why should she have any reason not to help him out? She is injured, so she will probably feel that she needs him to stick by her.

Until, of course she figures out what has happened to him within.

:D



BTW it's gone wide because of your lines of asterisks - make them shorter, and it will return the screen to normal size again. ;)

[LordoftheNight]

But it's wider than the asterisks are - I made them that size as I knew it used to perfectly fit the screen, but now the normal paragraphs seem to go on much longer, without reason.

[Crunchyfrog]

Reduce them further and see what happens!

[LordoftheNight]

Makes no difference that I can see.

[Crunchyfrog]

It has to me! It is fine now from where I'm sitting.

You have more mod functions so your screen will appear wider. Reduce them more, and it should come straight again for you too.

If it is still not right, try removing them completely, or reducing it to 3 large asterisks.

:)

[LordoftheNight]

It seems to flicker between wide-screened and not. Currently, the astericks are taking up half the page width, but I can see it all now.

A moment ago half the screen was missing.

[Chinaren]

Finally found time to read this Lordy! :D Well written, as usual, though I did see a small typo or two. You missed the 'e' off 'here' somewhere.

Anyway, she doesn't know he's changed, so I say she'd help him, but cautiously, she's hurt. No sense getting herself killed.

[Kalanna Rai]

She's hurt, she knows she won't be of much use at this time. I say she watchs the fight from a safe distance, ready to help if she can but keeping back because of her wounds.

[Mastermind]

A she (might) see it, Kagemusho's fighting a hopeless battle so that she might escape. So don't make his sacrifice be in vain. Run.

[Mephistopheles]

nicely done lordy. Rather riveting tale. I think that she should stay back, ready to defend herself. she has already sensed that there is something different about k'zon, she doesn't know just what it is yet. And it appears that he his holding his own rather well right now. See what he does, and perhaps then she will know in the end that fleeing would have been pointless anyways?

[DELETED]

DELETED

[LordoftheNight]

I think for this decision point - because except for a few possible ressults - most decisions would require explanation - I'm not going to run a poll.

Instead, I'm going to ask you to expand upon your already stated view, to say what she should do if such and such happens.

For instance - if you felt throwing herself into the fight with her broken arm was a good idea, how long should she fight for? Until all the beasts are dead? Until Kagemusho is defeated? (obviously she can't really do much if she dies beforehand, but that's not the point).

Those of you who said to wait - wait and do what? When (if?) does she get involved - after Kagemusho is defeated? When it looks like he needs help? And what would cause her to leave - again - when he gets defeated? Not staying around to avenge him?

MM - you're the only one who thought using Kagemusho's distraction to run was the best plan. Run where exactly? Back to Danzig, and the warrior's lodge? Try and find Zanthe, and get him to try and help Kagemusho? Find her horse, and go for Myst by herself?

Of course, any of you feel free to post suggestions or other ideas, or change your own. Once I've got a reasonable collection, I might put a poll up, depending how it goes.

[LordoftheNight]

No-one has any other comments/explanations/further plannings? At all?

[dragon_fire372]

I kind of agree with Mastermind here - if she stays and "Kagemusho" is defeated then she won't be able to defeat them. If she hangs back and waits, she'll just end up congratulating Kagemusho on his victory or running away when he dies. So I say, find her horse and get back to town, so that she can regroup and get her injuries taken care of. If Kagemusho survives he will come after her. If not, then his sacrifice will not have been in vain.

[LordoftheNight]

Right - poll is up. Any ideas on where to run to would also be nice - to Myst, to Danzig, to Zanthe ect, along with an explanation.

[Crunchyfrog]

OK I've gone for the penultimate option, that could mean running. I just went through the synopsis again to remind myself of the various places - I may be mistaken, but it looks like she never did get to Myst and find out about her sword. Perhaps this should be her next destination.

[LordoftheNight]

I'm disappointed - only five of you voted, but surprisingly you chose to run away.

Second poll therefore to decide where to run.

Myst (the original destination, to which Danzig was just a stopping point)
Zanthe (who has announced his intention to travel to Myst the next day)
Danzig (and just hide out there)
Alphabaks (and try to forget everything that happened recently)
Sombala (her homeland, where she hasn't been in years)
Another country (and start afresh somewhere else)

[NeverNeverGirl]

okay i have just got up to speed ont his one after reading every chapter.

Okay i am disappointed in the first poll here as obviously she owuld have stayed to help him - she considers him her friend enough that she owuld go on a quest to get him cured yet she wont defend her against the beast men? oh puhlease - plus he has healing powers and as she doesnt know he has turned yet (and he may not have revealled that until he got what he wanted from her) she would assume he could do so for her again.

You kids are reading this and making the assessment based not on what the character would do biut on all the facts some of which she is not privy too... i guess here is the problem with mulitple perspectives....

So anyways this poll (my first) i vote go to zanthe if you are going to run away you betraying chicken lion woman!