EPISODE 39
THE DEMON'S EYE
Dashing past the largest of the heartstones, Vash felt a frigid chill pass over him. The sense of an outside presence watching him, considering if it was worth the effort to hunt and consume him.
“Can’t we smash those damn things?” Vash snarled, slashing at a jet black pseudopod that whipped towards his leg. His dagger sliced cleanly through the tendril, sending black ooze splattering against the stones.
“Too tough.” Jabez said, panting as he jogged to keep up. “Therium’s hard as diamonds. Once it’s formed a heartstone, it’s even tougher. Even my hammer would take a dozen strikes to make a crack.”
Of course. Why can’t anything resolve easily? Vash thought, bitterly.
He glared at the dark purple heartstone as he passed. The crystal pulsed and rippled with energy and Vash felt another tug on his Core. His head swam, suddenly, and he felt an immense pressure building in his head. It felt like a headache, only worse. The dull throbbing pain ebbed and flowed with the pulse of the heartstone’s light. A feeling swept over him, amusement, and distant, a kind of haughty pleasure.
Vash thought, catching himself before he stumbled.
Cass all but shouted in Vash’s mind, causing a sharp stab of pain to complement the dull throbbing.
Vash thought.
Cass countered.
Vash ran as fast as he safely could into the small passageway formed by dozens of closely packed columns. The passage had barely enough width for one person to walk without difficulty. Vash took the lead, Jabez close behind, and followed up by Corwin, slashing at the tendrils of dark ooze that continued to lash out at them.
Vash asked. The passage was much darker than other portions of the temple, fewer Therium deposits on the pillars lead to a lessening of the purple ambient glow. It also seemed to mean a lessening of the interference with Vash’s His mental map pushed back the clouds in his mind, giving him some idea of where he was going. Vash tried to concentrate on figuring out his position while fighting the throbbing pain in his head.
Cass said, icily.
As Cass spoke, Vash could feel the vast hunger from the heartstone. The sensation was animalistic, primitive, but behind it was a budding intellect just waiting for a chance to break free.
Vash staggered, a wave of nausea and vertigo hitting him suddenly. He veered to one side, colliding with a column. Leaning against the stone for support, Vash struggled to stay upright.
“Vash!” Jabez called. “What’s wrong?”
. Vash thought, bitterly.
Cass said, barely concealed terror plain in her voice.
Vash snapped.
Vash felt Cass recede from wherever she went to have conversations with him. A moment later, the vertigo receded, and Vash could stand upright again.
“I’m fine.” Vash said. “Low mana and no rest caught up to me for a second.”
Jabez grunted in acknowledgment, but Vash could almost feel the suspicious gaze of the older dwarf. “Any idea where this passage goes?”
“North-ish,” Vash said, jogging forward again. The path through the columns was more like a series of gaps than a tunnel or corridor. They switch-backed upon themselves and made sudden turns in different directions. “I think it opens up not too far from here.”
Another grunt. Jabez was a man of few words.
Corwin caught up to them. Streaks of black liquid ran down the shining metal of his sword. “Those ooze things are still coming, but they’re slow. If we keep moving, we should outrun them.”
“Any sign of the scalebacks?” Vash asked.
Before Corwin could answer, a series of roars and piercing shrieks punctuated the silence of the temple. The noise came from behind them, accompanied by the sound of metal striking stone.
“I think the scalebacks found the oozes.” Corwin said. “Hopefully that will slow them down.”
“Not for long.” Jabez said. “They’ll likely do what we did, fight them off long enough to find a way out. Which will be easier since they’ll just follow our scent.”
Vash tried not to think about the towering lizard-men racing along the passage behind them. If they were like other lizards and could scale the stone columns, then they would easily surround the Wayfarers.
Vash thought.
The Wayfarers moved as fast as they could. Vash would suffer a moment of dizziness whenever the heartstone slipped past whatever Cass was doing to protect him. Jabez was flagging, his breath ragged and labored. A trickle of dark blood stained Jabez’s mail where the Hollowmound Queen punctured his armor. Vash couldn’t be sure if it was just the light, but the dwarf’s blood looked almost black, which couldn’t be good.
The whole time, Vash felt the oppressive eye of the heartstone on him. While he was in its domain, it could find him. In time, it would crack him open like an egg to get to what it wanted.
Vash realized, taking a sharp turn and finding an open section of the passageway. A long, straight section running east.
Vash shook his head. Too many questions to consider while running for his life. Ahead, the columns opened up again into wider spacing like the front of the temple. However, the fog of interference returned just beyond the point where they would exit the passageway. His instinct was to slow down, approach the exit with caution.
The rest of the world did not seem to want to give him that option.
Vash winced in pain as his headache returned with a sudden ferocity. Cass blossomed in his awareness. She felt exhausted and battered.
Vash thought.
Cass replied, exhaustion plain in the sound of her voice.
Cass receded, returning to her hiding place deep in Vash’s mind or soul. Her retreat meant a redoubling of the heartstone’s assault. Vash steeled himself against the attack, sinking deep as he could into his own Core, ignoring the pain and disorientation as much as he could.
“I don’t hear the scalebacks.” Corwin said. “Any chance they’ve given up the chase?”
Jabez barked a laugh. “About as much as me shaving my beard.”
Vash could see the edge of the temple with his It wasn’t far, but there were about a hundred yards of obscured temple between them and the open Underlands. “Not far now, I can see the end of the of passage.”
“Be on your guard,” Jabez cautioned. “Anything could be out there.”
Vash jogged to a stop at the exit of the passageway. His instincts screamed at him to keep running and not to stop until he escaped this damned temple. The rational part of his mind, however, although dulled by pain and exhaustion, was wary. He’d made too many mistakes in the past few days, forcing him to act quickly. He had little time, but he could take a moment before running out into the open.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Peering out into the dull purple gloom, Vash could see that this part of the temple was like the entryway. Wider spaced columns stood in irregular rows, Therium salts giving off a soft purple glow. Rubble and the odd stone ‘webs’ that ran from column to column blocked most of the gaps, providing one clear path.
Vash could neither see nor sense anything amiss nearby. Hesitantly, he exited the passageway, feeling naked and exposed when he crossed into the clouded area on his mental map. The pain in his head was intense, like a white-hot needle shoved through his temple. It was more than just the pain, though; he felt as though his very soul was exposed. The heartstone was poring over everything he was or could be, and he could feel the dark intelligence behind it trying to decide what use to make of him.
“Gods, boy, what’s wrong with you?” Jabez said, staring at Vash with a mix of concern and fear.
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t lie to me,” Jabez growled. “You’re hurt, but I can’t see any wound. So, what’s going on, or do we leave you down here?”
Vash cursed inwardly. “Something happened up in the delving. I can’t explain it in a few seconds, but it’s meant that things like the heartstones are affecting me a lot. Right now, the heartstones we passed are trying to dig into my mind. I’m fighting them off the best I can, but if I don’t get out of here soon…”
Jabez stared at him, face like stone. “Then let’s get out of here. We’ll get you to a cleric as soon as we can. Corwin, take point.”
“I can—“ Vash started.
“You’re compromised!” Jabez snapped, dark eyes blazing. “Stay close and tell me everything going through your head.”
Corwin looked uncertain, slowly passing Jabez and Vash to lead them away from the passage. He gave Vash an apologetic look, but he also kept his distance, sword at the ready.
Vash thought bitterly.
They moved through the temple, keeping a brisk pace but on the lookout for ambush. Jabez kept close to Vash, one eye on the lookout for dangers, the other on his apprentice. Vash tried to ignore it, but bubbles of anger kept floating through his calm.
He thought.
Something else was going on, and Vash just hoped that he survived long enough to figure out what it was.
It was only a short, tense walk from the passageway to a more open section of columns. As they approached, Vash could see the open cavern of the Underlands beyond the columns. The sound of running water told him they weren’t far from the river, either. Between them and freedom, however, was a long stretch of tiled floor.
A mosaic pattern decorated what looked like the actual temple entrance, leading from the wider Underlands to a rough stone altar at the top of the design. Tiles with the strange, angular writing Vash had seen before formed a border around the central mosaic. From the angle he stood at, it was hard for Vash to see what the design was supposed to be, especially since it appeared to be laid out in black and white tile. Over time, the white tiles had faded to a dull gray, muddling the look of the thing.
“Careful now.” Jabez said, gesturing Corwin to continue on into the entrance hall.
They moved in a loose knot, Corwin watching for danger ahead while Jabez kept an eye behind and off to the sides. Vash tried to keep a lookout, but his eye drifted back to the mosaic. Now that they were closer, Vash could make out the design better. A circle of black tiles with a rounded white bar in the center on a field of white. Strange symbols in black ringed the central circle. It occurred to Vash that it looked like an eye with a horizontal pupil, like a goat or a sheep. But something else tugged at Vash’s memory, something distant he remembered from childhood. It made him think of the temple back in Durron’s Ford.
Vash thought.
He recalled a whipping he’d received from Brother Enrick back when he was a boy. It was one of the few times the other children invited him to play with them. They played Shadowman in the temple lichyard. The other children hid amongst the graves and gardens and he had been the ‘Shadowman’. He searched for them giddily, and when he found a hidden child, he would say:
Then the child he found would run away shrieking:
If he caught and tagged them before they finished the rhyme, then they became Drae under his control, who helped him find other children. It was a common children’s game. But when Brother Enrick came out of the temple to shoo the children away, he had rounded on Vash fiercely. Fifteen strokes with the belt and a month of penance work in the lichyard gardens. Vash had not understood at the time Enrick had been so furious. Other children played Shadowman on the temple grounds and if they got annoying, then the cleric would shoo them away, not beat them.
Now, Vash realized, the reason for his punishment wasn’t the game. The other children had convinced him to accept a mark drawn on his forehead to designate him as the Shadowman. A black eye with a horizontal open area to represent the white pupil.
That night, while Sam tried to calm him down and tended to his wounds the best he could, he explained what that symbol meant. It was the Demon’s Eye, the sigil of Noctus, the Demon Lord of the Eternal Night, the Lord of the Shadow itself.
Vash felt a chill run through him. The signs of the other Drae were frightening enough, but few dared openly display the sign of Noctus.
“What is it?” Jabez asked, suspicious, then followed Vash’s gaze to the mosaic. He frowned down at it for a moment, then his eyes widened. “RUN!”
Corwin looked back, confused, and started to turn towards Jabez. The spear that would have embedded in Corwin’s throat merely grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody gash. Corwin stumbled to one side, bringing his sword up. The shadows melted off of the scaleback, exposing it as its broke. The scaleback danced back, hissing, ready to make another attack.
Vash felt the muted pulse of mana being used and he lashed out with his short sword. Shadows fell away in shreds and tatters, like thin paper in the wind. The scaleback clutched the side of its neck, blood staining the pale front of its body. It made a hoarse croak of pain and stumbled away from Vash, a torrent of blood flowing from its slashed artery.
Other pulses of mana flared behind them, but Jabez shoved Vash towards the entrance. The dwarf turned back to where the other scalebacks were appearing out of the shadows. Vash felt the deep thrum of Jabez pulling mana from his Core. With both hands, he raised his hammer above his head. Blue-white lines of magic flowed through nearly invisible runes on the dark metal’s surface. For a moment, the world held its breath. Then Jabez brought the hammer down in a savage arc.
Jabez boomed, voice gaining a resonant, echoing quality.
A wall of force tore across the hall. A scaleback on the edge of the area of effect flew ten feet and crashed into a column. Its body made a sickening cracking sound when it hit the stone. The scaleback crumpled to the ground, leaving an impression of shattered stone and a splatter of blood behind.
The ones directly ahead of Jabez burst like overfilled balloons, death coming instantly. Others, further back, were knocked aside like leaves in a strong wind. When it reached the stone altar, it only staggered the last few scalebacks.
The scaleback facing Corwin stared in confused terror at the bloody mess left behind by several of its companions. Corwin didn’t hesitate. He swung his heavy bastard sword in a tight arc and cleaved through the scaleback’s neck. A fountain of dark blood erupted from the creature’s neck and it twitched for a moment before slumping to one side.
Vash turned to Jabez. The dwarf stood stock still, breathing hard, eyes glazed, sweat soaking his brow.
Vash thought.
At the far end of the hall, the remaining scalebacks, a half dozen by Vash’s count, were getting to their feet.
“Corwin, help me, he’s got the Burn!”
Corwin rushed back, taking Jabez under one arm and half-dragged, half-carried him towards the temple entrance. Vash followed, keeping an eye on the scalebacks, trying to push down the rising pain behind his eyes. He fought his way, step by step, to the entrance of the hall.
Just as Vash was about to take that last step out of the hall, pain coursed through every nerve in his body. He sank to his body and retched, every muscle in agony. He couldn’t even form a thought, it was just an ocean of pain. Behind it all he could see that gleaming black eye, pupil a blazing white in the darkness.
It saw him.
It knew him.
It wanted him.
Cass’ voice came like a flash of lightning through his mind. The pain vanished, but left him trembling and weak.
His mind roiled as two wills clashed within him. One vast and powerful, the other nimble and clever. They clashed again and again in Vash’s mind. There was not time for speech, he just sensed an urgent plea from Cass to get out, to get away from the temple.
Vash stumbled to his feet, swaying as he did, and trudged to where a panicked Corwin stood on the top step of the temple. “Go!”
Corwin struggled down the steps with Jabez, finally giving up and throwing the weakened dwarf over one shoulder. Vash staggered, step-by-step back to the edge of the temple. It felt like moving through deep water; his body fought each attempt to escape.
He could feel the battle within his mind reaching its conclusion. Cass moved slowly. Taking wounds, Vash knew that the only way to save them both was to get out of the temple.
Vash thought, reaching out with his aura. His sense of self expanded and, not far beyond the edge of the temple, he found a likely shadow. In his mind, Vash formed the pattern for . He ignored the warnings of strain and fatigue within his Core, pushing more and more mana through the pattern. Vash held on tight to that shadow and pulled.
The sensation of movement and the fluttering of shadows around him were disorienting. Vash stumbled onto the loose soil and rock of the land beyond the temple. He felt the other presence in his mind shudder and scramble to keep hold of its place within him. Vash fought a wave of dizziness as the heartstone connection faded. He stood, panting, in the shadow of a large boulder.
Corwin, now behind him, jogged to catch up. “What, in all the gods’ names, was that?”
Vash shook his head. “No time…have to go…”
Looking unsure, Corwin nodded and carried Jabez towards the sound of the rushing river. Vash followed, pushing himself, knowing that his reserves were now empty, and he was out of tricks. A ragged burning inside told him he had done some damage to his soul. How much, he couldn’t tell.
A thought struck him.
Silence.
Vash waited, but there was no response.
The scalebacks roared a challenge from somewhere behind him.
Vash ran
