The sun was blood red, dying, and cast a dull rusty light on the dreary realm. There was nothing left in this accursed land but dust, rock and dried-up vegetation. The sky was overcast with clouds and was a dull red colour from the cold sun that shone above it. It never rained here in this barren rocky land.
We were running for the last time through this land we’d not miss, finally free of the fortress of the demon lord. Our mission had gone well.
Suddenly my vision is assailed by unbidden images and I am forced to stop.
My left eye no longer saw the open of scraggly grass in random patches or my friend running slightly ahead of me, pale blond hair free of restraints. I now saw the back of the demon lord himself, in his tower, leaning over a basin, intent on his map-seeker.
The right half of my vision is filled by what the map-seeker was showing. I immediately see a bird’s eye view of the red realm. I felt like my right eye was looking over the demon lord’s shoulder.
The land is dotted with the monsters and hells of the realm, some as large as a hill and others merely the size of house pets. The creatures are of a solitary nature and thus, are spread out. As with all superior map-seekers, each was labelled carefully with name, rank and duty as if monitored by an invisible being.
Intruders!
The demon was looking for us. His map-seeker moved at a fast but steady pace as it lapped up the miles and came closer and closer to where we were.
We could not be seen. I was confident of this. I believed in my partner’s capability as she in mine. We would succeed.
His lieutenant hails him. The map-seeker pauses and zooms in on the monster who was not far from us. My heart skipped a beat.
The demon lord seems to be listening to a report. Then his map-seeker starts moving slowly in the easterly direction. It passes over us.
Movement from the image seen in my left eye draws me away from the map-seeker. The hulking, shadowy figure bent over the basin was now straightening up and turning slowly.
My vision has never been this sharp. I almost expect him to see my image as well, in the tower with him, standing not too far.
He said something before fully turning.
The vision breaks and I am thrown back into reality.
There are a lot of large-sized rockeries around the small field of dried weed we were standing in. The weed came up to my thigh.
I stood frozen for in front of me, as if conjured by my left eye, was the humanoid dragon-featured demon lord, now fully facing us. The great horn on his forehead, which had killed too many to count, was covered in dried blood and bits of gore.
It was too surreal. I felt despair. I watched as if frozen, as if it were happening to someone else.
My partner, a little to my left and ahead, answered back.
An intense silence followed this. Then, from among the weeds, not ten paces in front of my own booted feet, another me stood up. It was a male warrior form of myself, too real to be fake yet was a fake.
Before I knew it, the warrior crumpled to the ground. Dead in the resounding echoes of the crack of a whip. Screams from my partner filled the air but no one had seen me. I had an inkling why when the blond-haired woman gave me a sideways glance even as she threw herself over the dead body.
~*~
The council met in an underground stronghold, in a cold chamber, darkened everywhere except the centre where it was lit brilliantly in dazzling whites and electric blues.
There were nine of them, sitting in a loose circle around the evolving holo-screen. The screen is constantly flickering, changing and displaying new information but to anyone else not sitting within the circle, it remains fuzzy no matter how hard they stare.
One of the council members, an gigantic radish-like creature with many legs, announced that his wife was arriving. This does not perturb the others, thus I take it as a common occurrence.
They now summon me and I step closer to the circle, stopping just beyond the light’s edge. Random screens start popping in front of my eyes. Graphs, maps, lists of all kinds stack themselves up one atop the other, making it very hard to look at any of the council members. It was enough to give anyone a headache as the information kept coming in and it only increased when I tried to look up.
They sent me out.
In the corridor outside, I stop. My eyesight had turned fuzzy.
I walk down the short corridor, built in the ultra-modern style. It was completely silent and a small arch stood at the end, beyond which I could see a dark stairway coming down. I stop some way from the arch because I felt something to my left and right.
The sound of glass breaking on both sides of me was my only warning before the entire corridor was filled with strange never before seen creatures that fought fiercely with one another as if reenacting some ancient battle.
I knew failure then as I then only noticed a fat white blob in the corner of the corridor next to the arch. It was reminisce of an upright squid except it had very blue eyes that stared out blankly.
There was too much fighting and jostling around me that I could not get any closer to the arch. Beyond, I see someone descending the stairs, the hem of a yellow silken gown moving fluidly. Human. Assassin. Blood. Killer.
She had to be the council member’s wife. Even if I had thrown a projectile or blade towards the white blob, I knew she’d foil my attempt. And even so, my information knew that no blade could pierce the flesh of the strange creature.
The scene shifted back as when I just started down the corridor. Another vision. This strange gift was getting more clearer and more frequent and on enemy territory, I had to be on my guard all the time.
Walking unperturbed, I glided down the corridor with sure, graceful steps. I now feel tentacles reaching out towards me to my left and right. Glancing without pausing in my stride, I now see invisible cylindrical enclosures lining the corridor. The strange creatures were within them, invisible to the naked eye, yet just barely seen when glanced at sideways.
Again the glass started breaking but I was by now more than halfway down the corridor. One of the creature closest to the blob was turning towards it.
Shouting, I lunged forward even as the fighters started pressing all around me. I pull back my right arm and concentrated hard before plunging my hand into the white blob, just a little below it’s close-set eyes.
The feeling is disgusting but once past the outer, almost gelatinous layer, the creature was hollow and I groped about blindly, finally feeling a pear-shaped thing inside it. I grab hold onto this with my bare hand and tug, feeling resistance in the form of a fibre connecting the organ to the body at both ends.
The white blob does not put up any resistance and seemed almost dumb. Out of the corner of my eye I see the yellow silken gown coming down the darkened stairway.
Without another thought, I yank out a bright purple organ, roughly oval in shape and still attached to the top and bottom by fraying purple veins.
It was beating slowly in my hand.
We were running for the last time through this land we’d not miss, finally free of the fortress of the demon lord. Our mission had gone well.
Suddenly my vision is assailed by unbidden images and I am forced to stop.
My left eye no longer saw the open of scraggly grass in random patches or my friend running slightly ahead of me, pale blond hair free of restraints. I now saw the back of the demon lord himself, in his tower, leaning over a basin, intent on his map-seeker.
The right half of my vision is filled by what the map-seeker was showing. I immediately see a bird’s eye view of the red realm. I felt like my right eye was looking over the demon lord’s shoulder.
The land is dotted with the monsters and hells of the realm, some as large as a hill and others merely the size of house pets. The creatures are of a solitary nature and thus, are spread out. As with all superior map-seekers, each was labelled carefully with name, rank and duty as if monitored by an invisible being.
Intruders!
The demon was looking for us. His map-seeker moved at a fast but steady pace as it lapped up the miles and came closer and closer to where we were.
We could not be seen. I was confident of this. I believed in my partner’s capability as she in mine. We would succeed.
His lieutenant hails him. The map-seeker pauses and zooms in on the monster who was not far from us. My heart skipped a beat.
The demon lord seems to be listening to a report. Then his map-seeker starts moving slowly in the easterly direction. It passes over us.
Movement from the image seen in my left eye draws me away from the map-seeker. The hulking, shadowy figure bent over the basin was now straightening up and turning slowly.
My vision has never been this sharp. I almost expect him to see my image as well, in the tower with him, standing not too far.
He said something before fully turning.
The vision breaks and I am thrown back into reality.
There are a lot of large-sized rockeries around the small field of dried weed we were standing in. The weed came up to my thigh.
I stood frozen for in front of me, as if conjured by my left eye, was the humanoid dragon-featured demon lord, now fully facing us. The great horn on his forehead, which had killed too many to count, was covered in dried blood and bits of gore.
It was too surreal. I felt despair. I watched as if frozen, as if it were happening to someone else.
My partner, a little to my left and ahead, answered back.
An intense silence followed this. Then, from among the weeds, not ten paces in front of my own booted feet, another me stood up. It was a male warrior form of myself, too real to be fake yet was a fake.
Before I knew it, the warrior crumpled to the ground. Dead in the resounding echoes of the crack of a whip. Screams from my partner filled the air but no one had seen me. I had an inkling why when the blond-haired woman gave me a sideways glance even as she threw herself over the dead body.
~*~
The council met in an underground stronghold, in a cold chamber, darkened everywhere except the centre where it was lit brilliantly in dazzling whites and electric blues.
There were nine of them, sitting in a loose circle around the evolving holo-screen. The screen is constantly flickering, changing and displaying new information but to anyone else not sitting within the circle, it remains fuzzy no matter how hard they stare.
One of the council members, an gigantic radish-like creature with many legs, announced that his wife was arriving. This does not perturb the others, thus I take it as a common occurrence.
They now summon me and I step closer to the circle, stopping just beyond the light’s edge. Random screens start popping in front of my eyes. Graphs, maps, lists of all kinds stack themselves up one atop the other, making it very hard to look at any of the council members. It was enough to give anyone a headache as the information kept coming in and it only increased when I tried to look up.
They sent me out.
In the corridor outside, I stop. My eyesight had turned fuzzy.
I walk down the short corridor, built in the ultra-modern style. It was completely silent and a small arch stood at the end, beyond which I could see a dark stairway coming down. I stop some way from the arch because I felt something to my left and right.
The sound of glass breaking on both sides of me was my only warning before the entire corridor was filled with strange never before seen creatures that fought fiercely with one another as if reenacting some ancient battle.
I knew failure then as I then only noticed a fat white blob in the corner of the corridor next to the arch. It was reminisce of an upright squid except it had very blue eyes that stared out blankly.
There was too much fighting and jostling around me that I could not get any closer to the arch. Beyond, I see someone descending the stairs, the hem of a yellow silken gown moving fluidly. Human. Assassin. Blood. Killer.
She had to be the council member’s wife. Even if I had thrown a projectile or blade towards the white blob, I knew she’d foil my attempt. And even so, my information knew that no blade could pierce the flesh of the strange creature.
The scene shifted back as when I just started down the corridor. Another vision. This strange gift was getting more clearer and more frequent and on enemy territory, I had to be on my guard all the time.
Walking unperturbed, I glided down the corridor with sure, graceful steps. I now feel tentacles reaching out towards me to my left and right. Glancing without pausing in my stride, I now see invisible cylindrical enclosures lining the corridor. The strange creatures were within them, invisible to the naked eye, yet just barely seen when glanced at sideways.
Again the glass started breaking but I was by now more than halfway down the corridor. One of the creature closest to the blob was turning towards it.
Shouting, I lunged forward even as the fighters started pressing all around me. I pull back my right arm and concentrated hard before plunging my hand into the white blob, just a little below it’s close-set eyes.
The feeling is disgusting but once past the outer, almost gelatinous layer, the creature was hollow and I groped about blindly, finally feeling a pear-shaped thing inside it. I grab hold onto this with my bare hand and tug, feeling resistance in the form of a fibre connecting the organ to the body at both ends.
The white blob does not put up any resistance and seemed almost dumb. Out of the corner of my eye I see the yellow silken gown coming down the darkened stairway.
Without another thought, I yank out a bright purple organ, roughly oval in shape and still attached to the top and bottom by fraying purple veins.
It was beating slowly in my hand.
I squeezed it very hard and it bursts, covering my hand with purple slime.
