The room was a small, white tiled square with a hospital bed at the edge. Two armed men in black uniforms stood by the door, eyes locked ahead. A young man in a white coat sat by the bed, observing its occupant.
I-330 lay completely motionless on the hospital bed, her arms and legs held down by handcuffs. The accumulation of blood and sweat had been cleaned off, leaving behind only scars, and she had been dressed in a clean hospital gown. The young man checked over the devices monitoring her, confirming heart rate, breathing, and other vital signs.
“Entity-361 shows no sign of change in condition.” He said, and noted it down in a file. He began to stand up, when suddenly I-330’s eye opened up. The man paused, staring in surprise at the glowing red iris, and stuttered, “Entity-361 appears to have-”
I-330 warped out of the handcuffs, next to the man. Before his eyes could follow her change in position, she grabbed his head and brought it down on the metal sidings of the bed with a clang of bone striking steel. The guards raised their guns, but I-330 appeared between them, slammed their heads together, and they went down. She picked up one of their rifles, and tried to open the door. It was locked, but that wasn’t any obstacle for her. She warped to the other side, and found herself in a large, concrete hallway. An alarm sounded overhead, and a voice came from speakers: “Attention, we have a containment breach. Repeat, we have a containment breach.”
More soldiers came running down the hallway. Before they could react, I-330 warped up to them. She slammed the butt of her rifle into one’s nose, then balled her left hand into a fist and punched another in the gut. She spun around and roundhouse kicked a third in the side of the head, then warped away before the others could catch up. She resumed running down the hall, until she came to an intersection. A direction was picked at random, and she went right. Several unarmed people in lab coats were in her way, but she threw them aside and kept running.
An elevator was ahead, but the doors were closing. Soldiers moved to intercept I-330 before she could reach the elevator. She fired first, shooting with perfect precision through each soldier’s legs. But by the time all were down, the elevator doors had closed. Not that this presented much difficulty for I-330. She quickly read the floor number: Basement 6. Then she looked up at the ceiling, and warped seven floors up.
The soldiers on the ground floor were unprepared for I-330’s appearance, and she easily took advantage of the situation. Her arm split into several tentacles that struck the soldiers around her, knocking them all unconscious in a single moment. With them down, the way ahead seemed clear. I-330 ran forward, but a massive steel door slammed shut in front of her. She warped past it and kept running; another door shut, and she warped past it as well. A third closed, and I-330 prepared to warp, when lights in the shape of various sigils turned on across the hallway walls. The timelines that I-330 had been reaching for suddenly seemed too far away to reach, no matter how hard she tried.
Time for an alternative way through. I-330 pulled her shadow arm back, and punched the door hard enough to dent the solid steel. She struck it again, and again, causing the door to buckle. Gas started to fill the hallway, but I-330 continued to attack the door. She started to feel dizzy, but she was close to breaking through, it just needed another good strike….
She pulled back her fist, punched forward, and collapsed to the ground, blackness fogging her vision.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Report on New Entity: Tentatively identified as Entity-361 (Further classification pending)
-Description: Entity-361 appears to be a human woman of mixed Caucasian and Arabic race in her mid to late twenties. It is approximately 1.8 meters tall, with black hair down to its waist and one blue eye. Its right eye is missing. Entity-361’s body has multiple scars along the entirety of its body: several of these scars have been identified as a bullet or burn wounds. From just below the left shoulder down, its left arm is made of an unidentified black substance. Attempts to acquire samples of the material have failed: the instant any piece of the substance is separated from Entity-361’s body, the sample vanishes. Entity-361 appears to be suffering from severe malnutrition, with a BMI significantly under what a human of its height would be expected to have.
At the time of recovery, Entity-361 was wearing a torn blue suit. The suit has been identified as human in origin, with the manufacture traced to [REDACTED]. First response teams sent to recover Entity-361 reported it still had several fresh wounds on its body when they arrived. However, by the time Entity-361 was brought in for containment, all reported wounds had healed.
-Recovery/Containment: Entity-361 was first seen when it and Entity-“Slender Man” appeared in [REDACTED] shopping mall at 1350 hours. Security footage and eyewitness reports show Entity-361 was aggressively attacking Entity-“Slender Man”, until Entity-361 was rendered unconscious by a yet unknown means. First response teams arrived within 30 minutes of the appearance for quarantine and processing of witnesses. Due to the public nature of the appearance, several media teams were dispatched 20 minutes later for support and suppression of information.
Entity-361 has been transported to [REDACTED] facility for containment. At the time of this report, it has not regained consciousness. Until more information has been gained on Entity-361, it is being kept in a Security Level 3 medical wing with double shifts of guards.
-Memos: Okay seriously, we’re stumped here. I’m sending all our test results with this report, hopefully you guys can find something we’re missing. Apart from the arm, every result we’re getting is telling us that its body is perfectly human. Except no human should be able to heal from the wounds our first report teams saw in under an hour. And that note about “severe malnutrition”? It looks like a person who hasn’t even touched food for over a year. Add all the wounds that the scars tell us its experienced, and it should by all rights not be breathing right now. I don’t care what the tests say, this isn’t human. And I want to know what it is, and if we can use it. Because we all saw the video. It didn’t just attack the Slender Man. There’s lots of suicidal idiots who’ve tried that. It forced him on the defensive.
Dr. [REDACTED]
At the time of recovery, Entity-361 was wearing a torn blue suit. The suit has been identified as human in origin, with the manufacture traced to [REDACTED]. First response teams sent to recover Entity-361 reported it still had several fresh wounds on its body when they arrived. However, by the time Entity-361 was brought in for containment, all reported wounds had healed.
-Recovery/Containment: Entity-361 was first seen when it and Entity-“Slender Man” appeared in [REDACTED] shopping mall at 1350 hours. Security footage and eyewitness reports show Entity-361 was aggressively attacking Entity-“Slender Man”, until Entity-361 was rendered unconscious by a yet unknown means. First response teams arrived within 30 minutes of the appearance for quarantine and processing of witnesses. Due to the public nature of the appearance, several media teams were dispatched 20 minutes later for support and suppression of information.
Entity-361 has been transported to [REDACTED] facility for containment. At the time of this report, it has not regained consciousness. Until more information has been gained on Entity-361, it is being kept in a Security Level 3 medical wing with double shifts of guards.
-Memos: Okay seriously, we’re stumped here. I’m sending all our test results with this report, hopefully you guys can find something we’re missing. Apart from the arm, every result we’re getting is telling us that its body is perfectly human. Except no human should be able to heal from the wounds our first report teams saw in under an hour. And that note about “severe malnutrition”? It looks like a person who hasn’t even touched food for over a year. Add all the wounds that the scars tell us its experienced, and it should by all rights not be breathing right now. I don’t care what the tests say, this isn’t human. And I want to know what it is, and if we can use it. Because we all saw the video. It didn’t just attack the Slender Man. There’s lots of suicidal idiots who’ve tried that. It forced him on the defensive.
Dr. [REDACTED]
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
As the Center fell away, I-330 jumped into the expanding cracks, following them as they ripped through dozens of timelines. She only needed one: one that connected to the universe she was looking for.
And she found that one, soon enough. It had already reached the universe, and was in the process of spreading its cracks through it. I-330 desperately looked through the emptiness around her, until she saw something falling through the Quiet: Lisa, badly injured, but still clinging to life.
I-330 called her name as she flew toward Lisa. No response. I-330 shouted “Lisa!” again, and this time she opened her eyes. It only took a moment for the recognition to hit, and Lisa shouted “330!” I-330 reached for Lisa, stretching her arm out. Lisa reached out as well, and their fingertips touched for just a moment….
Branches wrapped around I-330 and suddenly pulled her away. She didn’t even look back to see what had grabbed her at first; she struggled to break free and reach Lisa, screaming her name as she was pulled away. Even after Lisa had faded from sight, she still kept reaching, shouting her name as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Finally, she looked back to see what had stopped her and stolen her reunion. There, standing in the abyss, was the Slender Man, staring at her with its blank face, branches from its arms trapping her. A new wave of anger hit I-330, and she tore apart the branches holding her. Then she flew at the Slender Man, screaming wordless desires for murder.
***
Aeons worth of knowledge flooded into I-330’s mind as she devoured Nyarlathotep. It was too much for her to take in all at once, and she felt as if she was drowning in in. In an instant she saw the history of every universe and everything within them, from the lifespan of a microscopic bacteria to the hunger of a black hole. Out of survival’s sake, she started pushing the knowledge down, beneath the layers of subconscious. It was almost too much for her to handle, but slowly, she locked most of the knowledge and memories of Nyarlathotep away.
But in doing so, she also locked away the strength that had been sustaining her until that point. Exhaustion quickly overtook her, and she fell, unconscious, onto the stone floor of R’lyeh.
Thus far, R’lyeh had been spared from being devoured by the emptiness around it. But when I-330 fell, the cracks began to spread across the city. Within a minute it was entirely consumed. And when the ground disappeared from underneath her, I-330 fell through the Quiet, falling until she passed through a crack in time. A crack that would send her to Fairfax, Virginia, on June 9, 2012.
***
More branches came from the Slender Man to block I-330’s path. Her left arm changed into a blade, and she tore through them, but no matter how many she cut apart, more replaced them. It was like trying to swim through a sea of trees. Through the gaps between the branches, she could see the Slender Man turn and start to walk away. She shouted at it, and started cutting through faster, determined not to let her revenge escape.
The branches continued to reach for I-330, but she refused to be slowed by them. One stabbed through her side, but she tore it apart and moved on. Another cut her face, leaving a vertical line of blood down the center, but she ignored it and kept moving on. Finally she broke through the branches, just to see the Slender Man step through a crack out of the Quiet. I-330 followed, pursuing the Slender Man into another universe.
And she found that one, soon enough. It had already reached the universe, and was in the process of spreading its cracks through it. I-330 desperately looked through the emptiness around her, until she saw something falling through the Quiet: Lisa, badly injured, but still clinging to life.
I-330 called her name as she flew toward Lisa. No response. I-330 shouted “Lisa!” again, and this time she opened her eyes. It only took a moment for the recognition to hit, and Lisa shouted “330!” I-330 reached for Lisa, stretching her arm out. Lisa reached out as well, and their fingertips touched for just a moment….
Branches wrapped around I-330 and suddenly pulled her away. She didn’t even look back to see what had grabbed her at first; she struggled to break free and reach Lisa, screaming her name as she was pulled away. Even after Lisa had faded from sight, she still kept reaching, shouting her name as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Finally, she looked back to see what had stopped her and stolen her reunion. There, standing in the abyss, was the Slender Man, staring at her with its blank face, branches from its arms trapping her. A new wave of anger hit I-330, and she tore apart the branches holding her. Then she flew at the Slender Man, screaming wordless desires for murder.
***
Aeons worth of knowledge flooded into I-330’s mind as she devoured Nyarlathotep. It was too much for her to take in all at once, and she felt as if she was drowning in in. In an instant she saw the history of every universe and everything within them, from the lifespan of a microscopic bacteria to the hunger of a black hole. Out of survival’s sake, she started pushing the knowledge down, beneath the layers of subconscious. It was almost too much for her to handle, but slowly, she locked most of the knowledge and memories of Nyarlathotep away.
But in doing so, she also locked away the strength that had been sustaining her until that point. Exhaustion quickly overtook her, and she fell, unconscious, onto the stone floor of R’lyeh.
Thus far, R’lyeh had been spared from being devoured by the emptiness around it. But when I-330 fell, the cracks began to spread across the city. Within a minute it was entirely consumed. And when the ground disappeared from underneath her, I-330 fell through the Quiet, falling until she passed through a crack in time. A crack that would send her to Fairfax, Virginia, on June 9, 2012.
***
More branches came from the Slender Man to block I-330’s path. Her left arm changed into a blade, and she tore through them, but no matter how many she cut apart, more replaced them. It was like trying to swim through a sea of trees. Through the gaps between the branches, she could see the Slender Man turn and start to walk away. She shouted at it, and started cutting through faster, determined not to let her revenge escape.
The branches continued to reach for I-330, but she refused to be slowed by them. One stabbed through her side, but she tore it apart and moved on. Another cut her face, leaving a vertical line of blood down the center, but she ignored it and kept moving on. Finally she broke through the branches, just to see the Slender Man step through a crack out of the Quiet. I-330 followed, pursuing the Slender Man into another universe.
The cracks in the Center were growing larger as I-330 continued her chant. She let the words flow out, instinct telling her what to say next. More timelines were becoming cracked, but she needed only one, one specific universe….
She felt something enter the room, and turned around just in time to duck under the Archangel’s swinging arm. The Archangel reached for her with its other arm, but I-330 caught the hand with her shadow arm. Cracks spread from where their hands met, and a violent wind began to blow around them.
I-330 could feel the Archangel pressing on her, pushing her back. With gritted teeth she continued chanting. The Archangel kept pushing, driving I-330 down. Her knees began to buckle, And she fell onto a knee. But she kept chanting, glaring into the empty eyes of the Archangel’s gas mask as she spat out every word. Then the last line of the ritual:
“Hei… Aa-shanta… ’nygh! Motherfucker!”
That final word had been her own addition, but it still had the desired effect. The Archangel was suddenly thrown back. And the cracks of emptiness exploded outward, consuming the entirety of the Center in moments.
***
The last pieces of reality around R’lyeh fell away, leaving the island adrift within the Quiet. But the city was not alone. Something else floated through the empty realms: a great, writhing being of darkness. Grendel identified it with one word:
“Father….”
The blackness turned towards R’lyeh, and surrounded Grendel. It lifted him into the air, and then began to enter into his body. Grendel’s shape began to change, while the city shook underneath him.
A white light filled the city, and when it had passed, both Grendel and the blackness were gone. In their place was a man with olive skin, and red eyes highlighted by a thick black border around them. He wore a robe of constantly shifting colors from his waist down, but his chest was bare, revealing a physique worthy of statues. And crowned atop his head was a golden pschent, which glowed from a light within itself.
The old Pharaoh Nyarlathotep stretched his new limbs, clearly enjoying the new form. He rolled his head, and by chance his eyes fell on I-330. By his expression, he had completely forgotten about her presence until that point. “Ah yes.” His voice was stronger than thunder, each word slamming into place with authority. “The traitorous child.” His brow furrowed in confusion. “I believe I was planning to… rape you now? How very… hormonal of me. This human seems to have affected my personality more than I had expected. But that impulse has passed now.”
He turned his back to I-330, but continued speaking. “Normally I would consume you so that I may be fully whole, but it seems your future self was instrumental to my return. Remove yourself however you feel best. I will return for you once your purpose has been finished.” His lips turned up into a smirk. “It’s time for me to reclaim what is my right. The Fears shall fall before me. And with the rest of the gods dead, all that remains to challenge me is Yggdrasil. Once it is defeated, I shall take my rightful place….”
He continued to talk, but I-330 wasn’t listening. The pain had drowned out every word he’d said to her. But beneath that pain was rage, roaring and rising like fire. She was nearly blinded by the blood covering her face, but she could still feel a presence in time similar to Grendel’s. And more than anything else, even beyond the wish to escape the pain, was the desire to destroy that presence.
She had reached the limits of her human body long ago, and had been relying on the trickle of strength from her inhuman ancestry. But she needed more than a trickle now. She dug deeper, clawing at the walls that had kept her humanity safe from what was inside, until suddenly the dam burst, and that trickle turned into a flood. And for the first time, the bright blue color of her eye faded, and was replaced with burning red.
Nyarlathotep stopped speaking mid-monologue. Something was wrong. The presence of the girl had vanished, and instead he felt… himself? But that was impossible. He turned back to look, too late. As soon as he saw I-330, she plunged her sword through his chest.
His face was one of disbelief as he looked down at the sword. “But… that’s not….” He looked back up to I-330, and the god felt true terror as she opened her mouth, revealing razor sharp teeth. “You can’t! I created you-”
His words were silenced as her teeth tore into his throat.
She felt something enter the room, and turned around just in time to duck under the Archangel’s swinging arm. The Archangel reached for her with its other arm, but I-330 caught the hand with her shadow arm. Cracks spread from where their hands met, and a violent wind began to blow around them.
I-330 could feel the Archangel pressing on her, pushing her back. With gritted teeth she continued chanting. The Archangel kept pushing, driving I-330 down. Her knees began to buckle, And she fell onto a knee. But she kept chanting, glaring into the empty eyes of the Archangel’s gas mask as she spat out every word. Then the last line of the ritual:
“Hei… Aa-shanta… ’nygh! Motherfucker!”
That final word had been her own addition, but it still had the desired effect. The Archangel was suddenly thrown back. And the cracks of emptiness exploded outward, consuming the entirety of the Center in moments.
***
The last pieces of reality around R’lyeh fell away, leaving the island adrift within the Quiet. But the city was not alone. Something else floated through the empty realms: a great, writhing being of darkness. Grendel identified it with one word:
“Father….”
The blackness turned towards R’lyeh, and surrounded Grendel. It lifted him into the air, and then began to enter into his body. Grendel’s shape began to change, while the city shook underneath him.
A white light filled the city, and when it had passed, both Grendel and the blackness were gone. In their place was a man with olive skin, and red eyes highlighted by a thick black border around them. He wore a robe of constantly shifting colors from his waist down, but his chest was bare, revealing a physique worthy of statues. And crowned atop his head was a golden pschent, which glowed from a light within itself.
The old Pharaoh Nyarlathotep stretched his new limbs, clearly enjoying the new form. He rolled his head, and by chance his eyes fell on I-330. By his expression, he had completely forgotten about her presence until that point. “Ah yes.” His voice was stronger than thunder, each word slamming into place with authority. “The traitorous child.” His brow furrowed in confusion. “I believe I was planning to… rape you now? How very… hormonal of me. This human seems to have affected my personality more than I had expected. But that impulse has passed now.”
He turned his back to I-330, but continued speaking. “Normally I would consume you so that I may be fully whole, but it seems your future self was instrumental to my return. Remove yourself however you feel best. I will return for you once your purpose has been finished.” His lips turned up into a smirk. “It’s time for me to reclaim what is my right. The Fears shall fall before me. And with the rest of the gods dead, all that remains to challenge me is Yggdrasil. Once it is defeated, I shall take my rightful place….”
He continued to talk, but I-330 wasn’t listening. The pain had drowned out every word he’d said to her. But beneath that pain was rage, roaring and rising like fire. She was nearly blinded by the blood covering her face, but she could still feel a presence in time similar to Grendel’s. And more than anything else, even beyond the wish to escape the pain, was the desire to destroy that presence.
She had reached the limits of her human body long ago, and had been relying on the trickle of strength from her inhuman ancestry. But she needed more than a trickle now. She dug deeper, clawing at the walls that had kept her humanity safe from what was inside, until suddenly the dam burst, and that trickle turned into a flood. And for the first time, the bright blue color of her eye faded, and was replaced with burning red.
Nyarlathotep stopped speaking mid-monologue. Something was wrong. The presence of the girl had vanished, and instead he felt… himself? But that was impossible. He turned back to look, too late. As soon as he saw I-330, she plunged her sword through his chest.
His face was one of disbelief as he looked down at the sword. “But… that’s not….” He looked back up to I-330, and the god felt true terror as she opened her mouth, revealing razor sharp teeth. “You can’t! I created you-”
His words were silenced as her teeth tore into his throat.
“The fuck do you mean I’m going to do it for you?” I-330 said. But before Grendel could reply, a massive crack appeared above them, cleaving the sky in two.
“His return is upon us!” Grendel shouted. I-330 looked up at the crack, and while she was distracted Grendel rushed forward. I-330 warped behind him to attack, another Grendel appeared and block. Two more I-330s appeared on either side, and within moments all sense of linearity in the fight was lost.
I-330 and Grendel flashed in and out of existence all around the city. An I-330 from 12 minutes in the future crossed swords with a Grendel from three minutes in the past, while another I-330 defended the first’s flanks from two more Grendel’s. It was an impossible to follow chaos, with dozens of simultaneous battles between the two fighters. For a moment, both disappeared from the city, and there was a brief calm. Then they reappeared in the plaza, swords of fire hitting with such force that the entire city was shaken.
There were hundreds of different points in time I-330 had to keep track of. She tried not to think about it, and focused only on action. She lunged at Grendel, and he warped away. She warped five minutes into the future to block an attack aimed at a past her, then went eleven minutes into the past to cut off one of Grendel’s arms. She pressed on her attack, cutting open his stomach. Before she could continue another Grendel appeared and drove her back, giving the first time to recovery. Both attacked her, and she retreated by warping to the top of a building several minutes into the future. But Grendel was already waiting for her there, putting her on the defensive and pushing her off the building. Before she hit the ground she warped even further into the future, arriving at the same time as a past Grendel.
The crack in the sky spread even faster as they fought, with huge chunks of sky falling and dissolving away. The cracks had spread onto the ocean, and as it faded away, R’lyeh was turning into a lone patch of reality amongst a sea of emptiness.
I-330 swung at Grendel, but had to warp away to avoid another attack before she could connect. The instant she appeared at her new location she was forced onto the defensive. She tried retreating to the past, but Grendel was waiting for her there as well. Keeping track of every moment in time was starting to overwhelm her. Her reactions were slowing, and increasingly she was being forced to defend rather than attack. She warped several minutes into the future to avoid an attack, and quickly tried to assess her new location. There didn’t seem to be any sign of Grendel here….
She wasn’t aware of the attack coming from behind until Grendel’s sword pierced through her chest. Grendel quickly pulled out the sword, spun around to her front, and stabbed her again through the stomach. Her whole body felt like it was one fire, covering her with agony unlike anything she had experienced thus far. She took a step forward, trying to raise her sword, but her legs collapsed. Grendel caught her, and held onto her in an embrace.
“There, there, my love. No reason to fight anymore. Just lie back and wait for our victory to be complete.” I-330 couldn’t draw the strength to reply, so she responded only with a glare. Grendel frowned at the expression. “No need to look at me like that. Ah, I know. I know how to get rid of that look….”
With one hand, he lifted I-330 into the air by the throat. His other hand held her face, with his thumb hovering over her right eye. It took I-330 a moment to realize what he was planning, and when she did, her expression changed from hate to fear. She managed to croak out, “Please… no….” Then Grendel’s thumb plunged into her right eye. And I-330’s agonized screams echoed through R’lyeh.
Once he had finished gouging out her eye, Grendel threw I-330 onto the ground. She clutched the empty bleeding socket with her remaining arm and quietly sobbed, the pain of her days of unending fighting finally overwhelming her will to keep going. A look of concern passed over Grendel’s face, but it was gone in an instant. He began to laugh; at first, just a small chuckle, which then grew louder and louder until he was shrieking with mad laughter directed at the empty sky above.
“His return is upon us!” Grendel shouted. I-330 looked up at the crack, and while she was distracted Grendel rushed forward. I-330 warped behind him to attack, another Grendel appeared and block. Two more I-330s appeared on either side, and within moments all sense of linearity in the fight was lost.
I-330 and Grendel flashed in and out of existence all around the city. An I-330 from 12 minutes in the future crossed swords with a Grendel from three minutes in the past, while another I-330 defended the first’s flanks from two more Grendel’s. It was an impossible to follow chaos, with dozens of simultaneous battles between the two fighters. For a moment, both disappeared from the city, and there was a brief calm. Then they reappeared in the plaza, swords of fire hitting with such force that the entire city was shaken.
There were hundreds of different points in time I-330 had to keep track of. She tried not to think about it, and focused only on action. She lunged at Grendel, and he warped away. She warped five minutes into the future to block an attack aimed at a past her, then went eleven minutes into the past to cut off one of Grendel’s arms. She pressed on her attack, cutting open his stomach. Before she could continue another Grendel appeared and drove her back, giving the first time to recovery. Both attacked her, and she retreated by warping to the top of a building several minutes into the future. But Grendel was already waiting for her there, putting her on the defensive and pushing her off the building. Before she hit the ground she warped even further into the future, arriving at the same time as a past Grendel.
The crack in the sky spread even faster as they fought, with huge chunks of sky falling and dissolving away. The cracks had spread onto the ocean, and as it faded away, R’lyeh was turning into a lone patch of reality amongst a sea of emptiness.
I-330 swung at Grendel, but had to warp away to avoid another attack before she could connect. The instant she appeared at her new location she was forced onto the defensive. She tried retreating to the past, but Grendel was waiting for her there as well. Keeping track of every moment in time was starting to overwhelm her. Her reactions were slowing, and increasingly she was being forced to defend rather than attack. She warped several minutes into the future to avoid an attack, and quickly tried to assess her new location. There didn’t seem to be any sign of Grendel here….
She wasn’t aware of the attack coming from behind until Grendel’s sword pierced through her chest. Grendel quickly pulled out the sword, spun around to her front, and stabbed her again through the stomach. Her whole body felt like it was one fire, covering her with agony unlike anything she had experienced thus far. She took a step forward, trying to raise her sword, but her legs collapsed. Grendel caught her, and held onto her in an embrace.
“There, there, my love. No reason to fight anymore. Just lie back and wait for our victory to be complete.” I-330 couldn’t draw the strength to reply, so she responded only with a glare. Grendel frowned at the expression. “No need to look at me like that. Ah, I know. I know how to get rid of that look….”
With one hand, he lifted I-330 into the air by the throat. His other hand held her face, with his thumb hovering over her right eye. It took I-330 a moment to realize what he was planning, and when she did, her expression changed from hate to fear. She managed to croak out, “Please… no….” Then Grendel’s thumb plunged into her right eye. And I-330’s agonized screams echoed through R’lyeh.
Once he had finished gouging out her eye, Grendel threw I-330 onto the ground. She clutched the empty bleeding socket with her remaining arm and quietly sobbed, the pain of her days of unending fighting finally overwhelming her will to keep going. A look of concern passed over Grendel’s face, but it was gone in an instant. He began to laugh; at first, just a small chuckle, which then grew louder and louder until he was shrieking with mad laughter directed at the empty sky above.
It would be hard to describe the Cyclopean buildings that covered the island as a city. It had been built for alien creatures, and followed their strange geometries. Angles twisted in ways they shouldn’t, and the building were constructed without any regard to the basics of Euclidean architecture. In this city, Grendel sat in an open plaza, starting at the sky as if waiting for something.
I-330 appeared in the plaza, and wasted no time in drawing her sword and attacking. Grendel’s sword appeared in his hand, and he parried without any pause of surprise.
“I see you’ve been entertaining yourself with my friends.” He said. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever stop by.”
I-330 stepped away from Grendel, but kept her sword ready. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out there leading your revolution?”
“The revolution will fulfill its purpose well enough without my assistance. I must prepare for Father’s return.” Grendel gestured to the city around him. “Here in the old city of R’lyeh, he shall once more enter this world! With the Fears occupied battling my forces, they will be unable to stop the walls of reality that imprison him from crumbling, and his reign from beginning anew!”
I-330 glanced around her. “Tearing down the walls of reality? I could buy something like that back in the Dreamlands, when you had all those glowing evil circles and orbs mojo, but all you’ve got here is a moldy city and some stupid sword. I’m just not seeing the threat there.”
He chuckled to himself. “Ah, but my Dear, I’m not the one who will be doing anything. You’re going to be doing it for me.”
***
Beyond the gate, I-330 stood in the deepest part of the Center. In front of her was a singularity in spacetime, a tiny point where timelines flowed from. I-330 carefully set down the five orbs she had gathered around it, and then began to chant. Red lines formed between the orbs, creating a star. And a tiny crack appeared on the timelines.
I-330 appeared in the plaza, and wasted no time in drawing her sword and attacking. Grendel’s sword appeared in his hand, and he parried without any pause of surprise.
“I see you’ve been entertaining yourself with my friends.” He said. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever stop by.”
I-330 stepped away from Grendel, but kept her sword ready. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out there leading your revolution?”
“The revolution will fulfill its purpose well enough without my assistance. I must prepare for Father’s return.” Grendel gestured to the city around him. “Here in the old city of R’lyeh, he shall once more enter this world! With the Fears occupied battling my forces, they will be unable to stop the walls of reality that imprison him from crumbling, and his reign from beginning anew!”
I-330 glanced around her. “Tearing down the walls of reality? I could buy something like that back in the Dreamlands, when you had all those glowing evil circles and orbs mojo, but all you’ve got here is a moldy city and some stupid sword. I’m just not seeing the threat there.”
He chuckled to himself. “Ah, but my Dear, I’m not the one who will be doing anything. You’re going to be doing it for me.”
***
Beyond the gate, I-330 stood in the deepest part of the Center. In front of her was a singularity in spacetime, a tiny point where timelines flowed from. I-330 carefully set down the five orbs she had gathered around it, and then began to chant. Red lines formed between the orbs, creating a star. And a tiny crack appeared on the timelines.
I-330 didn’t look away from the black gate. The monotone voice spoke once more. “We will not warn you again, Nyarlathotep. Step away from the gate.”
I-330 turned around, and saw EAT and the Archangel. The body EAT was possessing seemed to be having difficulty staying together: water leaked out of its mouth, and its skin seemed just a push away from sliding off. The Archangel, on the other hand, appeared entirely unaffected.
“Shouldn’t you two be busy fighting Grendel or something?” I-330 said.
“You currently represent a greater threat to the continued existence of the multiverse.” EAT said. “We will let your younger self resolve the minor issue of Grendel’s revolution.”
“So it’s a fight you’re looking for?”
“We would prefer to avoid violence. This location is fragile; conflict would risk irreparable collateral damage.”
“Then how the hell do you plan to stop me?”
“An appeal to morality.”
“…. You’re joking, right?”
“You must be aware, at least on an unconscious level, of the destruction which you are about to enact. You plan to tear apart the heart of creation, leaving cracks that will spread across the multiverse. The ritual on its own will destroy two universes, and countless more will be consumed by the after effects.”
“The universe can go straight to hell! I’m going to save Lisa, no matter what I have to do!”
“The life of a single human does not compare to the billions others you intend to sacrifice.”
“It does to me!” Tears started to slowly run down from her eye. “I’m not giving up after I’ve come this far! I’m not going to lose her!”
“You will destroy everything just for the sake of a fleeting selfish passion!” The sudden emotion in EAT’s voice caught I-330 off guard. Even the Archangel glanced for a moment at EAT, although it was impossible to tell if it was surprised under the gas mask. EAT took a moment to collect itself, and then spoke again with its usual lack of tone. “All the power of a god, combined with the foolishness of a homo sapien. And all of this in order to complete an impossible goal.”
“I don’t care how small the chances are.”
“No. You misunderstand. It is not that your chances of rescuing Lisa from the universe she has been trapped in are slim. There is no chance at all. Think, for a moment. Your existence relies on you attempting, and then failing, to save her. If you do not open up the cracks in her universe, she would have never fallen into the Quiet. She would have never been used as a template for Nyarlathotep to create I-330. You cannot save Lisa from her fate, because if you do then there will be no you to save her.”
“I don’t care. I have to try.”
“This stubbornness in the face of genocide is unusual, even for one as impulse driven as you. I wonder, how much of your actions are driven by I-330’s affection for the human Lisa? And how much are driven by Nyarlathotep’s instinct for self-preservation? Is it really love pushin you on, or is it the need to maintain a stable time loop to ensure your existence?”
“Shut up!” Her eye glowed with red fire, and her words shook the Center.
“… I see.” The Archangel stepped forward threateningly, the screams of a thousand souls reflected in the glass eyes of its mask. EAT continued to speak as the Archangel advanced on I-330 “Dialogue will be useless with you. In which case, I must deliver this ultimatum: Surrender or we will destroy you. Even considering the strength you have regained, you are still nowhere near the strength you held as an Outer God. You cannot defeat both the Archangel and I.”
“Who said I was the one you would be fighting?”
I-330’s shadow arm morphed into tentacles, which she pressed against the gate. She began to speak words that no human mouth should have been able to pronounce, in a voice not her own. The green glow on the gate changed to red, and the gate opened. EAT shouted “No!” but I-330 had already run through the opening. The two Fears tried to pursue, but a gust of wind from the gate stopped them. The piping sound that had been present in the Center from I-330’s arrival started to grow louder, and more pipes began to join in, until a chaotic symphony of screeching pipes blared from beyond the gate. The Demon God Azathoth was waking up.
EAT’s human shell fell apart into a puddle of water, and the Archangel lost control of its form. It shifted between hundreds of appearances: sometimes a skeleton in a robe, or a crowned mummy, or a man with blue skin and many arms. The piping music grew louder, filling every space of the Center.
The puddle of EAT’s water started to rise up in a tendril, resisting the pressure of Azathoth’s music. At the same time, the Archangel steadily regained control of its form, taking on the appearance of a man in a black robe with a gas mask made of bone. As the music grew closer, the two Fears, Evolution and the Afterlife, stood at the gate and prepared for battle.
***
For the Earth only a few hours had passed since monsters had suddenly appeared and begun to destroy civilization. For I-330, it had been much longer. She had been warping to every battlefield across the planet, and fighting whatever threats she found at each location. After each was killed, she would travel in time back to the start of the invasion, and warp someplace else, constantly trying to stop the beasts before it was too late to save everyone. But she was fighting a losing battle, and weariness was taking its toll. She refused to think about the impossibility of her still fighting for so long without rest and with so many wounds, as if the mere thought would cause her to collapse from exhaustion.
In Singapore, a massive yellow creature crushed entire buildings under its fat arms. The Intrusion swarmed around its feet, like a black mass trying to crawl up it. I-330 warped around it, leaving dozens of cuts in its skin. The beast roared in pain, and then changed shape. It shrunk, and took on a humanoid form, covered in yellow robes, its face obscured by a mask of old parchment, and a brilliant golden crown on its head. The Intrusion took his as an opportunity to attack, swarming from all sides. A dry breath croaked from beneath the man’s mask, and the insects approaching him seemed to go mad, spinning in wild directions and viciously attacking each other.
The man raised a robed ram as if to continue its attack, but I-330 appeared behind him and sliced through his neck. The head rolled off and dissolved away, and the rest of the body faded soon afterward. I-330 looked around for survivors in the city, but all she saw were bodies. No matter how fast she tried to kill these things, it never seemed to be fast enough.
But there was something wrong about this “Revolution” that I-330 was starting to notice. The soldiers were on Earth, actively fighting. But where was their leader? I-330 had expected to encounter Grendel at some point, but she had not seen him once, in spite of traveling all across the planet. If he wasn't leading the charge, then where was he?
She focused her mind on the timelines around the world, trying to spot anything irregular. The number of distortions was overwhelming, making it hard to tell anything apart. But as she sorted through all the madness… there. Another distortions, just like the rest, but in a place where no distortions should have been. An empty stretch of the South Pacific Ocean, where I-330 should have felt nothing but the ocean. Instead, there was land. And on that land, a familiar presence. I-330 grabbed time, and warped to the island. Straight to the final battlefield of the Revolution.
I-330 turned around, and saw EAT and the Archangel. The body EAT was possessing seemed to be having difficulty staying together: water leaked out of its mouth, and its skin seemed just a push away from sliding off. The Archangel, on the other hand, appeared entirely unaffected.
“Shouldn’t you two be busy fighting Grendel or something?” I-330 said.
“You currently represent a greater threat to the continued existence of the multiverse.” EAT said. “We will let your younger self resolve the minor issue of Grendel’s revolution.”
“So it’s a fight you’re looking for?”
“We would prefer to avoid violence. This location is fragile; conflict would risk irreparable collateral damage.”
“Then how the hell do you plan to stop me?”
“An appeal to morality.”
“…. You’re joking, right?”
“You must be aware, at least on an unconscious level, of the destruction which you are about to enact. You plan to tear apart the heart of creation, leaving cracks that will spread across the multiverse. The ritual on its own will destroy two universes, and countless more will be consumed by the after effects.”
“The universe can go straight to hell! I’m going to save Lisa, no matter what I have to do!”
“The life of a single human does not compare to the billions others you intend to sacrifice.”
“It does to me!” Tears started to slowly run down from her eye. “I’m not giving up after I’ve come this far! I’m not going to lose her!”
“You will destroy everything just for the sake of a fleeting selfish passion!” The sudden emotion in EAT’s voice caught I-330 off guard. Even the Archangel glanced for a moment at EAT, although it was impossible to tell if it was surprised under the gas mask. EAT took a moment to collect itself, and then spoke again with its usual lack of tone. “All the power of a god, combined with the foolishness of a homo sapien. And all of this in order to complete an impossible goal.”
“I don’t care how small the chances are.”
“No. You misunderstand. It is not that your chances of rescuing Lisa from the universe she has been trapped in are slim. There is no chance at all. Think, for a moment. Your existence relies on you attempting, and then failing, to save her. If you do not open up the cracks in her universe, she would have never fallen into the Quiet. She would have never been used as a template for Nyarlathotep to create I-330. You cannot save Lisa from her fate, because if you do then there will be no you to save her.”
“I don’t care. I have to try.”
“This stubbornness in the face of genocide is unusual, even for one as impulse driven as you. I wonder, how much of your actions are driven by I-330’s affection for the human Lisa? And how much are driven by Nyarlathotep’s instinct for self-preservation? Is it really love pushin you on, or is it the need to maintain a stable time loop to ensure your existence?”
“Shut up!” Her eye glowed with red fire, and her words shook the Center.
“… I see.” The Archangel stepped forward threateningly, the screams of a thousand souls reflected in the glass eyes of its mask. EAT continued to speak as the Archangel advanced on I-330 “Dialogue will be useless with you. In which case, I must deliver this ultimatum: Surrender or we will destroy you. Even considering the strength you have regained, you are still nowhere near the strength you held as an Outer God. You cannot defeat both the Archangel and I.”
“Who said I was the one you would be fighting?”
I-330’s shadow arm morphed into tentacles, which she pressed against the gate. She began to speak words that no human mouth should have been able to pronounce, in a voice not her own. The green glow on the gate changed to red, and the gate opened. EAT shouted “No!” but I-330 had already run through the opening. The two Fears tried to pursue, but a gust of wind from the gate stopped them. The piping sound that had been present in the Center from I-330’s arrival started to grow louder, and more pipes began to join in, until a chaotic symphony of screeching pipes blared from beyond the gate. The Demon God Azathoth was waking up.
EAT’s human shell fell apart into a puddle of water, and the Archangel lost control of its form. It shifted between hundreds of appearances: sometimes a skeleton in a robe, or a crowned mummy, or a man with blue skin and many arms. The piping music grew louder, filling every space of the Center.
The puddle of EAT’s water started to rise up in a tendril, resisting the pressure of Azathoth’s music. At the same time, the Archangel steadily regained control of its form, taking on the appearance of a man in a black robe with a gas mask made of bone. As the music grew closer, the two Fears, Evolution and the Afterlife, stood at the gate and prepared for battle.
***
For the Earth only a few hours had passed since monsters had suddenly appeared and begun to destroy civilization. For I-330, it had been much longer. She had been warping to every battlefield across the planet, and fighting whatever threats she found at each location. After each was killed, she would travel in time back to the start of the invasion, and warp someplace else, constantly trying to stop the beasts before it was too late to save everyone. But she was fighting a losing battle, and weariness was taking its toll. She refused to think about the impossibility of her still fighting for so long without rest and with so many wounds, as if the mere thought would cause her to collapse from exhaustion.
In Singapore, a massive yellow creature crushed entire buildings under its fat arms. The Intrusion swarmed around its feet, like a black mass trying to crawl up it. I-330 warped around it, leaving dozens of cuts in its skin. The beast roared in pain, and then changed shape. It shrunk, and took on a humanoid form, covered in yellow robes, its face obscured by a mask of old parchment, and a brilliant golden crown on its head. The Intrusion took his as an opportunity to attack, swarming from all sides. A dry breath croaked from beneath the man’s mask, and the insects approaching him seemed to go mad, spinning in wild directions and viciously attacking each other.
The man raised a robed ram as if to continue its attack, but I-330 appeared behind him and sliced through his neck. The head rolled off and dissolved away, and the rest of the body faded soon afterward. I-330 looked around for survivors in the city, but all she saw were bodies. No matter how fast she tried to kill these things, it never seemed to be fast enough.
But there was something wrong about this “Revolution” that I-330 was starting to notice. The soldiers were on Earth, actively fighting. But where was their leader? I-330 had expected to encounter Grendel at some point, but she had not seen him once, in spite of traveling all across the planet. If he wasn't leading the charge, then where was he?
She focused her mind on the timelines around the world, trying to spot anything irregular. The number of distortions was overwhelming, making it hard to tell anything apart. But as she sorted through all the madness… there. Another distortions, just like the rest, but in a place where no distortions should have been. An empty stretch of the South Pacific Ocean, where I-330 should have felt nothing but the ocean. Instead, there was land. And on that land, a familiar presence. I-330 grabbed time, and warped to the island. Straight to the final battlefield of the Revolution.
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