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.
The first sign of the war coming to Earth was the destruction of the Pyramids of Giza. The great monuments exploded outward, sending huge pieces of debris flying into Cairo. A black cavern opened up beneath where the tombs had stood, and all the beasts that had been sleeping for aeons under the sand poured out. And at the head of their advance was the Smiling Man.
The human inhabitants of the city were caught unprepared. Those in the streets were chased down, and those indoors were dragged outside to their deaths. The Smiling Man skipped through the carnage, picking out its favorite victims and giving each one special attention.
Fleeing the destruction of the Empty City, the Black Dog arrived in Cairo. Within moments of appearing, the horde tried attacking it. But the Dog’s claws cleaved a path through them, all the way to the Smiling Man. The Dog pounced at the Smiling Man, and bit its torso off. Flower petals ripped out of the Dog’s mouth, tearing apart its jaw, and then came back together in the shape of the Smiling Man. The Black Dog’s wounds quickly closed, and the two Fears squared off against each other.
The Black Dog prepared to pounce again, but was swatted aside by a huge yellow paw. The Great Sphinx stepped between the Fears, and roared. It leapt on top of the Dog, and the two rolled through the streets, biting and clawing at each other’s throats.
And as the chaos in Cairo seemed as though it was reaching its peak, the sky began to fall away. In the emptiness behind the collapsed sky was a monstrous god, taller than even the great pyramids. It looked like a floating giant larva, with sickly white flesh, tentacles covering its underside, and a pair of black horns atop it. Beneath it was an army of black creatures, each with a body made of tentacles and mouths atop six goat legs. Another Outer God had joined the revolution: Shub-Niggurath, the Black Goat of the Woods, and her Thousand Young.
Shub-Niggurath’s spawn stormed into the city, killing any living thing they came across, human and beast alike. The arrival of a military response did not even slow them, as they charged through the gunfire and overwhelmed the soldiers.
This was the setting that I-330 found when she arrived in Cairo. The city in flames, its citizens dead, the stench of corpses filling the air, and its buildings destroyed. Shub-Niggurather floated over the outskirts, watching her children tear apart the works of man. And the only Fear who could have fought back was still occupied, struggling against the Great Sphinx.
The Young quickly turned their attention on I-330. She had just a few moments to take in the carnage before her before she was forced to wildly swing her sword, trying to hold off the onslaught. She cut down one of the Young, and standing behind it was the Smiling Man. I-330 looked down to avoid its eyes and swung at it. It dissolved into petals, and then reformed behind I-330. She spun around to attack, but again it dissolved away. The cloud of petals suddenly shot forward, cutting through I-330’s body. She tried to scream, but the only sound that came was a short gasp. Her legs started to buckle underneath her, and when she looked down all she saw was blood covering her entire torso. More blood began to seep out of the bandages made by the Wooden Girl, only adding to the red puddle at her feet.
The Smiling Man appeared again, but I-330’s vision was spinning too much to focus on it. She wanted to lift her sword and attack, but all her strength was going into just holding onto the hilt. A single petal went through both her legs, and I-330 fell. The Smiling Man stood over her, watching, as if enjoying her agony, while a rainbow of petals danced between its fingers. Desperately drawing on whatever willpower she could gather, I-330 grabbed onto time and warped away from the Smiling Man, to the edge of the city. Shub-Niggurath was less than a mile from her new position, but at the time the god seemed content to stay back and watch her spawn run amok.
Those spawn quickly targeted I-330’s new position. Using a wall for support, she managed to pull herself up, leaving a trail of blood that ran to the ground. A voice in her head told her that there was no way she should be able to stand, or even breath with these wounds. But a new voice was rising from even deeper within herself, one which cared nothing for the limitations of a frail human shell, and it screamed at her to stand and destroy all who dared oppose her. She spat blood out of her mouth, and roared at the Young approaching. One tried rushing her, and was cut down. The sword felt heavy and her whole body burned with pain, but she kept her back pressed against the wall and fought on.
A burst of light filled Cairo, and when it faded a portal had appeared in the city. Through it was the Tower of steel and clockwork, menacing over the landscape. Millions of birds flew out of the portal, their numbers so large that the sky turned black. On the ground, the roar of motorcycle engines came over the city as waves of riders with the symbol of the twin triangles on their jackets rode in.
One of the riders slammed into the group of Young attacking I-330, and started firing a shotgun into the crowd. I-330 took a look at the biker, and her eyes lit up in recognition. She took a few moments to steady herself, then said, “Makhno?”
A grin spread across the old man’s scarred face. “Well, small world, ain’t it! I figured you’d be in a place like this.”
“The hell are you doing here?”
“The boss let us know that there was a fight coming, so we got all the Timberwolves together to join in.”
“But why Cairo?”
“Not many other places to fight right now! North America’s gone; we barely managed to hitch a ride with the Manufactured Newborn and Convocation before it was too late. South American’s not much better: that whole continent’s on fire.”
“Well, thanks for the assist.” Another group of the Young was running toward them, shrieking from their many mouths. I-330 spat out another gobful of blood, and lifted her sword. “Wanna go murder some monsters?”
Meanwhile, in another part of Cairo, the fight between the Black Dog and the Sphinx continued. Neither could gain an edge: every wound inflicted on the Black Dog healed within moments, and the Sphinx seemed unfazed by the tears and gashes across its body.
Then, the Convocation flew above, with so many birds massed together it resembled storm clouds. Electricity started to crackle between the wingtips of each bird, which came together into a bolt of lightning that flew down and struck the Sphinx. Before the great beast could recover, another bolt struck it, then another. The Sphinx staggered back, and the Dog used that opportunity to strike, grabbing the Sphinx’s throat with its jaw. And with a crunch, the Black Dog tore off the Sphinx’s head.
Scant seconds had passed before a storm of petals tore through the cloud of birds and hit the Black Dog. The Dog struggled to stand against them, but was quickly thrown aside. The Smiling Man appeared amongst the petals, dancing to a tune only it could hear. Lightning from the Convocation came down toward it, but the Smiling Man melted away into the petals and reappeared further down the street. The Black Dog charged, but was cut in two before it could reach the Smiling Man.
The street lights around the Smiling Man began to flicker. The Tower seemed to loom closer, as if moving forward. Copper wires came from it and flew towards the Smiling Man. Car alarms went off, and the engines burst out of the cars, shifting into forms that grabbed the Smiling Man and prevented it from fleeing, no matter how hard it struggled. The wires reached the Smiling Man, wrapped around its limbs, and began to disassemble it. Piece by piece, it was taken apart, until not even its smile remained. Then the wires brought those pieces back to the Tower, and incorporated them into the construction. The storm of petals that had been flying through the Cairo streets fell to the ground, and slowly withered away.
The Timberwolves were still fighting alongside the Convocation to drive the Young back through the city. Roy Makhno rode at their head, with I-330 warping to keep up, leaving a trail of dead monsters behind them. Lightning from the Convocation hit the ground, killing dozens with each strike. The Young began to flee to the safety of their mother, while the Timberwolves kept close pursuit. But as its children reached her, Shub-Niggurath finally started to move. A low pitched whine came from its body, and several of the bikers fell of their bikes, screaming and clutching their bleeding ears. Those who kept driving forward were thrown aside by a sweep of her tentacles. I-330 warped away to dodge a tentacle, but it struck Makhno, knocking him off his bike. Another came for I-330, and she cut it off with her sword. Shub-Niggurath’s blood spurted out of severed appendage, burning the ground that it landed on. Some fell on I-330’s back, burning through her coat and then her skin. The pain caused her to stumble, and she was unprepared to dodge when another tentacle came at her. It knocked her into the air, and she hit the ground hard. The whole world seemed to be spinning around her, and she felt blood dripping down the back of her head.
The Timberwolves’ weapons were useless against Shub-Niggurath. They could do nothing against her but run and die. The Convocation’s lightning struck her repeatedly, but she didn’t seem to even notice the attacks. Wires from the Tower came at Shub-Niggurath, but she swatted them aside easily. Her tentacles reached through the portal and wrapped around the Tower, and started to pull at it, trying to bring it down.
I-330 could hear the sound of Shub-Niggurath’s young approaching, and got up onto a knee. She managed to slash one away before it could reach her, but another’s tentacle wrapped around her arm and dragged her back down. She cut that one down, when a third lunged and bit into her side. I-330 stabbed that one down, and tried to stand to fight the others, but fell. The last of her energy had been spent. Her breath was coming in rapid gasps, and the pool of blood around her was growing larger by the second.
But that voice had not stopped screaming. And something was still waking up inside her. More Young ran toward I-330, but stopped several feet away as her shadow started to lengthen and change into something distinctly not human. Her breathing calmed down, and she stood back up. A few more drops of blood fell from her, then the bleeding stopped. She looked at the hesitating Young, and smiled.
I-330 vanished, and then reappeared amongst the Young. Her sword moved so fast it became a blue blur, cutting through the beasts without any resistance. I-330 flowed through the monsters with a dance like grace, wielding her sword with a skill drawn from inhuman instinct. Nothing could even touch her as she slaughtered her way toward Shub-Niggurath.
She heard a howl from behind, and looked back. The Black Dog was barreling through the Young, and riding on top of it was Roy Makhno.
“You like my new ride?” The biker shouted. “Hop on!”
I-330 warped onto the Dog’s back, riding it with Makhno. They fought through the horde, the Dog ripping the ones in front apart with its teeth, Makhno firing off with his shotgun, and I-330 cutting down the remainders with her sword. A building by Shub-Niggurath began to fall over, and the Dog ran up the inclined side of it like a ramp. At the top, the Dog jumped off, toward Shub-Niggurath.
While they were in the air, several of the god’s tentacles struck toward them. One impaled Makhno and threw him off. Before I-330 could react to the sudden death, another one struck the Dog. I-330 jumped off the Dog before it could be thrown aside, wordlessly shouting as she fell toward Shub-Niggurath, sword ready. She cut into the god’s flesh, leaving a tear of nothing across its skin. The tear spread quickly, eating away at Shub-Niggurath. An unearthly scream fell over Cairo, and the Outer God crumbled away. Her children echoed her scream, and they too dissolved into nothing.
I-330 warped back to the ground and breathed in relief. Calm fell over the ruins of Cairo, broken only by the screams of the dying. With Shub-Niggurath’s presence gone, I-330 could sense the growing chaos around the world. Hundreds of massive distortions of time were appearing as more gods and monsters returned to the Earth.
“One down….”
The human inhabitants of the city were caught unprepared. Those in the streets were chased down, and those indoors were dragged outside to their deaths. The Smiling Man skipped through the carnage, picking out its favorite victims and giving each one special attention.
Fleeing the destruction of the Empty City, the Black Dog arrived in Cairo. Within moments of appearing, the horde tried attacking it. But the Dog’s claws cleaved a path through them, all the way to the Smiling Man. The Dog pounced at the Smiling Man, and bit its torso off. Flower petals ripped out of the Dog’s mouth, tearing apart its jaw, and then came back together in the shape of the Smiling Man. The Black Dog’s wounds quickly closed, and the two Fears squared off against each other.
The Black Dog prepared to pounce again, but was swatted aside by a huge yellow paw. The Great Sphinx stepped between the Fears, and roared. It leapt on top of the Dog, and the two rolled through the streets, biting and clawing at each other’s throats.
And as the chaos in Cairo seemed as though it was reaching its peak, the sky began to fall away. In the emptiness behind the collapsed sky was a monstrous god, taller than even the great pyramids. It looked like a floating giant larva, with sickly white flesh, tentacles covering its underside, and a pair of black horns atop it. Beneath it was an army of black creatures, each with a body made of tentacles and mouths atop six goat legs. Another Outer God had joined the revolution: Shub-Niggurath, the Black Goat of the Woods, and her Thousand Young.
Shub-Niggurath’s spawn stormed into the city, killing any living thing they came across, human and beast alike. The arrival of a military response did not even slow them, as they charged through the gunfire and overwhelmed the soldiers.
This was the setting that I-330 found when she arrived in Cairo. The city in flames, its citizens dead, the stench of corpses filling the air, and its buildings destroyed. Shub-Niggurather floated over the outskirts, watching her children tear apart the works of man. And the only Fear who could have fought back was still occupied, struggling against the Great Sphinx.
The Young quickly turned their attention on I-330. She had just a few moments to take in the carnage before her before she was forced to wildly swing her sword, trying to hold off the onslaught. She cut down one of the Young, and standing behind it was the Smiling Man. I-330 looked down to avoid its eyes and swung at it. It dissolved into petals, and then reformed behind I-330. She spun around to attack, but again it dissolved away. The cloud of petals suddenly shot forward, cutting through I-330’s body. She tried to scream, but the only sound that came was a short gasp. Her legs started to buckle underneath her, and when she looked down all she saw was blood covering her entire torso. More blood began to seep out of the bandages made by the Wooden Girl, only adding to the red puddle at her feet.
The Smiling Man appeared again, but I-330’s vision was spinning too much to focus on it. She wanted to lift her sword and attack, but all her strength was going into just holding onto the hilt. A single petal went through both her legs, and I-330 fell. The Smiling Man stood over her, watching, as if enjoying her agony, while a rainbow of petals danced between its fingers. Desperately drawing on whatever willpower she could gather, I-330 grabbed onto time and warped away from the Smiling Man, to the edge of the city. Shub-Niggurath was less than a mile from her new position, but at the time the god seemed content to stay back and watch her spawn run amok.
Those spawn quickly targeted I-330’s new position. Using a wall for support, she managed to pull herself up, leaving a trail of blood that ran to the ground. A voice in her head told her that there was no way she should be able to stand, or even breath with these wounds. But a new voice was rising from even deeper within herself, one which cared nothing for the limitations of a frail human shell, and it screamed at her to stand and destroy all who dared oppose her. She spat blood out of her mouth, and roared at the Young approaching. One tried rushing her, and was cut down. The sword felt heavy and her whole body burned with pain, but she kept her back pressed against the wall and fought on.
A burst of light filled Cairo, and when it faded a portal had appeared in the city. Through it was the Tower of steel and clockwork, menacing over the landscape. Millions of birds flew out of the portal, their numbers so large that the sky turned black. On the ground, the roar of motorcycle engines came over the city as waves of riders with the symbol of the twin triangles on their jackets rode in.
One of the riders slammed into the group of Young attacking I-330, and started firing a shotgun into the crowd. I-330 took a look at the biker, and her eyes lit up in recognition. She took a few moments to steady herself, then said, “Makhno?”
A grin spread across the old man’s scarred face. “Well, small world, ain’t it! I figured you’d be in a place like this.”
“The hell are you doing here?”
“The boss let us know that there was a fight coming, so we got all the Timberwolves together to join in.”
“But why Cairo?”
“Not many other places to fight right now! North America’s gone; we barely managed to hitch a ride with the Manufactured Newborn and Convocation before it was too late. South American’s not much better: that whole continent’s on fire.”
“Well, thanks for the assist.” Another group of the Young was running toward them, shrieking from their many mouths. I-330 spat out another gobful of blood, and lifted her sword. “Wanna go murder some monsters?”
Meanwhile, in another part of Cairo, the fight between the Black Dog and the Sphinx continued. Neither could gain an edge: every wound inflicted on the Black Dog healed within moments, and the Sphinx seemed unfazed by the tears and gashes across its body.
Then, the Convocation flew above, with so many birds massed together it resembled storm clouds. Electricity started to crackle between the wingtips of each bird, which came together into a bolt of lightning that flew down and struck the Sphinx. Before the great beast could recover, another bolt struck it, then another. The Sphinx staggered back, and the Dog used that opportunity to strike, grabbing the Sphinx’s throat with its jaw. And with a crunch, the Black Dog tore off the Sphinx’s head.
Scant seconds had passed before a storm of petals tore through the cloud of birds and hit the Black Dog. The Dog struggled to stand against them, but was quickly thrown aside. The Smiling Man appeared amongst the petals, dancing to a tune only it could hear. Lightning from the Convocation came down toward it, but the Smiling Man melted away into the petals and reappeared further down the street. The Black Dog charged, but was cut in two before it could reach the Smiling Man.
The street lights around the Smiling Man began to flicker. The Tower seemed to loom closer, as if moving forward. Copper wires came from it and flew towards the Smiling Man. Car alarms went off, and the engines burst out of the cars, shifting into forms that grabbed the Smiling Man and prevented it from fleeing, no matter how hard it struggled. The wires reached the Smiling Man, wrapped around its limbs, and began to disassemble it. Piece by piece, it was taken apart, until not even its smile remained. Then the wires brought those pieces back to the Tower, and incorporated them into the construction. The storm of petals that had been flying through the Cairo streets fell to the ground, and slowly withered away.
The Timberwolves were still fighting alongside the Convocation to drive the Young back through the city. Roy Makhno rode at their head, with I-330 warping to keep up, leaving a trail of dead monsters behind them. Lightning from the Convocation hit the ground, killing dozens with each strike. The Young began to flee to the safety of their mother, while the Timberwolves kept close pursuit. But as its children reached her, Shub-Niggurath finally started to move. A low pitched whine came from its body, and several of the bikers fell of their bikes, screaming and clutching their bleeding ears. Those who kept driving forward were thrown aside by a sweep of her tentacles. I-330 warped away to dodge a tentacle, but it struck Makhno, knocking him off his bike. Another came for I-330, and she cut it off with her sword. Shub-Niggurath’s blood spurted out of severed appendage, burning the ground that it landed on. Some fell on I-330’s back, burning through her coat and then her skin. The pain caused her to stumble, and she was unprepared to dodge when another tentacle came at her. It knocked her into the air, and she hit the ground hard. The whole world seemed to be spinning around her, and she felt blood dripping down the back of her head.
The Timberwolves’ weapons were useless against Shub-Niggurath. They could do nothing against her but run and die. The Convocation’s lightning struck her repeatedly, but she didn’t seem to even notice the attacks. Wires from the Tower came at Shub-Niggurath, but she swatted them aside easily. Her tentacles reached through the portal and wrapped around the Tower, and started to pull at it, trying to bring it down.
I-330 could hear the sound of Shub-Niggurath’s young approaching, and got up onto a knee. She managed to slash one away before it could reach her, but another’s tentacle wrapped around her arm and dragged her back down. She cut that one down, when a third lunged and bit into her side. I-330 stabbed that one down, and tried to stand to fight the others, but fell. The last of her energy had been spent. Her breath was coming in rapid gasps, and the pool of blood around her was growing larger by the second.
But that voice had not stopped screaming. And something was still waking up inside her. More Young ran toward I-330, but stopped several feet away as her shadow started to lengthen and change into something distinctly not human. Her breathing calmed down, and she stood back up. A few more drops of blood fell from her, then the bleeding stopped. She looked at the hesitating Young, and smiled.
I-330 vanished, and then reappeared amongst the Young. Her sword moved so fast it became a blue blur, cutting through the beasts without any resistance. I-330 flowed through the monsters with a dance like grace, wielding her sword with a skill drawn from inhuman instinct. Nothing could even touch her as she slaughtered her way toward Shub-Niggurath.
She heard a howl from behind, and looked back. The Black Dog was barreling through the Young, and riding on top of it was Roy Makhno.
“You like my new ride?” The biker shouted. “Hop on!”
I-330 warped onto the Dog’s back, riding it with Makhno. They fought through the horde, the Dog ripping the ones in front apart with its teeth, Makhno firing off with his shotgun, and I-330 cutting down the remainders with her sword. A building by Shub-Niggurath began to fall over, and the Dog ran up the inclined side of it like a ramp. At the top, the Dog jumped off, toward Shub-Niggurath.
While they were in the air, several of the god’s tentacles struck toward them. One impaled Makhno and threw him off. Before I-330 could react to the sudden death, another one struck the Dog. I-330 jumped off the Dog before it could be thrown aside, wordlessly shouting as she fell toward Shub-Niggurath, sword ready. She cut into the god’s flesh, leaving a tear of nothing across its skin. The tear spread quickly, eating away at Shub-Niggurath. An unearthly scream fell over Cairo, and the Outer God crumbled away. Her children echoed her scream, and they too dissolved into nothing.
I-330 warped back to the ground and breathed in relief. Calm fell over the ruins of Cairo, broken only by the screams of the dying. With Shub-Niggurath’s presence gone, I-330 could sense the growing chaos around the world. Hundreds of massive distortions of time were appearing as more gods and monsters returned to the Earth.
“One down….”
Fire continued to spread across the Empty City, but for all its appearance of chaos, the fighting itself was slowing. In spite of their terrible appearances, the beasts which Grendel had brought couldn’t hope to kill the Fears, only damage their physical bodies. And that damage was quick to heal. Hundreds of the Intrusion’s insects were crushed, only for more to crawl out of the cracks; the Cold Boy was shattered time and time again, only to reform from each wound. Grendel’s army did not share this invulnerability: ghouls were torn apart by dozens of Nightlanders swarming over them, legions of night gaunts fell dead as the Dying Man passed through them, and the Rake tore apart swarms of shantak birds with its claws. In spite of all the power of the Brute and the Burning Bride, they were still only two Fears, standing against many.
The fighting had long since passed beyond the Brute’s prison, and nothing remained there except bodies, and an abandoned blue sword. But within the pit was movement. I-330 hung from a piece of rubble with her remaining arm, gritting her teeth as she pulled herself higher. Her feet found steady ground on another shard of broken buildings, and she used it to kick off, grabbing another outcropping above her. Slowly, inch by inch, she was climbing her way out. The pain she felt was immense, but she fought against it, focusing only on the light at the top of the pit.
Her hand grabbed the top of the pit and she started to pull herself out. But just as she was almost over the edge, her fingers slipped, and she fell. She tried grabbing another ledge, but her descent was too fast to stop.
Then, something caught her in mid-air. She felt thin threads wrap around her waist, pull her up, and then throw her out of the pit. I-330 got up from the ground, and saw the Wooden Girl. She dove for her sword and grabbed it, but the Girl’s strings were already coming for her. The strings grabbed her left arm, and wrapped around the wound, stopping the bleeding.
I-330 look at the makeshift bandage in surprise. The Wooden Girl’s voice whispered in her head, “You don’t get to die until I give you permission.” It flipped its yarn hair. “Now stand back and watch as I save everyone from their incompetence.”
More strings attached to skyscrapers, and lifted the Wooden Girl into the air. It waved a hand, and the street in front of it was ripped apart, killing all the creatures standing on it.
I-330 removed her tie, and took a deep breath. She took one more look at the bandage, and upon concluding that she wasn’t in imminent danger of bleeding to death, charged toward the horde of monsters. A ten foot tall, hair covered beast with only a gaping mouth for a face reached towards her with one of many arms, but I-330 sliced its body in two. Her attacks were unskilled, but the sword cut through everything so easily that much skill wasn’t needed. She swung back and forth, carving a bloody path through.
More of the sky crumbled away, and tentacles reached through the new opening. Through it came a being stranger than even the Dreamlands could have produced. Its shape was constantly shifting, with parts randomly appearing and disappearing. Sometimes masses of tentacles covered the whole form, other times claws and teeth. Dozens of unblinking eyes flowed across its skin, and it flashed with ever changing colors. It was Yog-Sothoth, The Lurker at the Threshold, the Key and the Gate, the All-in-One and One-in-All.
For a regular human, the sight of the Outer God would have been maddening. For one who saw the world through time…. When I-330 looked at the god, it was like looking straight into the sun. The vision was too terrible for her mind to comprehend. She tried closing her eyes, but even in the darkness could still see the madness of time that was Yog-Sothoth. She was immobilized, frozen in place as she fought against the images in her head.
As Yog-Sothoth lowered itself into the city, the buildings around it crumbled away. The Wooden Girl sent out its strings at it, but they fell apart before they could reach Yog-Sothoth. One of its eyes turned to look at the Wooden Girl, and the Girl’s body was blown apart. The wooden body began to reform, but was again ripped apart by Yog-Sothoth’s gaze.
Thousands of Nightlanders came from every corner of the City and swarmed toward Yog-Sothoth. A shimmer in the air and a shrieking tangle of sounds followed them as the Choir joined their attack.
A wail echoed from Yog-Sothoth, and as the sound passed over them, the Nightlanders disintegrated. The wail clashed with the Choir’s cacophony, and overpowered it. The shimmer vanished, and their sound disappeared.
The Wooden Girl had rebuilt its body during the brief fight, but only took one more look at Yog-Sothoth before choosing to flee. It vanished, and the surviving Fears followed it. Not even the Brute and Bride were willing to stay in the City as the Outer God rampaged through it.
With the Fears gone, the ring of destruction around Yog-Sothoth expanded. Buildings were ripped out of the ground and suspended in the air, and the grid of streets and blocks was ripped to pieces.
In the midst of the destruction, a small black branch was growing out of the cracked streets. The growth was slow at first, but it accelerated exponentially. The asphalt street was thrown aside as a black tree grew out of it. The tree kept rising until it towered over even the tallest skyscrapers in the City. Its black bark was covered with the shapes of screaming faces, and rivers of blood flowed down its limbs. A canopy of black leaves spread from it, casting a red shadow over the City.
The branches moved aside, and from them stepped the Slender Man. It strode down the street with purpose, and the tree’s branches and roots grew across the city behind it. Rubble moved aside and the street repaired itself underneath the Slender Man’s feet, creating a clean, orderly pathway between it and Yog-Sothoth.
The Outer God unleashed another piercing wail, and when the sound hit the Slender Man, its body spasmed, and for a moment it lost its human shape, appearing as a black nebulous form. But it quickly recovered, and it began striding forward once more, its suit unblemished. All of Yog-Sothoth’s eyes turned towards the Slender Man, and it let out another wail, but this time the Slender Man’s walk was not even slowed. It stopped when it stood just before Yog-Sothoth. The pale blank face looked at the God, and dozens of burning eyes stared back.
The roots that had been following behind Slender Man rushed forward as hundreds more burst from the ground. They came together, forming a cage around Yog-Sothoth. It screamed, and slammed against the wooden bars, but could not break through. Then, the cage began to contract. The roots bit into Yog-Sothoth’s bulbous flesh, slowly crushing the god. The harder it fought, the tighter its cage seemed to grow. Its struggling began to weaken, and the vibrant colors that had been dancing across it drained away. As the cage became tighter, Yog-Sothoth began to break apart molecularly, disintegrating away, until all that that was left in the cage was heat and scattered subatomic particles.
With the horror gone, the visions left I-330’s mind. She opened her eyes, and looked upon the City. It had become a desolate ruin, silent save for the rustle of the immense tree’s leaves. The fight there had ended.
But through the portal left behind by Grendel, I-330 could see the fight on Earth was still ongoing. The city of Cairo was in flames as the armies of Grendel’s revolution tore it apart. I-330 closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to steady herself. Then she ran through the portal, back to Earth.
***
An older I-330 had just finished her descent into the center of the multiverse, standing at the heart of all reality. Absolute darkness surrounded her, empty of any detail save one: the immense black gate in front of her, covered in ancient symbols which glowed with a sickly green light. A faint sound could be heard from beyond the gate: a whistle. It was a weak, sound scarcely gaining the strength to be heard. I-330 reached for the gate, but stopped when a familiar monotone voice spoke behind her.
“Step away from the gate, Nyarlathotep.”
The fighting had long since passed beyond the Brute’s prison, and nothing remained there except bodies, and an abandoned blue sword. But within the pit was movement. I-330 hung from a piece of rubble with her remaining arm, gritting her teeth as she pulled herself higher. Her feet found steady ground on another shard of broken buildings, and she used it to kick off, grabbing another outcropping above her. Slowly, inch by inch, she was climbing her way out. The pain she felt was immense, but she fought against it, focusing only on the light at the top of the pit.
Her hand grabbed the top of the pit and she started to pull herself out. But just as she was almost over the edge, her fingers slipped, and she fell. She tried grabbing another ledge, but her descent was too fast to stop.
Then, something caught her in mid-air. She felt thin threads wrap around her waist, pull her up, and then throw her out of the pit. I-330 got up from the ground, and saw the Wooden Girl. She dove for her sword and grabbed it, but the Girl’s strings were already coming for her. The strings grabbed her left arm, and wrapped around the wound, stopping the bleeding.
I-330 look at the makeshift bandage in surprise. The Wooden Girl’s voice whispered in her head, “You don’t get to die until I give you permission.” It flipped its yarn hair. “Now stand back and watch as I save everyone from their incompetence.”
More strings attached to skyscrapers, and lifted the Wooden Girl into the air. It waved a hand, and the street in front of it was ripped apart, killing all the creatures standing on it.
I-330 removed her tie, and took a deep breath. She took one more look at the bandage, and upon concluding that she wasn’t in imminent danger of bleeding to death, charged toward the horde of monsters. A ten foot tall, hair covered beast with only a gaping mouth for a face reached towards her with one of many arms, but I-330 sliced its body in two. Her attacks were unskilled, but the sword cut through everything so easily that much skill wasn’t needed. She swung back and forth, carving a bloody path through.
More of the sky crumbled away, and tentacles reached through the new opening. Through it came a being stranger than even the Dreamlands could have produced. Its shape was constantly shifting, with parts randomly appearing and disappearing. Sometimes masses of tentacles covered the whole form, other times claws and teeth. Dozens of unblinking eyes flowed across its skin, and it flashed with ever changing colors. It was Yog-Sothoth, The Lurker at the Threshold, the Key and the Gate, the All-in-One and One-in-All.
For a regular human, the sight of the Outer God would have been maddening. For one who saw the world through time…. When I-330 looked at the god, it was like looking straight into the sun. The vision was too terrible for her mind to comprehend. She tried closing her eyes, but even in the darkness could still see the madness of time that was Yog-Sothoth. She was immobilized, frozen in place as she fought against the images in her head.
As Yog-Sothoth lowered itself into the city, the buildings around it crumbled away. The Wooden Girl sent out its strings at it, but they fell apart before they could reach Yog-Sothoth. One of its eyes turned to look at the Wooden Girl, and the Girl’s body was blown apart. The wooden body began to reform, but was again ripped apart by Yog-Sothoth’s gaze.
Thousands of Nightlanders came from every corner of the City and swarmed toward Yog-Sothoth. A shimmer in the air and a shrieking tangle of sounds followed them as the Choir joined their attack.
A wail echoed from Yog-Sothoth, and as the sound passed over them, the Nightlanders disintegrated. The wail clashed with the Choir’s cacophony, and overpowered it. The shimmer vanished, and their sound disappeared.
The Wooden Girl had rebuilt its body during the brief fight, but only took one more look at Yog-Sothoth before choosing to flee. It vanished, and the surviving Fears followed it. Not even the Brute and Bride were willing to stay in the City as the Outer God rampaged through it.
With the Fears gone, the ring of destruction around Yog-Sothoth expanded. Buildings were ripped out of the ground and suspended in the air, and the grid of streets and blocks was ripped to pieces.
In the midst of the destruction, a small black branch was growing out of the cracked streets. The growth was slow at first, but it accelerated exponentially. The asphalt street was thrown aside as a black tree grew out of it. The tree kept rising until it towered over even the tallest skyscrapers in the City. Its black bark was covered with the shapes of screaming faces, and rivers of blood flowed down its limbs. A canopy of black leaves spread from it, casting a red shadow over the City.
The branches moved aside, and from them stepped the Slender Man. It strode down the street with purpose, and the tree’s branches and roots grew across the city behind it. Rubble moved aside and the street repaired itself underneath the Slender Man’s feet, creating a clean, orderly pathway between it and Yog-Sothoth.
The Outer God unleashed another piercing wail, and when the sound hit the Slender Man, its body spasmed, and for a moment it lost its human shape, appearing as a black nebulous form. But it quickly recovered, and it began striding forward once more, its suit unblemished. All of Yog-Sothoth’s eyes turned towards the Slender Man, and it let out another wail, but this time the Slender Man’s walk was not even slowed. It stopped when it stood just before Yog-Sothoth. The pale blank face looked at the God, and dozens of burning eyes stared back.
The roots that had been following behind Slender Man rushed forward as hundreds more burst from the ground. They came together, forming a cage around Yog-Sothoth. It screamed, and slammed against the wooden bars, but could not break through. Then, the cage began to contract. The roots bit into Yog-Sothoth’s bulbous flesh, slowly crushing the god. The harder it fought, the tighter its cage seemed to grow. Its struggling began to weaken, and the vibrant colors that had been dancing across it drained away. As the cage became tighter, Yog-Sothoth began to break apart molecularly, disintegrating away, until all that that was left in the cage was heat and scattered subatomic particles.
With the horror gone, the visions left I-330’s mind. She opened her eyes, and looked upon the City. It had become a desolate ruin, silent save for the rustle of the immense tree’s leaves. The fight there had ended.
But through the portal left behind by Grendel, I-330 could see the fight on Earth was still ongoing. The city of Cairo was in flames as the armies of Grendel’s revolution tore it apart. I-330 closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to steady herself. Then she ran through the portal, back to Earth.
***
An older I-330 had just finished her descent into the center of the multiverse, standing at the heart of all reality. Absolute darkness surrounded her, empty of any detail save one: the immense black gate in front of her, covered in ancient symbols which glowed with a sickly green light. A faint sound could be heard from beyond the gate: a whistle. It was a weak, sound scarcely gaining the strength to be heard. I-330 reached for the gate, but stopped when a familiar monotone voice spoke behind her.
“Step away from the gate, Nyarlathotep.”
The Empty City is the name which modern humanity has given to the sprawling metropolis which fills its own sentient pocket universe. It is an ever changing landscape of silent towers and maze like alleys, drawing unwary travelers into its streets where they become lost for all time.
The Fears had gathered in the City, atop one of its towers, in preparation for their war. Some had come to face the death which they had foreseen. Others, to fight against it.
Not all Fears were in attendance. EAT, the Archangel, the Convocation, the Slender Man, and the Manufactured Newborn were absent, pursuing their own agendas. And those which had sided with Grendel would be arriving later.
The death of the Grotesque was felt by all in attendance. It was a sign that the end had come, and all eyes looked upwards in expectation. A hole larger than one of the City’s blocks ripped open in the sky, and an army of monsters poured out. They struck the Fears like a wave, dying by the hundreds, but driving the Fears way from the skyscraper.
Grendel descended into the City, the Burning Bride at his side. He plunged his burning sword into the top of one of the City’s towers, and the skyscraper collapsed. The ground underneath the building opened up, crumbling away into a pit that descended into darkness. With the Fears occupied, Grendel and the Bride floated into down into the pit, into the heart of the Empty City. Human measurements couldn’t describe how far down they went. The closest approximation would be to say that the pit was simultaneously hundreds of miles down, but also only ten feet deep.
At the bottom was a smoky cell, filled with chains dangling in the air. With a single swing, Grendel severed the chains. As they fell to the ground, the smoke in the room came together, forming into a shape. It became a huge man, twice as tall as Grendel, with broad muscular shoulders from which broken chains still hung. Its face was covered by a grey hood, but ember eyes could be seen peering out. Below its waist, its body became a vortex of smoke that hovered above the ground.
The Burning Bride slowly took steps forward. The man of smoke opened its arms, and the two embraced. The Brute and the Burning Bride; smoke and fire, together once again. The God of war and destruction had been made whole.
They flew out of that prison, into the battlefield, hatred driving their revenge. The Brute’s fists were like mountain, leveling buildings with each strike. And the Bride’s fire spread across the city, consuming everything it touched, whether friend or foe. And so the Empty City seemed turned into a hell.
Grendel laughed as he leapt through the flames, chasing after the gods he hunted. He saw the Blind Man, and pounced toward the Fear. The old man opened its book and started to write in it, but Grendel swung his sword, and the Blind Man’s head came off. Black tentacles burst from Grendel’s back, and enveloped the Fear, consuming its body in seconds.
But the cavalry was soon to arrive. Following the path made by Grendel, I-330 fell from the hole in the sky into the burning city. She found Grendel amongst the fires, still savoring the aftertaste of his meal. She pointed her sword at him and said, “I’m here to stop you, Grendel. It’s over.”
“Over? Au contraire, my dear. This is only step two. We still have much to do.”
I-330 shouted a battle cry and charged at him, clumsily swinging her sword like a club. Grendel bounced back from the first few swings, then brought his own sword up to block. The impact of the two burning swords sent out a shockwave that extinguished the fires around them.
Another I-330 appeared to attack Grendel, but he teleported away onto a building. I-330 followed him, and their swords clashed again. I-330 pressed on, swinging again and again as she tried to hit him, but Grendel kept moving away, blocking and teleporting to always stay just out of reach. Their fight continued until it took them to the edge of the pit where the Brute had been imprisoned.
That was where Grendel made his strike. His sword lashed out, cutting I-330’s right arm. The wound was minor, but the sword’s touch had burnt like molten metal. I-330 dropped her sword and screamed. But that screamed turned into a growl, and she lunged to pick up her sword. Grendel crushed her right hand under his foot before she could reach it, then caught her left arm when she tried hitting him.
“You’re acting particularly violent today.” He said. “You should calm down, and find someplace to wait this out. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt in all this fighting.”
I-330 spat in his face. “I’ll kill you! I will tear off your leg and knock your own head off with it! Then I’m going to kick your head into a garbage dump while I use the rest of your body for target practice with artillery shells!”
“See, that is exactly the attitude I am talking about.” Grendel sighed. “Spare the rod….”
Grendel brought his sword down on I-330’s left arm, cutting just beneath the elbow. It passed through easily, not even being slowed by the bone. For a fraction of a moment, shock numbed I-330. Then the pain engulfed her, and she screamed as she clutched the limb’s stump. Grendel held on to the severed arm, looking over it with hunger. He held it up so the blood flowed from the veins into his open mouth. Then he bit into it, and moaned as he savored the flesh’s taste.
His teeth tore into the arm, blood dripping down his chin, moaning and gasping between each bite. When he finished, he looked at I-330, eyes roaming her body.
“I can’t wait to have the rest of you.” He said. “But the feast will taste all the better for the wait.” He grabbed I-330 by her tie and lifted her up. “Stay put here until I come back for you.” Then he threw her into the pit.
Grendel watched as I-330 fell, then turned and slashed across the air with his sword. It left a floating gash, through which the city of Cairo could be seen. Grendel stepped through the gash, followed by innumerable beasts. The revolution was coming to Earth.
***
Impossibly far away, past the border of the universe, an older I-330 followed the paths of time, using the charts of the ancient plaque to guide her. Past all the stars and worlds, all the way to the Center of the Multiverse. The point where all timelines originate from, branching into infinite universes. It was an eldritch place, lacking any real physical form. But I-330’s mind was still human enough that it tried crafting its own image of the impossible place. She saw it as a whirlpool of darkness, from which time streamed out.
I-330 took a step forward, and then jumped into it.
The Fears had gathered in the City, atop one of its towers, in preparation for their war. Some had come to face the death which they had foreseen. Others, to fight against it.
Not all Fears were in attendance. EAT, the Archangel, the Convocation, the Slender Man, and the Manufactured Newborn were absent, pursuing their own agendas. And those which had sided with Grendel would be arriving later.
The death of the Grotesque was felt by all in attendance. It was a sign that the end had come, and all eyes looked upwards in expectation. A hole larger than one of the City’s blocks ripped open in the sky, and an army of monsters poured out. They struck the Fears like a wave, dying by the hundreds, but driving the Fears way from the skyscraper.
Grendel descended into the City, the Burning Bride at his side. He plunged his burning sword into the top of one of the City’s towers, and the skyscraper collapsed. The ground underneath the building opened up, crumbling away into a pit that descended into darkness. With the Fears occupied, Grendel and the Bride floated into down into the pit, into the heart of the Empty City. Human measurements couldn’t describe how far down they went. The closest approximation would be to say that the pit was simultaneously hundreds of miles down, but also only ten feet deep.
At the bottom was a smoky cell, filled with chains dangling in the air. With a single swing, Grendel severed the chains. As they fell to the ground, the smoke in the room came together, forming into a shape. It became a huge man, twice as tall as Grendel, with broad muscular shoulders from which broken chains still hung. Its face was covered by a grey hood, but ember eyes could be seen peering out. Below its waist, its body became a vortex of smoke that hovered above the ground.
The Burning Bride slowly took steps forward. The man of smoke opened its arms, and the two embraced. The Brute and the Burning Bride; smoke and fire, together once again. The God of war and destruction had been made whole.
They flew out of that prison, into the battlefield, hatred driving their revenge. The Brute’s fists were like mountain, leveling buildings with each strike. And the Bride’s fire spread across the city, consuming everything it touched, whether friend or foe. And so the Empty City seemed turned into a hell.
Grendel laughed as he leapt through the flames, chasing after the gods he hunted. He saw the Blind Man, and pounced toward the Fear. The old man opened its book and started to write in it, but Grendel swung his sword, and the Blind Man’s head came off. Black tentacles burst from Grendel’s back, and enveloped the Fear, consuming its body in seconds.
But the cavalry was soon to arrive. Following the path made by Grendel, I-330 fell from the hole in the sky into the burning city. She found Grendel amongst the fires, still savoring the aftertaste of his meal. She pointed her sword at him and said, “I’m here to stop you, Grendel. It’s over.”
“Over? Au contraire, my dear. This is only step two. We still have much to do.”
I-330 shouted a battle cry and charged at him, clumsily swinging her sword like a club. Grendel bounced back from the first few swings, then brought his own sword up to block. The impact of the two burning swords sent out a shockwave that extinguished the fires around them.
Another I-330 appeared to attack Grendel, but he teleported away onto a building. I-330 followed him, and their swords clashed again. I-330 pressed on, swinging again and again as she tried to hit him, but Grendel kept moving away, blocking and teleporting to always stay just out of reach. Their fight continued until it took them to the edge of the pit where the Brute had been imprisoned.
That was where Grendel made his strike. His sword lashed out, cutting I-330’s right arm. The wound was minor, but the sword’s touch had burnt like molten metal. I-330 dropped her sword and screamed. But that screamed turned into a growl, and she lunged to pick up her sword. Grendel crushed her right hand under his foot before she could reach it, then caught her left arm when she tried hitting him.
“You’re acting particularly violent today.” He said. “You should calm down, and find someplace to wait this out. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt in all this fighting.”
I-330 spat in his face. “I’ll kill you! I will tear off your leg and knock your own head off with it! Then I’m going to kick your head into a garbage dump while I use the rest of your body for target practice with artillery shells!”
“See, that is exactly the attitude I am talking about.” Grendel sighed. “Spare the rod….”
Grendel brought his sword down on I-330’s left arm, cutting just beneath the elbow. It passed through easily, not even being slowed by the bone. For a fraction of a moment, shock numbed I-330. Then the pain engulfed her, and she screamed as she clutched the limb’s stump. Grendel held on to the severed arm, looking over it with hunger. He held it up so the blood flowed from the veins into his open mouth. Then he bit into it, and moaned as he savored the flesh’s taste.
His teeth tore into the arm, blood dripping down his chin, moaning and gasping between each bite. When he finished, he looked at I-330, eyes roaming her body.
“I can’t wait to have the rest of you.” He said. “But the feast will taste all the better for the wait.” He grabbed I-330 by her tie and lifted her up. “Stay put here until I come back for you.” Then he threw her into the pit.
Grendel watched as I-330 fell, then turned and slashed across the air with his sword. It left a floating gash, through which the city of Cairo could be seen. Grendel stepped through the gash, followed by innumerable beasts. The revolution was coming to Earth.
***
Impossibly far away, past the border of the universe, an older I-330 followed the paths of time, using the charts of the ancient plaque to guide her. Past all the stars and worlds, all the way to the Center of the Multiverse. The point where all timelines originate from, branching into infinite universes. It was an eldritch place, lacking any real physical form. But I-330’s mind was still human enough that it tried crafting its own image of the impossible place. She saw it as a whirlpool of darkness, from which time streamed out.
I-330 took a step forward, and then jumped into it.
The End of the World
512
I asked EAT about this Kadath place before heading out. “It used to be the seat of power within the Dreamlands.” It said. “Home to humanity’s gods. Not the gods that Grendel speaks of; these gods were fantasies given form, created from mankind’s imaging. Perhaps they couldn’t cope with the reality of the universe’s pantheon, so they made their own. Not that it matters now. Those gods have long been dead.”
More gods. I feel like I’m buried under all these deities that keep popping up.
The portal to reach Kadath was hidden away in an uninhabited part of Tibet. Were it not for my ability to teleport, there’s no way I could have reached it. Several of EAT’s bodies were waiting there. No idea how it managed the trip.
One spoke. “Grendel is waiting for you on the other side. He will not begin to act until you are there to watch.”
“Then couldn’t I beat him by just not going?”
“Yes. But it would be uncharacteristic of you to abandon Virginia S. Carter while she remains a hostage.”
Okay good point there.
EAT continued. “Grendel’s first target will be the Dreamlands, then the Empty City, and finally Earth. The Fears will attempt to combat him, but the balance of victory rests on your actions. Do you have a strategy for when you confront him?”
“Yeah.” I lifted my sword. “I’m going to stab him in the face until he shuts up.”
EAT didn’t say anything for a while, and then, in its usual deadpan monotone, “At least it cannot be faulted for being overly complex.”
Yeah well I’d like to see you come up with something better. “Anything else I need to know?”
“No. This should be sufficient for our purpose.”
“Gonna wish me luck?”
“…. We desire that probability allows for your battle to be concluded in a favorable manner.”
“Close enough. See you when Grendel’s dead!” And through the portal I went.
Kadath was unlike any other place I’d seen, even in the Dreamlands. It was on the peak of a mountain, rising above turbulent storm clouds. A grand city had been carved into the mountain, but it wasn’t anything like any normal city. The best way to describe the buildings I saw would be, “Geometry should not work that way.”
The city was filled with monsters of all kinds. Some I recognized from previous encounters with Grendel and journeys through the Dreamlands, but others were new. Lots of tentacles, or sharp pointy teeth, or excess numbers of limbs. I was ready to fight my way through them, but they moved aside, opening a path to the center of the city.
At the end of that path, standing before a black, distorted palace, was Grendel, flanked by his Fears, and with Virginia lying at his feet. He smiled like a child when he saw me.
“You accepted my invitation!” He said. “Of course, I knew you would. I can’t start this show without the proper audience.”
Pointed my sword at him. “Let Virginia go.”
“Of course, of course!” He grabbed Virginia by the hair and pulled her up. As she was raised, she stomped a foot on the ground, and the stone rose in a spike that impaled Grendel through the face. His surprise quickly turned into laughter as he tore off the spike and healed the wound. “I can see why you like this one. She has fight, just like her grandfather. Here, take her.”
He pushed her forward, and turned away from us. I ran to Virginia, and then… then…. Grendel’s sword appeared in his hand. Before I could reach Virginia, he spun around and cut across her back. I caught her as she fell, but the cut was too deep, going right through the spine….
Some of her blood fell on the ground at Grendel’s feet, and red light in the shape of a five pointed star appeared beneath him. “It begins!” He shouted, as more of those red stars appeared in the sky.
Wherever they appeared, the sky soon crumbled away beneath them, creating holes in space. Through some of those holes I saw images from all over the Earth. In others, I saw a massive city stretching as far as the eye could see. And in others, there was only emptiness. But things soon started to try and come out of that emptiness: indescribable monsters, who threw their massive bodies against the small holes as they tried to break out.
“And now here comes the opposition.” Grendel said. Carnival music blared across the landscape, and a spinning circus tent rose in the sky like a sun. Wings spread from the tent, wings so large they seemed to fill the entire sky.
Most of this, however, was only a side though to me. I was making futile attempts to stop all the blood that was coming from Virginia’s back. Screamed at Grendel that I’d murder him, but he only laughed at me.
“No you won’t. You’re going to waste your time trying to save the girl instead.” A chuckle. “Of course, you’ll fail. She’s just moments away from death. But you never can resist the opportunity to try and be heroic.”
Snarled at him, but then picked Virginia up and ran back to the portal. Looked back once, and saw him flying across the sky toward the Grotesque. He stabbed the tent with his sword, and cracks of nothingness spread across it. As I passed through the portal, the last thing I Heard was the music shriek with the screams of a dying god.
Got back to the real world, and shouted for EAT’s help, but it was already gone. And the area was too isolated for me to get any medical help there. I… I tried everything I could, but there was so much blood, and all the tools I had with me were for killing people, not curing them…. Bringing her back to the physical world might have only made things worse, because suddenly she was in a younger body that had much less blood to lose, and there was nothing I could do to stop the bleeding, and she….
…..
I’m going back in there. And I’m going to kill Grendel.
No matter what it takes.
I-330
I asked EAT about this Kadath place before heading out. “It used to be the seat of power within the Dreamlands.” It said. “Home to humanity’s gods. Not the gods that Grendel speaks of; these gods were fantasies given form, created from mankind’s imaging. Perhaps they couldn’t cope with the reality of the universe’s pantheon, so they made their own. Not that it matters now. Those gods have long been dead.”
More gods. I feel like I’m buried under all these deities that keep popping up.
The portal to reach Kadath was hidden away in an uninhabited part of Tibet. Were it not for my ability to teleport, there’s no way I could have reached it. Several of EAT’s bodies were waiting there. No idea how it managed the trip.
One spoke. “Grendel is waiting for you on the other side. He will not begin to act until you are there to watch.”
“Then couldn’t I beat him by just not going?”
“Yes. But it would be uncharacteristic of you to abandon Virginia S. Carter while she remains a hostage.”
Okay good point there.
EAT continued. “Grendel’s first target will be the Dreamlands, then the Empty City, and finally Earth. The Fears will attempt to combat him, but the balance of victory rests on your actions. Do you have a strategy for when you confront him?”
“Yeah.” I lifted my sword. “I’m going to stab him in the face until he shuts up.”
EAT didn’t say anything for a while, and then, in its usual deadpan monotone, “At least it cannot be faulted for being overly complex.”
Yeah well I’d like to see you come up with something better. “Anything else I need to know?”
“No. This should be sufficient for our purpose.”
“Gonna wish me luck?”
“…. We desire that probability allows for your battle to be concluded in a favorable manner.”
“Close enough. See you when Grendel’s dead!” And through the portal I went.
Kadath was unlike any other place I’d seen, even in the Dreamlands. It was on the peak of a mountain, rising above turbulent storm clouds. A grand city had been carved into the mountain, but it wasn’t anything like any normal city. The best way to describe the buildings I saw would be, “Geometry should not work that way.”
The city was filled with monsters of all kinds. Some I recognized from previous encounters with Grendel and journeys through the Dreamlands, but others were new. Lots of tentacles, or sharp pointy teeth, or excess numbers of limbs. I was ready to fight my way through them, but they moved aside, opening a path to the center of the city.
At the end of that path, standing before a black, distorted palace, was Grendel, flanked by his Fears, and with Virginia lying at his feet. He smiled like a child when he saw me.
“You accepted my invitation!” He said. “Of course, I knew you would. I can’t start this show without the proper audience.”
Pointed my sword at him. “Let Virginia go.”
“Of course, of course!” He grabbed Virginia by the hair and pulled her up. As she was raised, she stomped a foot on the ground, and the stone rose in a spike that impaled Grendel through the face. His surprise quickly turned into laughter as he tore off the spike and healed the wound. “I can see why you like this one. She has fight, just like her grandfather. Here, take her.”
He pushed her forward, and turned away from us. I ran to Virginia, and then… then…. Grendel’s sword appeared in his hand. Before I could reach Virginia, he spun around and cut across her back. I caught her as she fell, but the cut was too deep, going right through the spine….
Some of her blood fell on the ground at Grendel’s feet, and red light in the shape of a five pointed star appeared beneath him. “It begins!” He shouted, as more of those red stars appeared in the sky.
Wherever they appeared, the sky soon crumbled away beneath them, creating holes in space. Through some of those holes I saw images from all over the Earth. In others, I saw a massive city stretching as far as the eye could see. And in others, there was only emptiness. But things soon started to try and come out of that emptiness: indescribable monsters, who threw their massive bodies against the small holes as they tried to break out.
“And now here comes the opposition.” Grendel said. Carnival music blared across the landscape, and a spinning circus tent rose in the sky like a sun. Wings spread from the tent, wings so large they seemed to fill the entire sky.
Most of this, however, was only a side though to me. I was making futile attempts to stop all the blood that was coming from Virginia’s back. Screamed at Grendel that I’d murder him, but he only laughed at me.
“No you won’t. You’re going to waste your time trying to save the girl instead.” A chuckle. “Of course, you’ll fail. She’s just moments away from death. But you never can resist the opportunity to try and be heroic.”
Snarled at him, but then picked Virginia up and ran back to the portal. Looked back once, and saw him flying across the sky toward the Grotesque. He stabbed the tent with his sword, and cracks of nothingness spread across it. As I passed through the portal, the last thing I Heard was the music shriek with the screams of a dying god.
Got back to the real world, and shouted for EAT’s help, but it was already gone. And the area was too isolated for me to get any medical help there. I… I tried everything I could, but there was so much blood, and all the tools I had with me were for killing people, not curing them…. Bringing her back to the physical world might have only made things worse, because suddenly she was in a younger body that had much less blood to lose, and there was nothing I could do to stop the bleeding, and she….
…..
I’m going back in there. And I’m going to kill Grendel.
No matter what it takes.
I-330
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
February 19, 2013 - Arkham, Massachusetts
511
Got an email from Virginia this morning, telling me she thought she’d found something related to Grendel’s revolution in a part of the Dreamlands called “Kadath.” Went to her house to meet her, but when I arrived the windows had been smashed and the door was thrown open. Well that’s not good.
Drew a gun, and went inside, eyes open for trouble. Whoever had been there had made a mess of the place. Couldn’t see any method to the destruction. I mean, I suppose you could flip over a couch, tear out the stuffing, and then throw it into the kitchen, but the question is why the hell you would want to do that?
At first, the home seemed abandoned. But when I got to the second floor, I found Virginia’s dad, with his torso split open and organs minced into a meaty pulp.
Had to find Virginia fast, and make sure she was okay. Ran straight to her room and kicked open the door. It was oddly untouched. Everything was in the exact place I remembered it being from my last visit. Except no Virginia. Searched through the room, but didn’t find any sign of her. Head something behind me, and spun around. For a moment, I saw the face of the Smiling Man. Then its eyes filled my mind, and I blacked out.
When I regained consciousness, I was in a pitch black room, with my face in some kind of puddle. My hands and feet had been bound by something that felt like ribbon. Tried to get a sense of where I was. The smell was horrible, enough to make me gag. The walls and floor felt like stone. While feeling around, my hands touched something squishy and wet. And… was that a human ribcage? Yeah, that felt like a ribcage. Still with pieces of rotting meat on it. Euuuugh.
I heard a door opening, and saw a light at the top of a now illuminated staircase. The Smiling Man was silhouetted in the light, its bright white smile standing out against the shadows.
Seemed a good time to get the hell out of there. Tried to break out of the bonds, but they were too tight. The Smiling Man started slowly walking down the stairs, each footstep creaking on the steps. I started to stab the ribbons on the ribcage. One of the ribs broke off, so I quickly switched to another. Finally cut a large enough hole in them to pull my hands apart. Looked at the stairs, and saw that the Smiling Man had reached the bottom. In the darkness, I couldn’t see much of it, except for its approaching smile.
With my hands free, I untied my feet and got up. That smile had nearly reached me. Didn’t have anything to defend myself, and it was too dark to find something in the room. So I swung a punch at it.
The smile vanished just before my fist connected, and dozens of slashes appeared along my arm. Hurt like a bitch, but there didn’t seem to be anything between me and that door now. Ran up the stairs, into the light.
Found myself in an old house, thick with dust. The tinted windows gave the sunlight that came through a faded look, and everything smelled of roses. There was a table near where I’d come out, with a floral pattern cloth over it, and an empty picture case set in the center. Threw all of that off, flipped the table upside down, and snapped off a leg. Finally had something to defend myself with.
Kept that makeshift club ready as I walked through the house. The building seemed to creak at the slightest breeze, and I kept hearing footsteps coming from around me. Saw movement in the corner of my eye, and swung. All I hit was a mirror.
Heard what sounded like footsteps, and ran toward them. Didn’t find anyone in the room, but what I found was even better: my guns. Come back to mama, babies. I missed you. Picked up a rifle. This situation was definitely calling for something larger caliber than a pistol.
As if on cue, as I got my new weapon, I saw the Smiling Man coming down the hallway. How very kind of it to wait until I was properly armed. Took aim, and kept firing until its torso was filled with holes, and it fell to the ground. Ha! Take that, you bastard.
As I gloated over the Smiling Man’s body, a hand came from behind and grabbed my throat. I felt a thin cut growing across my throat, not deep enough to kill, but deep enough to threaten. Turned my head as much as I could, and saw the Smiling Man’s face leaning over my shoulder, it’s teeth inches away from my eyes. Fuck.
Before it could do anything, a wave of water smashed through the windows, and slammed into us, knocking us apart. Dozens of people stormed in through the opening, running toward the Smiling Man with singular determination. It cut down the people who got close, and water sprayed out of their wounds, but their numbers overwhelmed it. They began to surgically tear its body to pieces strewing black blood and flowers over the floor.
While most of the people focused on the Smiling Man, one approached me, and spoke to me in EAT’s voice. “You appear to be lacking in the skills necessary to determine whether or not an invitation is a trap.”
Another possessed person came over and began to bandage the wounds on my arm. “Hey, I could have taken care of this on my own!” I said.
“Yes. You could have. However, we have need to speak with you.”
Another body approached carrying a long case. “We have developed a countermeasure to Grendel’s weaponry. You will use it against him during the revolution.”
I opened the case, and inside was a sword, made of dancing blue fire. I grabbed the handle, expecting either heat or cold, but felt… nothing. It was almost as if the sword wasn’t even there.
“What is this?” I said.
“A concept, given physical form. Just as Grendel’s sword is, albeit a different concept. I believe in the simplistic dualistic view which Grendel has defined reality, there are two forces: entropy and energy. He uses a sword crafted from energy. Therefore, we deemed it appropriate to create one from entropy.”
I picked up the sword, and swung it a few times. It made no sound as it passed through the air.
“I would recommend against frivolously swinging that.” EAT said. “What you are holding is the physical embodiment of the Heat Death of the universe. Theoretically, it could be capable of reducing the sun to nothing but scattered subatomic particles.”
Suddenly holding onto that sword didn’t seem as good an idea. Held it out at arm length, trying to keep it as far away from me as I could. “And you just want me to go out and stab Grendel with this? I’ve never used a sword before!”
“You will manage. The concept is simple enough. Insert the sharp end into Grendel. Avoid accidentally destroying the universe.”
“I honestly can’t tell if you’re joking, or you’re just being a prick.”
The ones who had been attacking the Smiling Man finished their job, and stood silently against the walls. All that remained of the body was its smile, which turned into lily petals and drifted out the window. “What happened to Virginia? Is she alright?”
“The human Virginia S. Carter is currently being held hostage by Grendel within the Dreamlands, at Kadath.”
“What does he want with her?”
“He wants to draw you to him. We believe it is his intent that you bear witness to the beginning of his revolution.”
“Wait… that’s happening now?”
“Tomorrow.”
“You could have given me more of a heads up about this!”
“That was not needed. We merely require that you enter the Dreamlands and fight him. We can direct you to a portal in the physical world which will take you directly to Kadath.”
“What about my arm? It’s gonna be hard to fight with it all cut up like this.”
“The injuries to your left arm will be irrelevant in the fight.”
“Well, thanks for the vote of confidence there. Can I at least have some time to get ready?”
“This is acceptable. You have until midnight. Then we will take you to the portal.”
Alright then. This is it. The big event. The thing we’ve all been waiting for. Time to get out there and kick Grendel’s ass.
Wish me luck.
I-330
Got an email from Virginia this morning, telling me she thought she’d found something related to Grendel’s revolution in a part of the Dreamlands called “Kadath.” Went to her house to meet her, but when I arrived the windows had been smashed and the door was thrown open. Well that’s not good.
Drew a gun, and went inside, eyes open for trouble. Whoever had been there had made a mess of the place. Couldn’t see any method to the destruction. I mean, I suppose you could flip over a couch, tear out the stuffing, and then throw it into the kitchen, but the question is why the hell you would want to do that?
At first, the home seemed abandoned. But when I got to the second floor, I found Virginia’s dad, with his torso split open and organs minced into a meaty pulp.
Had to find Virginia fast, and make sure she was okay. Ran straight to her room and kicked open the door. It was oddly untouched. Everything was in the exact place I remembered it being from my last visit. Except no Virginia. Searched through the room, but didn’t find any sign of her. Head something behind me, and spun around. For a moment, I saw the face of the Smiling Man. Then its eyes filled my mind, and I blacked out.
When I regained consciousness, I was in a pitch black room, with my face in some kind of puddle. My hands and feet had been bound by something that felt like ribbon. Tried to get a sense of where I was. The smell was horrible, enough to make me gag. The walls and floor felt like stone. While feeling around, my hands touched something squishy and wet. And… was that a human ribcage? Yeah, that felt like a ribcage. Still with pieces of rotting meat on it. Euuuugh.
I heard a door opening, and saw a light at the top of a now illuminated staircase. The Smiling Man was silhouetted in the light, its bright white smile standing out against the shadows.
Seemed a good time to get the hell out of there. Tried to break out of the bonds, but they were too tight. The Smiling Man started slowly walking down the stairs, each footstep creaking on the steps. I started to stab the ribbons on the ribcage. One of the ribs broke off, so I quickly switched to another. Finally cut a large enough hole in them to pull my hands apart. Looked at the stairs, and saw that the Smiling Man had reached the bottom. In the darkness, I couldn’t see much of it, except for its approaching smile.
With my hands free, I untied my feet and got up. That smile had nearly reached me. Didn’t have anything to defend myself, and it was too dark to find something in the room. So I swung a punch at it.
The smile vanished just before my fist connected, and dozens of slashes appeared along my arm. Hurt like a bitch, but there didn’t seem to be anything between me and that door now. Ran up the stairs, into the light.
Found myself in an old house, thick with dust. The tinted windows gave the sunlight that came through a faded look, and everything smelled of roses. There was a table near where I’d come out, with a floral pattern cloth over it, and an empty picture case set in the center. Threw all of that off, flipped the table upside down, and snapped off a leg. Finally had something to defend myself with.
Kept that makeshift club ready as I walked through the house. The building seemed to creak at the slightest breeze, and I kept hearing footsteps coming from around me. Saw movement in the corner of my eye, and swung. All I hit was a mirror.
Heard what sounded like footsteps, and ran toward them. Didn’t find anyone in the room, but what I found was even better: my guns. Come back to mama, babies. I missed you. Picked up a rifle. This situation was definitely calling for something larger caliber than a pistol.
As if on cue, as I got my new weapon, I saw the Smiling Man coming down the hallway. How very kind of it to wait until I was properly armed. Took aim, and kept firing until its torso was filled with holes, and it fell to the ground. Ha! Take that, you bastard.
As I gloated over the Smiling Man’s body, a hand came from behind and grabbed my throat. I felt a thin cut growing across my throat, not deep enough to kill, but deep enough to threaten. Turned my head as much as I could, and saw the Smiling Man’s face leaning over my shoulder, it’s teeth inches away from my eyes. Fuck.
Before it could do anything, a wave of water smashed through the windows, and slammed into us, knocking us apart. Dozens of people stormed in through the opening, running toward the Smiling Man with singular determination. It cut down the people who got close, and water sprayed out of their wounds, but their numbers overwhelmed it. They began to surgically tear its body to pieces strewing black blood and flowers over the floor.
While most of the people focused on the Smiling Man, one approached me, and spoke to me in EAT’s voice. “You appear to be lacking in the skills necessary to determine whether or not an invitation is a trap.”
Another possessed person came over and began to bandage the wounds on my arm. “Hey, I could have taken care of this on my own!” I said.
“Yes. You could have. However, we have need to speak with you.”
Another body approached carrying a long case. “We have developed a countermeasure to Grendel’s weaponry. You will use it against him during the revolution.”
I opened the case, and inside was a sword, made of dancing blue fire. I grabbed the handle, expecting either heat or cold, but felt… nothing. It was almost as if the sword wasn’t even there.
“What is this?” I said.
“A concept, given physical form. Just as Grendel’s sword is, albeit a different concept. I believe in the simplistic dualistic view which Grendel has defined reality, there are two forces: entropy and energy. He uses a sword crafted from energy. Therefore, we deemed it appropriate to create one from entropy.”
I picked up the sword, and swung it a few times. It made no sound as it passed through the air.
“I would recommend against frivolously swinging that.” EAT said. “What you are holding is the physical embodiment of the Heat Death of the universe. Theoretically, it could be capable of reducing the sun to nothing but scattered subatomic particles.”
Suddenly holding onto that sword didn’t seem as good an idea. Held it out at arm length, trying to keep it as far away from me as I could. “And you just want me to go out and stab Grendel with this? I’ve never used a sword before!”
“You will manage. The concept is simple enough. Insert the sharp end into Grendel. Avoid accidentally destroying the universe.”
“I honestly can’t tell if you’re joking, or you’re just being a prick.”
The ones who had been attacking the Smiling Man finished their job, and stood silently against the walls. All that remained of the body was its smile, which turned into lily petals and drifted out the window. “What happened to Virginia? Is she alright?”
“The human Virginia S. Carter is currently being held hostage by Grendel within the Dreamlands, at Kadath.”
“What does he want with her?”
“He wants to draw you to him. We believe it is his intent that you bear witness to the beginning of his revolution.”
“Wait… that’s happening now?”
“Tomorrow.”
“You could have given me more of a heads up about this!”
“That was not needed. We merely require that you enter the Dreamlands and fight him. We can direct you to a portal in the physical world which will take you directly to Kadath.”
“What about my arm? It’s gonna be hard to fight with it all cut up like this.”
“The injuries to your left arm will be irrelevant in the fight.”
“Well, thanks for the vote of confidence there. Can I at least have some time to get ready?”
“This is acceptable. You have until midnight. Then we will take you to the portal.”
Alright then. This is it. The big event. The thing we’ve all been waiting for. Time to get out there and kick Grendel’s ass.
Wish me luck.
I-330
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