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 Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 5:41 pm
Jeddeth didn't turn again.
"I have already told you," it said, pushing a door open investigatively. There was a body on the floor, half-stripped to the bones. It went in, ripped off a skeletal leg, and came back out chewing on it. Julian made a protesting noise that was lost to the creature under the sound of crunching.
"We take him with us," Crow said, glaring at Jeddeth. "We'll just gag him."
Ethan sneered, spitting at Crow. She wiped the spittle off and turned away, repressing a shudder.
"He hasn't been marked," Jeddeth said testily, leading the group down a corridor and chewing on a femur. "The Nahenna will rot through his soul and destroy his spirit anyway. There is no way to get it out, not now."
Suddenly Ethan no longer looked so self-confident. Julian made a choking noise.
"What- but-" he began. Jeddeth shook its mockery of a head.
"The creature is trapped. Already the body weakens, you see?" it said, waving a hand absently in Ethan's direction. "Soon it will sicken, and start to die. After that..."
Crow hissed in distress.
"But you can fix it," she said, almost frantic. "You can get that thing out of him."
"I could kill him, and prevent him from being destroyed utterly," Jeddeth replied, pushing another door open. A staircase leading down to the basement was revealed. "Aahh, good, good..."
Ethan, struggling and muttering, spit defiantly at Jeddeth.
"Liar's tale," he said, though he sounded slightly put-off.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 5:48 pm
"For the last time, no'a donniev, for as long as I'm here, this kid stays alive," Björn said, looking rather emotionless, "If you take so much as one step in his direction, so help me God, I'll snap you in half."
Neither Liam nor Rabid ventured to argue.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 5:54 pm
Jeddeth shrugged and bit into the femur, making the bone splinter.
"As you wish," it said, creeping down the stairs. Julian and Crow exchanged looks and followed silently. Ethan, glaring hatred up at Björn, bared his teeth in a snarl.
"You think we need to be protected?" he hissed. He threw himself against Björn, jaw gnashing, and grabbed hold of the man's arm. He shook his head like a dog and jerked back as he ripped a bite of flesh loose, blood dribbling down his face as he swallowed. "We will rot his spirit and kill him wholly, animal. You will never see him again."
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 5:57 pm
Björn cringed and exhaled slowly, determined to not have a sudden mental breakdown.
"No, not you. I'm determined to get rid of you. Couldn't give a ******** less 'bout you," he said and grimaced, making an odd sort of pain-noise through his nose, "
Liam's brow furrowed. Poor guy.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 6:16 pm
The basement was cluttered, cold, and dusty. There were two slits that were either giant cracks in the foundation or very tiny windows, that allowed colorless light to shine down in patches. It seemed to stretch under most of the complex, a crumbling cement cavern.
Jeddeth was pleased.
"If we can hold the door and keep the rest of the war party from finding us," it said, pushing a broken-down old fashioned furnace in front of the stairs as a rough barricade, "I think we might stand a chance. Stay away from the windows. Make no noise. And if they break through..."
Crow, leaning against a wall, looked up at Jeddeth expectantly.
"If they break through?"
Jeddeth sighed.
"Pray."
Julian, standing apart from the rest and looking up, tried to hear above the chatter. There were sounds of footsteps, and each creak made him shudder.
Ethan, licking his lips and cracking his jaw, tried to pull away.
"Let us go," it snapped. Jeddeth hissed in warning, and he fell silent.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 6:21 pm
Björn considered letting Ethan go for a moment. And then he did it. What was the use? He released his grip and crouched before sitting silently at the top of the stairs, back against the door.
Two superficial barricades gave twice the time to pray before you were gutted and fed to zombies.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 6:26 pm
Ethan fell back, hunching over as though unable to stand straight. He bared his teeth at Liam and made as though to lunge at him, but Jeddeth's subtle clearing of its throat made him hesitate.
"We'll cut that half-slit throat of yours ourselves," he muttered, slinking into a corner and sliding down against the wall. The Nahenna would never admit, never, not even under torture, that the body it had taken was already starting to fail. Swallowing hard against a swell of nausea, the Nahenna contented itself to glare out at the others, hating them all.
Julian and Crow hung off to one side, flinching at every noise. The occasional hoarse shriek made them shiver.
"So what now?" Crow asked.
"Wait it out," Julian said. "Try not to die."
"Good plan."
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 6:28 pm
Liam slid up to Crow, finally catching sight of the stairs. Huh...peculiar. Björn had his head in his hand. Rabid caught his glance and leaned over. Oh well. His problem.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 6:37 pm
An hour ticked by with such agonizing slowness it seemed time had stopped altogether. It was a long way before daybreak, and there was no chance of sleep. Crow, leaning against Liam the entire time, noted the silence first.
"Julian," she said, straightening and looking up. Julian glanced up at her.
"What?"
"Shh...listen..."
The sounds of scraping, skittering and thumping had ceased. They'd grown so accustomed to the noise that the absence was startling.
"Jeddeth?"
The creature shooks its head, standing slowly. The creak of its bones was audible.
"Something is wrong," it said. "They were under orders, they cannot go back without you."
Julian shifted.
"Why are you here?" he asked suddenly. Jeddeth made a surprised noise.
"To protect you," it said, tone clearly indicating this was obvious. Julian sighed, shaking his head.
"Fine. Great. So you want to help, right?"
"Of course."
"What d'you know about the war party?"
Jeddeth clucked its tongue.
"It was all he could spare," it said, settling against the wall again. "A handful, no more. The alpha carries the Dhev-Anak, and-"
"WHAT?!"
Jeddeth yelped in surprise, looking up as Julian jumped up and staggered.
"WHY DID YOU NOT MENTION THAT EARLIER."
"You didn't-"
"I swear to every god I know, Jeddeth, if you say because I didn't ask I will ******** END YOU."
Jeddeth cringed, gesturing helplessly.
"I- I just, I didn't-" it spluttered. Crow tugged at Julian's sleeve.
"What's the Dhev-" she began, but Julian clapped his hand over her mouth.
"Don't say it. Don't say the name," he said. In the shadows in its corner, the Nahenna managed a mocking laugh.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 6:40 pm
"I really don't like the sound of that," Liam stated honestly, "seeing as to how everything I've met so far wants to slowly torture me to death." There was a hollow thud from somewhere up the stairs.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 6:49 pm
Jeddeth, cringing as Julian tore at his hair in silent horror and stormed to one end of the basement, bit at its tongue awkwardly.
"It is a key," it said, shuffling its bony feet against the gritty cement. "It opens the way."
"Could you be a little less cryptic?" Crow asked irritably, watching as Julian paced the basement silently raving, red in the face with rage.
"The story is too long," Jeddeth said, hastily adding as Crow glared at him, "But I can give you a quick summary. The Dh-ah. The knife acts as a conduit. Master is struck with it, Nahedathal-King flows through. And that's that."
"Nahedathal-King?"
Jeddeth clicked its teeth, glancing over at Liam.
"As I said...it is too long a story. For now, anyway..."
Crow thought on it, an ugly realization coming to the fore.
"The black knife..."
Jeddeth nodded.
"Not so black now, that the blood has been cleaned from it," it said almost regretfully. It was about to say more when a distinctly loud whuck echoed down the staircase.
"...what the ******** was that."
Whuck. Whuck.
"Jeddeth...."
"Get behind me," it said, voice dropping.
WHUCK. WHUCK.
"Julian!"
"What?"
WHUCK.
"They're breaking down the door," Jeddeth hissed. "Liam, your friend..."
WHUCK.
"ESHT YA!"
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 6:54 pm
Björn sat there, staring at the ceiling, ignoring the repeated, violent tremors wracking the door he was currently propped up against.
"
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 7:03 pm
The Zheh Hakin ripped chunks of the door off, screaming and shrieking in rage as they found they couldn't force it open. They cursed Björn, hands tearing at him. This was their only way in. They had to get in.
And one by one, the withered creatures dissolved into shadows, flying past Björn's head and screaming hatred at him as they passed. They exploded out of the stairwell and landed as solid things, mindlessly pursuing their targets. Jeddeth roared and charged them, not caring it was outnumbered. The Hakin slashed and tore at the creature as more and more passed through the hole in the door.
Julian, separated from the others, fought back as best he could, yelling for Jeddeth. The creature was overwhelmed, and with a terrible shriek it fell as a Hakin ripped its lower jaw off, tongue flailing and rooted to the bone. Crow screamed in rage and rushed the Hakin, trying to rescue the creature, but gave a cry as one of the monsters ran her abdomen through with its claws.
"Slave. Need."
The first Hakin, the one that had spoken, reared up out the seething horde, looking for Julian.
"Find the thief," it said to its fellows. "Kill it."
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 7:11 pm
Rabid had gone batshit crazy once more, except this time her rage wasn't focused so much on Jeddeth as on the psychotic zombie-things rampaging. Liam, however, sat trembling in a corner, curled into a ball.
Björn seemed to be the only calm one of the trio. He went down the stairs at a casual pace, grabbed the thing that was attacking Crow by the head, and pressed until he felt his palms touch. He stared at his hands, completely bewildered.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 7:24 pm
Spitting out blood, Crow pressed her hand to the rapidly healing wound and looking for Jeddeth. The creature was laying very still, though no blood oozed from the horrific injury. She looked up at Björn, then shrieked in rage as a Hakin bore down on him. She leaped, shoving past the man and tackling the monster, her teeth sinking into its throat. She jerked her head back and the creature gave a half-gurgle. She spit out the flesh and moved on to another ready to attack, wrestling with it and smashing its skull against the ground.
Julian, trapped in a corner, struck out blindly. The Hakin weren't attacking him, only keeping him trapped. Amid the insanity of the fighting, the Hakin circling him were calm. The creature that had spoken ducked along the side of the room, drawing a bony hand out of its ragged clothing. A knife, the blade lit from within, was clutched in its fleshless fingers. Julian went pale, pressing against the wall.
"Home," the Alpha said, stepping past the other Hakin. Julian tried to duck past it but he was shoved back against the wall. He half-slid, bracing himself, forcing himself upright.
"No," he said, voice strangled. The Hakin pinned him to the wall with its free hand.
"This is the only reason you live," it said patiently. Julian wrenched at the creature's arm, trying to push it back.
"It's not!"
"It is."
The Hakin swung its arm back, and it plunged the Dhev-Anak deep into Julian's chest. He went rigid, mouth working silently and face a mask of shock.
Deadly silence filled the room. The Hakin stopped fighting. Ethan stood, swaying but indifferent to it. They all looked to one corner of the basement, where Julian slumped to the floor, hand grasping at the hilt of the knife.
And suddenly the room went cold.
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