《The Roseguard's Odyssey: The tale of the hunted》Chapter 45 - Agony
Advertisement
She awoke in the middle of nowhere. The obelisk, Willow, and the ball of light were all gone.
"Hello?"
There was nothing but darkness and cold. Luna began to shiver as the temperature dropped, and it got colder by the second. Then she heard footsteps in the distance.
"Luna?"
She turned around to see a handsome young man with long red hair and a ruggedly styled beard. His skin was tanned, and he had scars on his nose and cheeks. His steely brown eyes indicated that he was battle-hardened. He was dressed in a brown long fur overcoat, a sight which Luna missed terribly.
"Marko?" She asked in disbelief.
"Is that you, Luna?"
Behind her, a young woman appeared. She had long, wavy brown hair that was beautifully braided and topped with a yellow bow, and her fair skinned face was filled with a teary smile. She wore a long cream dress underneath her short leather jacket with a fur trim that matched Baldric's. The young lady held a little girl in one hand, her hair brown-braided and topped with a yellow bow, and an infant in the other.
"Luna?"
It's not possible. Luna thought to herself. It's not possible.
"Beatrice... Bruno, Bella... Is that..."
The woman holding the two children smiled.
"Hey Bee! I was here first!" Marko yelled out, a smile on his face. "Are you going to trade me for her now?"
Luna didn't care if it was a dream or not; they were right in front of her.
"Bring it in!" he called out.
Beatrice nodded to Luna, saying it was okay if she went to him first. Beatrice stopped her daughter from running towards Luna because she wanted to see her.
Luna approached him slowly, and when Marko opened his arms for a hug, she ran as she tried to hold back her tears. But before she could get close, a loud gunshot rang out, and Marko looked down, as blood poured from a hole in his chest. Luna's eyes widened in horror as she froze. With fear in his eyes, he looked at her. Luna realised she was the one with the gun.
She dropped it and tried to run to him, but no matter how hard Luna tried, he was simply out of reach. With each step, a shot rang out, jolting him as it ripped through his body. When she looked down, she saw that the gun was still in her hands.
Advertisement
"Luna!" She came to a halt and looked behind her. Beatrice was surrounded by flames, and she clutched the two children to her chest as the fires grew closer. "Luna! The fire! Help!"
"Bee!" Luna tried to run towards her, but the flames exploded and engulfed them. All Luna could do was watch as the fire burned them alive. The little girl screeched in pain as the fire grew stronger.
"Luna! Baldric!" Beatrice screamed in agony. "Help!"
"Daddy! Daddy!" Bella wailed. The baby cried loudly.
When Luna desperately reached out to them, she realized the gun she held had turned into a torch. She was the one who set fire to them. Her heart felt as if it were caught in a vice. She was unable to scream. All she could do was stand there and watch Beatrice and her children scream in agony until they died.
Luna shakily reached out to touch them.
Fall.
Marko's bloodied corpse crept up behind her, his wet hand gripped her ankles. Luna screamed in terror, but the corpse did not let go and continued to drag her down.
Luna panicked as Marko’s bloodied corpse climbed and dripped his blood and organs all over her. She screamed, but no sound came out of her mouth. Beatrice and her children's husks crawled towards her. Luna cried and tried to shake him off, but he wouldn't let go. When more people emerged from the darkness, Marko and Beatrice grabbed Luna's ankles and held her in place.
They were all so thin that they resembled walking skeletons, with skin that was even greyer and paler than hers and black eyes that stared directly at Luna. More and more of them started to appear all around her. They were all sickly thin and ranged in age from young children to the elderly, with some even dressed in the uniforms of soldiers and enforcers. Luna recognized all of the walking corpses and their injuries; some had been brutally eviscerated, others had limbs and arms missing, and others appeared to have been bitten and scratched to death. All of them slowly made their way toward her.
The corpses all had the same expression on their faces: hatred. Luna sobbed uncontrollably as a result of the anger directed at her.
Advertisement
Fall.
Luna couldn't even scream or look at them; she couldn't even close her eyes. She tried desperately to shut them, but it felt as if hooks held them open. Marko and Beatrice's corpses stared her down, and she felt their rage directed at her soul.
Luna's heart felt like it was ripped apart, and she couldn't breathe because her chest was heavy with grief, guilt, and shame. Their faces melted, and what emerged was her. Her image stared at her, and its eyes were bright yellow with black pupils.
Fall.
All of them were perfect copies of her and attacked Luna. It didn't hurt her body, but each blow seared her mind and heart. Her head had a migraine that felt like all her hair was being ripped from her head. Her heart felt squeezed and on fire. They scratched at her skin with their nails and caused her to scream in pain.
Fall.
They all laughed and jeered as they attempted to destroy her. They all held her down and forced her eyes open to watch the abomination that approached. It was a horror created from melted corpses that terrified her to the core. It had hundreds of faces, all of which cried and blamed Luna for their deaths.
Marko, Beatrice, and her children stood out, but their heads were fused together and formed into a giant black eye that allowed Luna to see her own reflection. Her hair had fallen out, and her eyes had turned black. She was so thin that the bones in her arms could be seen, while thick, heavy metal tubes, and wires were injected into her back and arms.
Fall. Fall.
“Murderer!” “Fraud!” The horrors mocked her, and Luna was unable to cry any longer. She attempted to apologize, but nothing came out of her mouth. The horror opened the mouth on its stomach and devoured her whole.
Fall. Fall! Fall!
She was engulfed in tar. Her ears rang, and her throat and lungs burned. She flailed, but the water seeped into her body and caused her to sink faster. Before she sank, Luna watched the sky rip. A giant tear shredded across the heavens, and what Luna saw were more abominations. They all fell down towards her. They dragged her down to the bottom as they all tried to rip and break her apart. Through the pain, she raised her head and discovered where they came from.
It was a large structure from which the demons emerged, and from it an infinite number of abominations spewed forth. The sky above opened up to reveal a massive eye that stared down at her.
Fall! Fall! Fall!
It was the one who spoke and she could feel its rage. It looked for something in her, something that made her resist.
Fall! Fall! Fall! Fall!
The illusions started to crumble, but not before she saw a planet. It felt familiar, and the eye noticed it as well, before everything vanished and returned to darkness.
=0o0=
Baldric got down from the walker and found Luna bound to a giant obelisk. Her eyes and ears were covered with black tar, and she shrieked in agony. He ran up to her when Willow, a ball of light, and Ada stopped him.
"Don’t touch her!" Ada held him back.
"We need to save her!"
"Baldric, whatever that thing is, my sensors are picking up it is incredibly dangerous!"
"We need to save her! Now!"
"Not if it means we will lose you too!"
Luna slowly sank into the obelisk.
"Destroy it!"
"We might lose her! We don’t even know what that is!"
"Destroy the obelisk! Now Ada! Now!"
"We might hit and kill her!"
More of Luna vanished into the structure.
"Cover her with the freezing chemical! That should shield her from the rockets!"
"She will suffocate!"
"Do it Ada!"
Ada sprayed the chemical on Luna, and her entire body was encased in crystal. She then launched a barrage of precise rockets that shattered the obelisk's base. The chemical shielded Luna as her body was freed, and Baldric rushed to her. She no longer wailed in agony. Luna was asleep, but her eyes were wide open as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Advertisement
- In Serial58 Chapters
Beginning from Nothing: Book 1 of The New Age
Global warming. Overpopulation. Pandemic. Supernovas and meteoric extinctions. The universe is coming to an end, and the powers above have decided to pull the plug on this version. But not anytime soon. Two young men and a young woman find themselves among the 500 humans recruited as Beta Testers for the next version of the Universal Code, the magitech workings that power reality. Updates for humanity include: Patched Tongue Biting glitch Decreased acne spawn rate And Magic Not all the changes are positive however. Monsters, foul magic, nobles, and politics all conspire the prey upon these new citizens. Asher, Elijah, and Li must gather their strength and prepare for humanities migration to this new reality, or witness their people cast into servitude.
8 287 - In Serial9 Chapters
The Necromancer's Notebook
Typist's Note History of File #004789301: -Original stored in filing cabinet of one Detective Greary of Arkham police department until death in 1913 from heart attack, then moved to “Cold Case” cabinet in main office. - Originals relabeled “Case File #0003876: Evidence: Open” and moved to APD sub basement one, cabinet 08. July 8th 1925. - Box labeled “Case File#0003876: Evidence: Open” moved as part of district consolidation to Boston Police Headquarters Retention Room 10, row 9, shelf 5. April 30th 1975 - Contents of Box labeled “Case File#0003876: Evidence: Open”, reviewed by Retention Clerk Casey Damaset #11238 and labeled for removal. Contents of original documents typed by #11238 and refiled as document #004789301 in Final Retention cabinet January 2nd 1993 before originals were destroyed. Originals comprised mostly of handwritten notes stored loose leaf in a box with no discernible organization or order. For the most part seem to have been pulled from the same notebook approximately two inches by four in dimensions, bound along the spine like an old pocket book. No indication was made anywhere of the manner in which these documents came into the original officer’s possession. They have been recorded in the order in which they were found, with appropriate notes included to indicate where materials have deviated from the norm. Priority for retention: Low. Labeled for destruction at Final Retention Cycle end 2010. To read in full: Click here. Or start the first chapter.
8 165 - In Serial8 Chapters
The Runners of Westal
Anya Vorian wasn't picky. She'd take any apprenticeship that came her way. She, Lori and Andrew had prepared all winter for the interviews, but when only one offer came with her name on it, she suddenly wasn't so sure that she could do it. It was hard work, for one thing. It was dirty. They were respected, certainly, but in the sort of way that one respects a skilled plumber - grateful to have the job done, but glad it isn't your arms elbow deep in dung. In short, runners were odd folk. Maybe it was time to get fast. - A first-person tale inspired by long distance running.
8 122 - In Serial42 Chapters
Shadowrun: Blake Island School of Magic
It's a high tech, low life. It's the Seattle Metroplex in 2074. It rises like a steel and concrete cancer out of the earth. Poverty is rampant, corruption is everywhere, crime is out of control, corporations basically control everything, the old United States is fractured, magic has come back and now it turns out that humanity has been joined by elves, dwarves, orks and trolls. The old world ended but the rent is still due. Life goes on. You'd be surprised what people can adapt to, especially if they don't have a choice. One of the places where life goes on is just west of Seattle. Surrounded by the waters of the Puget Sound is an island. On that island is the Blake Island School of Magic. A decade ago it was known for producing some of the most talented awakened in the world. That reputation was hijacked by the wealthy corporate elite who now park their teenage children there. And since it's a boarding school, their parents mostly forget about them. Three young people, who are certainly not wealthy or elite, are chosen this year to attend this school of magic in hopes of revitalizing their reputation for talent. One from the ash drifts of the Puyallup Barrens, one from the most densely populated slum hive in the world and one from prison. This is their story. -- This story is set in the Shadowrun universe. If you're not familiar with Shadowrun, it mostly tells the stories of deniable mercenaries called shadowrunners in a cyberpunk dystopia. Instead of telling another story solely about shadowrunners, this story will tell the tale of young people navigating a world that is indifferent to them at best and actively hostile at worst. Shadowrunners will be in the story and we'll see them operate, but they won't be its main focus. This story originally began in 2017 as a passion project and continues to this day on the Somethingawful.com forums. The unedited version is over a million words strong. There are currently seven books in this series and I am currently in the process of editing them. If you read this story then you won't lack for content. -- The Topps Company, Inc. has sole ownership of the names, logo, artwork, marks, photographs, sounds, audio, video and/or any proprietary material used in connection with the game Shadowrun. The Topps Company, Inc. has granted permission to the Blake Island on Royal Road to use such names, logos, artwork, marks and/or any proprietary materials for promotional and informational purposes on its website but does not endorse, and is not affiliated with Blake Island on Royal Road in any official capacity whatsoever.
8 176 - In Serial7 Chapters
INFINITE SCHOLAR
A retired military major got transmigrated to become a scholar! Witness how he used his wit and knowledge to create a legend!
8 99 - In Serial13 Chapters
Counter Attack - A TBATE FanFic
Arthur Leywin, surviving through many ordeals and achieving enough power to stand against the odds that crushed him and his loved ones before. Setting out to realize his promises and responsibilities, as he travels back to his continent with his companions.
8 111

