“In
other news,” Violet Fox said, “the last few weeks have seen the rise of a new
quazi-religious movement centered mostly in Goldfalls, CA. While many of the people in Goldfalls have
taken a positive view of our handful of Angels, few have taken it as far as
this group. Dubbed ‘Angel worshipers,’
this mysterious cult seems to follow a religion based around them. Beyond that, very little is known about the
group, including whether or not they do literally worship angels. Members of the cult rarely talk about their
beliefs, insisting that in order to discover the truth, one must join their
organization. Given their association
with what is widely regarded as real supernatural activity, plenty of people
are doing just that.”
Violet
turned to her left. “Joining me today to
discuss this issue I have an actual Angel, Orichalcum. Welcome back to the show.”
Valthakar
grinned. “Thank you for having me back.”
“Orichalcum,
first, a lot of people who have joined the cult have said that they’ve chosen
to do so because the cult seems to revolve around genuine supernatural
activity. Do you have anything to say
about that?”
“Well,
knowing as little about the cult as I do, I can only say so much to that. I will say that I’m not aware of any god
associated with us, nor do we generally identify as gods. I’d also like to caution anyone who assumes
that just because an organization has a genuine connection to the supernatural
it must be something you want to be involved with. Just because they’re not making everything up
doesn’t mean they’re good guys.”
“What
sort of practices would you recommend for anyone wanting to get into touch with
the supernatural?”
“Honestly,
I’m not sure that that’s a very good question.
There’s really no specific interaction with the supernatural a given
person will definitely want to have.
There are ways of interacting with us, but there’s nothing like a ‘true
religion’ associated with us in the sense you’re talking about.”
“I
see. What do you think of the people who
are seeing this group in a more sinister light?”
“Well, I don’t blame
them. For the record, the organization
is under investigation by the community of Angels. If there is anything sinister going on, we’ll
discover it.”
*****
Valthakar’s
soul entered the house as ordered. He
looked around for its occupant. He found
him in the bedroom. The man was white
and seemed to be in his late twenties.
He was a reasonably well-known member of the cult of lich worshipers. The soul flew downward to look at the
man. He hovered.
About
half an hour later, there was a ring at the door. The man stood up and walked to the door. The soul followed him. When the homeowner opened the door, the soul
saw another man standing outside. He
seemed about ten years younger.
The
homeowner looked down at the other man.
“Hey,” he said.
There
was a pause. The younger man took a deep
breath. “So, according to the website,
this is--”
The
homeowner nodded. “Yep. So you’re here to join?”
The
boy nodded. “Yeah. The site said you’d...”
“Yep. I’ll take you there. I’ll have to blindfold you and take you in my
car. I hope that’s alright. This is our most sacred site and—”
The
boy nodded. “Yeah, I understand.”
The
older man slapped the younger man’s back.
“Don’t worry, man, it’ll be worth it.”
The
younger man nodded. He followed the older
man through the house and out to his car.
The cultist put the blindfold on the new recruit and drove away. The soul followed the car out of the older man’s neighborhood, across
town and into the Northwest District.
When
it entered the district, the car drove to an abandoned factory. The soul raised an eyebrow. Humans didn’t normally go into the Northwest
District for very long. It was supposed
to be dangerous. The car parked outside
the factory and the cultist led the new recruit in, still blindfolded. The two went together through the rusty
building and down a flight of stairs.
They entered a pitch black room.
“Sir, I bring a new charge,” the cultist said.
Despite
the darkness, the soul could see perfectly.
He looked down. He saw a man at a
throne at the far end of the room. The
man on the throne looked right at the older man as he entered. The soul’s eyes widened. He flew behind the man on the throne. If that man could see in the dark, he might
be a lich. The soul looked around. The room’s walls were covered in various
artifacts. There were bronze shields,
spears, and a few swords. The cultist
brought the new recruit to the throne.
“Leader,” he said, “I bring a new student who wishes to learn the right
way.”
“I
can see that,” the man on the throne said.
“Young man, is this true?”
The
recruit took a deep breath. A bead of
sweat fell down his face. “Yes sir. I mean, you guys have the real magic so I
figure if you have a religion, you probably have the true religion.”
The
man on the throne nodded. “Indeed we
do. However, before I initiate you, I
must warn you. The truth is not always
pleasant, and once you learn it, you will no longer be able to back out. There is a chance that your life will be
greatly enhanced by the knowledge I have, but there is also a chance, a much
greater chance, it will be made a great deal worse.”
The
new recruit bowed his head. “I don’t
care how my life turns out. I want the
truth. Please, teach me.”
There
was a pause. The man on the throne
nodded. “Very well.” The man changed into his true form. He was a lich. The soul could see a bronze helmet on the top
of his head, with the red hairy Mohawk thing ancient roman soldiers had.
The
recruit reeled back at the smell.
“Stand
before me,” the lich said. The recruit
clinched his fist. He held his breath as
he walked up to the lich. The lich put
his hand on the recruit’s soldier. “Now,
may you learn the ways of the wise men of the past, and may you see the virtue
of living by them.” The two stayed in
that position for a few minutes, the cultist from before watching from a ways
back. A few minutes later, the lich took
his hand off of the recruit’s shoulder. “It
is done,” he said. He smiled as the boy
stepped back. “How do you feel?”
The
boy stood eyes and mouth wide. “I… I’m
speechless. All this time, we, everyone,
had it so wrong, but so long ago they had it right. What seemed… What seemed like progress was
just… just everyone fooling themselves and someone else had really had the way
all along.”
The
lich chuckled. “I am glad you like
it. So you see the value of places?”
The
recruit nodded.
“Good
then. Now it is time for us to learn
yours. Come back over. I will assess your ancestry.”
The
recruit nodded. He stepped forward. The lich put his hand on the recruit’s
shoulder again. He closed his eyes and
took a deep breath. After a few seconds,
he frowned, and then opened them. He
took his hand away.
“What
is my place?” the recruit asked.
The
lich took a deep breath. “You, I fear,
must play the necessary role of a servus.”
The
recruit’s eyes widened. “What? Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
The
recruit’s jaw opened. “No. No.
No, that can’t be. I…” The recruit looked down, clinched his fists,
and took a deep breath. He looked back
up. “No.
You’re right. If that’s my role,
I ought to be grateful that I can fulfill it.”
The
lich put his hand on the recruit’s shoulder.
“That’s the spirit. Remember that
it is the natural way of things. What
you are doing is neither an unjust hardship nor a noble sacrifice; merely a
necessary place, a cog in the wheel of society.”
The
recruit nodded. The lich waved them away. “Auction him off at today’s meeting,” the
lich said. “Or is there time to get it
set up by then?” The older man nodded. “Ah, good.”
The cultist walked away with the recruit, whose head was down.
*****
Valthakar
sat in the mansion’s Great Room reading On
the Underworld as Justin watched TV.
“We’ll
be right back to KoolKidz TV’s Christmaspectacular Christmas Special Marathon
right after these messages.”
Justin
turned and looked up at Valthakar as he grabbed the remote. “Hey, so, Christmas is coming up.”
Valthakar
looked away from his book and down at Justin.
“So it is.”
Justin
sat. “Well, are you going to give me a
present?”
“Bavandersloth
already did.”
Justin
tilted his head. “Really? That early?”
Valthakar
closed his book. “Bavandersloth went
into what he did planning for his form to be destroyed, Justin. The idea was to make DIAPP look trigger happy
and irrational by having them destroy a beloved figure.”
Justin
looked at Valthakar. He squinted. “But wait, aren’t they?”
Valthakar
opened his book back up. “Yes, but the
public didn’t know that.”
A
soul flew in to speak to Valthakar.
“Master,” it said, “I return with information.”
Valthakar
put his book down. He looked up at the
soul. “Yes?”
“I
followed the cultist as you instructed and watched him initiate a new member. He took him to a factory in the Northwest
District and brought him before a lich.”
“Which
lich? What did he look like?”
“All
I saw of his true form was the back of his head. He had on an Ancient Roman helmet. The wall was lined with stuff which I think
was from Ancient Rome too.”
“Ntullnarlth,
then. Alright, you were saying?”
“He
got the human to agree to receive ‘the truth’ and put his hand on his
shoulder. When he was done, well,
whatever the human was told, he bought it.
Then the lich put his hand on the human’s shoulder again and ‘assessed
his ancestry’ to see what his ‘place’ would be.
Long story short, he got slave, and he was like, okay with it. I mean, he looked a little disappointed, but
that’s all, and he went along with it.”
Valthakar
lay back. “I see. Anything else of note to report?”
“Well,
no. That basically just happened. I came right back. I figured that was your answer as to whether
they were violating the conventions.”
Valthakar
took a deep breath and stood up. “I
see. Well, it certainly warrants a talk
with Ntullnarlth. I’ll go do that
now. Lead the way.”
The
soul nodded. Valthakar put his book down
and turned toward Justin. “I’m going to
leave you alone here now, then. Be good.”
Justin
nodded. “Okay.” He turned back to the TV. Valthakar took his true form, cloaked
himself, turned to the door and ran off, following the soul.
*****
Valthakar
retained his invisibility as the soul led him to the Northwest District, then
to a factory. Valthakar looked
around. He saw several cars parked
outside. The soul led him to the factory
door. Valthakar looked around and sent
the soul inside. The soul peeked into
the room then came back outside. “There
are people right inside,” the soul said.
“There’s no way to open the door without them noticing.” Valthakar thought for a moment. He smiled.
He walked over to one of the cars outside. He pulled his arm back and slammed his fist
into it. Its alarm sounded.
Valthakar
stood by the door and waited. A cultist
came walking out, opening the door.
Valthakar slipped inside as the cultist turned around to close the door
behind him.
Upon
entering, Valthakar heard shouting. He
looked around. He saw a crowd in front
of him, seemingly composed of a few dozen people. They were all looking up at a young man, or
perhaps boy, standing on a chair naked with his hands bound. The young man looked down at the ground.
“Two-hundred
dollars,” someone in the crowd shouted.
“I
heard two-hundred. Do I hear
two-twenty-five?”
“Two-twenty-five,”
someone else in the crowd shouted.
“That’s
two-twenty-five going once, going twice,”
“Two-thirty.”
“Two-thirty,
that’s two-thirty going once, going twice, sold for two-thirty.”
The
winner walked up to and claimed the young man.
The boy put his head down as he stepped off the chair. The winner put his arm around the boy’s
shoulders. “Hey,” he said, “don’t feel
so bad.” The boy looked up at his new
owner. “Most people end up with the same
rank as you when they get their ancestry checked. It’s nothing to feel bad about.” The man took a deep breath then smiled. “Now c’mon.
Let’s go get you dressed so I can take you home.” The young man looked down, but followed his
new master.
Valthakar
crept through the room, staying close to the wall, as the crowd disbanded. His soul flew down to him, and motioned for
him to go downstairs. Valthakar
did. He stepped down. When he reached the bottom step, he looked
around. Ancient Roman artifacts lined
the walls, and Ntullnarlth sat on a throne at the end of the room. Valthakar walked forward until he was
standing right in front of Ntullnarlth, then uncloaked himself.
Ntullnarlth
flinched. “What the… oh. Valthakar?”
He squinted. “What are you doing
here?”
“Investigating
your organization. And from what I’ve
seen upstairs, you seem to be violating the eighth convention.”
Ntullnarlth
smiled. “Oh, I assure you I am in no
such thing. The humans who have been
sold as slaves to my cultists consented with the utmost freeness to the
interaction.”
“Yes,
after you brainwashed them. Believe me,
I wish I could do that too, but we can’t.”
“I
did not brainwash them. I enlightened
them. I showed them the truth.”
“The
fact that you believe it doesn’t make it not brainwashing.”
“How
about the fact that they asked for it?
The humans that come in here ask to be enlightened, and I give them what
they ask for. The fact that they may
superficially seem to be harmed by the role that leads them to accept of their
own free will does not matter. I show
them the truth and they choose to act on it.”
“And
what truth is that?”
Ntullnarlth
stood up. He took his true form, which
wore the uniform of a high-ranking Roman Soldier. He walked a few steps away from his
throne. “Let me explain a simple fact to
you,” he said. “Every society, every
last one, no matter its pretentions to the contrary, functions on the backs of
rabble of some sort.” He turned
around. “In my time, we built society on
the backs of slaves. In the middle ages,
that changed to serfs. After the
enlightenment, or so it was called, it became slaves again. In today’s age, the entire globe is one
society, and the slaves are those in Africa or China who work tirelessly to
make civilization function.” Ntullnarlth
took a step toward Valthakar. “Closer to
home, we have immigrants, then the poor.
No matter what name they go by, every society has them. My goal, with my faith, is to create, or
rather recreate, something beautiful.”
He looked at Valthakar. “Do you
know when Rome fell?”
“Not
off the top of my head.”
Ntullnarlth
smiled. “The Roman Empire, in all its
wondrous and glorious majesty, fell no later than February the Seventeenth, 380
CE.” Ntullnarlth looked down. He seethed.
“That was the cursed day the Edict of Thessalonica was issued, declaring
Christianity the state religion of Rome.”
Ntullnarlth stood up. “The
problem wasn’t so much Christianity itself.
As a faith, its theology is unremarkable and its iconography, save for
the cross, is rather boring. Its stories
are an assorted collection of tales, varying more or less randomly in quality
and insight.” Ntullnarlth clinched his
fist. “Its values, though, are another
matter.” Ntullnarlth took a deep
breath. “These ideas were not born from
Christianity, but it was under its rule that they were first encouraged by a
state. Regardless of the imperfection of
this in its early years, that cursed superstition contained the seed of an idea
that has poisoned most of modern society.”
“Let
me guess, love? Charity maybe? Equality?
Something else that it’d be stupid for you to say?”
Ntullnarlth
grimaced. “Joke all you want. What I speak of is the rejection of hierarchy. Christianity spread by appealing to the lowly,
and to the rabble. It grabbed at their
hearts, assuring them not only of some grand heaven to look forward to after
they die, but the idea that they are, in some invisible and,” Ntullnarlth held
his hands up and wiggled his fingers, “mystical way, really the same as those
they serve.” Ntulnarlth seethed, and
punched the wall, denting it. “That idea
is poisonous. What is the very premise
of all of society if not that the low serve the high, or at least that a low
serve something? What else have all
societies had in common? Not all
civilizations have had technology. Not
all of them have had trade. Not all of
them have had money. The one single
thing every single society throughout history has had is slaves.” Ntullnatlth looked up. “No matter the society’s name, form, or
belief, they have all had slaves. The
enlightenment made it worse, for it reckoned that this one fundamental basis of
society should be abandoned altogether.
In its foolishness, it sought to deny the rabble their rabbleness, and
then it thought us immoral?”
“Is
this speech going to end any time soon?
I’d like to just take your phylactery and kill you for breaking the
rules. You’re very annoying.”
Ntullnarlth
turned to and glared at Valthakar. “Ah,
but I have broken no rules my dear. I
have received consent from these mortals to enlighten them, and then again
their consent to live by the truth. You
are free to watch a recruit being initiated if you doubt that.”
“The
eighth convention isn’t about right and wrong.
You’re missing the point. Do you
think the public would approve of this if they were to discover it?”
“They
can’t discover it. I have played my
cards in a way that ensures that.”
“The
Blue Butterfly said the same thing. He’s
dead now.”
“Oh,
but he was wrong.” Ntullnarlth
smiled. “What do you have to say about
it anyway? I am a councilor, in case you
don’t recall, the same thing Bavandersloth was.
I know all about Bavandersloth’s plan.
I voted for it. I--”
Valthakar
grabbed Ntullnarlth’s neck. “Look
here. You and I both know that you are
in violation of the rules.”
Ntullnarlth
chuckled. “And we both know that you
have no right to do anything. You do
remember that there’s a seventh condition right before the eight one that you
adore so much? That’s the one that says
that you need the approval of the community at large to take action against
me.”
Valthakar
gritted his teeth. He threw Ntullnarlth
down. “I can get approval.”
Ntullnarlth
stood up, laughing. “Oh, I doubt you
can.”
Valthakar
smiled. “We’ll see.” He walked off.
*****
“What
do you mean I can’t do anything?”
“We’re
sorry, Valthakar, we really are, but…” Kgobauru began.
“If,
as even you concede,” Larngulal, another councilor said, “he has retrieved
consent for every step of this process, we do not see anything objectionable
about his behavior.”
Valthakar
slammed his fists against a desk. “This
is outrageous. You wouldn’t tolerate
this behavior from a younger lich.”
“Are
you accusing us of favoritism?” Kgobauru asked.
“I
don’t think I stuttered, did I?”
Kgobauru
leaned toward his camera, making his face appear large on Valthakar’s computer
screen. “Now see here. Slave to Bavandersloth or not, you are, in
the eyes of the community, nothing more than a common criminal. To hear you…” Valthakar sighed and left the
chat. He sat back in his chair. He had to shut this down. His master would want that. He just needed to figure out a way. Valthakar thought.
*****
Cody
answered his phone. “Hello?”
“We
have a problem,” Valthakar said. “Come
to the mansion tonight.”
*****
Cody
knocked on the mansion’s door. A few
minutes later, Valthakar opened it. “Ah,
hello,” he said. “Please come in.” Valthakar walked to the great room. Cody followed. Valthakar gestured for him to sit down and he
did so. There was a glass of water on
Valthakar’s side of the table. “Thank
you for coming, Cody. I imagine you have
a guess as to why I’ve called you here.”
“It’s about that cult,
right?”
Valthakar
nodded. “I investigated it, and I’m
afraid it’s worse than I thought. It’s
run by one Ntullnarlth, a prominent member of the community, much like
Bavandersloth and Kgobauru. The cult is
composed of people he’s brainwashed.”
Cody’s eyes widened. “He recruits
them, takes them to a spot in the Northwest District, uses a mind control spell
to force them to adopt the cult’s ideology, then assigns them to one of several
castes, including a slave caste.”
“Alright
then,” Cody said. “So he’s broken the
rules. Punish him.”
“It’s
not that simple. I’d need the community’s
permission and I don’t have it.” Valthakar
gritted his teeth. “They’re playing
favorites with him, basically. Either
that or they don’t like me. Either way,
they’re no help.” Valthakar smiled. “Fortunately, I have one recourse.”
Cody
raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Some
of the humans he took were from your hunting grounds. Three of them, in fact, and two are in the
slave caste. That means tha--”
“I’ll
do it.”
Valthakar
smiled. “That’s my boy.”
*****
Ntullnarlth
sat on his throne. “Master,” he heard
one of his cultists say, “there are two angels here who demand to see you.”
Ntullnarlth
sighed. “Send them down.” He rubbed his fingers against the armrests of
his throne. He looked up. He saw two clouds of darkness. Ntullnarlth stood up and took his true
form. “Please, my dears do go ahead and
take down those clouds. There’s no need
for privacy here.”
The
liches obeyed. Ntullnarlth looked at
Valthakar’s companion. “Ah, you must be
this Odelarch I’ve heard so much about?”
Odelarch nodded. Ntullnarlth
turned to Valthakar. “By what means do
you intend to annoy me today?”
“You’ve
violated my territory by making use of my mortals as servitors and by
subjecting them to illicit abuse,” Odelarch said. “I challenge you to a contest.”
Ntullnarlth
looked at Odelarch. He laughed. “Pft.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. That’s a good one.”
“I’m
seriou--”
“I
know, and that’s what makes it so hilarious.”
Ntullnarlth walked backward and set his hand on the armrest of his
throne. He laughed for a few more
seconds before looking up at Odelarch.
“But do you know what? I think I
accept your little challenge. It’ll be
good for a laugh. After all,”
Ntullnarlth took a few steps toward Cody, “I am two-thousand years old. But hey, I can see myself benefiting from
this. In fact, from what I’ve heard, I
think Bavandersloth benefits from it, too.”
Ntullnarlth turned to Valthakar.
“So perhaps you have served your master well after all.” Ntullnarlth turned back to Cody. “But anyways, sure, I’ll be happy to take
part in this contest. As you’re
opponent, I won’t be qualified to moderate it, but I’ll be happy to get
Kgobauru down here for that.”
Odelarch
smiled. “Alright then, it’s
agreed.” Ntullnarlth saw Valthakar
glaring at him. He smiled. The two liches turned around and walked away.
*****
Ntullnarlth sat in an airport, waiting for Kgobauru to
arrive. He looked up as he saw
Kgobauru’s plane touch down outside. He
sat back and read.
“There
you are,” Kgobauru said a few minutes later.
Ntullnarlth looked
up. He smiled and stood. “Indeed I am,” he said. “Thank you for coming.”
The two turned and
walked toward the airport’s exit. “I’m
happy to help with this,” Kgobauru said.
He took a deep breath. “Odelarch
is a nice kid, but sadly, his nature is such that he probably ought to go.”
“Who said anything
about him going?”
Kgobauru turned to
Ntullnarlth. He raised an eyebrow. “Oh?
What do you plan to do with him?”
“Same treatment Bavandersloth
gave Valthakar. It’s been a while since
I’ve done that with one of my conquests.
It didn’t work out so well last time, but I’ve become more experienced
since then. I think I can handle a slave
of my own.” Ntullnarlth smiled. “Of the lich variety I mean.” He looked up.
“In fact, I think I’ll enjoy it immensely.”
Kgobauru chuckled. “I see.”
He turned to Ntullnarlth. “I will
warn you, though, don’t let your guard down.
Remember, he was able to defeat Kaburlduth. The threat he poses is not negligible, and I
won’t be any more on your side then on his.”
Ntullnarlth turned to
Kgobauru. “You won’t?”
“I’m not willing to rig
a contest for you.” Ntullnarlth looked
down. Kgobauru raised a finger and
smirked. “That said, though, there is
one totally fair provision I’d like to suggest including in your initial
proposal.”
Ntullnarlth raised an
eyebrow.
*****
Cody
arrived at Bavandersloth’s mansion to negotiate the contest. He knocked on the door. Justin opened it. He looked up at Cody. He looked down. “Hey,” he said.
Cody
tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”
Justin
took a deep breath. He looked back
up. “You’re about to get into a contest
with a two-thousand year old lich. Are
you sure you can beat him?”
“No,”
Cody said. He looked down at Justin as
he closed the door behind him. “I have
to try, though.” Cody looked up. “I’ve done too many things to the human race
not to protect them when I can.”
Cody walked into the
Great Room. He saw Ntullnarlth sitting
in the center of a couch and Kgobauru sitting on a chair. Valthakar sat in a chair opposite Kgobauru,
and Cody took a seat on the couch opposite Ntullnarlth.
Ntullnarlth
looked at Kgobauru. “Go ahead,” Kgobauru
said.
Ntullnarlth
looked at Cody. “I propose that we
select a large space, it will probably have to be in the Northwest District,
and that we assign, as far apart as possible, bases. In each of these bases, on a pedestal, is to
be placed a ball light enough to be lifted by a zombie, but relatively
difficult to destroy. Each of us shall
be granted the use of sixteen souls, all of whom must possess complete, adult
corpses.” Cody’s eyes widened. “With the help of these zombies, we shall each
seek to acquire our opponent’s ball and transport it back to our base. The winner shall be whoever accomplishes this
first. Should either of us destroy our
own ball, we shall be disqualified.”
“I
can’t use souls,” Cody said. “Last time
I was in one of these, Bavandersloth said--”
“Bavandersloth
isn’t here,” Kgobauru said. “You’re free
to drop the challenge if you don’t like it.”
Cody
looked at Ntullnarlth. He clinched his
fist. “But--”
“Don’t
waste your breath.”
Cody
looked back at Kgobauru. He gulped and
took a deep breath. He looked down and
shed a tear. “Fine.”
Ntullnarlth
smiled. “Good. So with that settled, do you have any other
objections, Odelarch?”
Cody
took a deep breath. “I don’t suppose I
could say it’s unfair that I’d have to engage in a contest partially about open
combat with a lich two-thousand years--”
“No,”
Kgobauru said.
Cody
sighed. He looked up. “Alright then. No objections.”
“Okay
then,” Kgobauru said. “As for the
location,” he turned to Ntullnarlth, “after you told me about this proposal at
the airport, I took the liberty of doing a bit of research. I believe that Vergangen Asylum would be the best location. It’s symmetrical, at least to a large extent,
and I know just where the two bases would be.
Do either of you object?”
“Nope,”
Ntullnarlth said.
“No,”
Cody said.
Kgobauru
smiled. “Very well, then.” Kgobauru looked at Ntullnarlth. “Is there anything else?”
Ntullnarlth
looked at Kgobauru for a moment. He
smiled. “Actually, yes, one more thing
I’d like to do. I propose that along
with our sixteen souls, we each summon one creature from the Underworld. We will each be allowed time to scour
Bavandersloth’s copy of On the Underworld
for a suitable creature. Kgobauru will
summon it, and then give control of it to us.”
“Absolutely
not,” Valthakar said.
“Oh
come now,” Kgobauru said. “It’s not like
Bavandersloth never loaned it.”
“Yes,
very rarely, and when he was here to supervise things.”
“I
think it’s a good idea,” Cody said.
Ntullnarlth
looked back at Valthakar. “See, even he
thinks it’s a good idea.”
“I
also think part of the prize should be the winner being allowed to keep theirs,”
Cody said.
Kgobauru
smiled. “I like the way you think.”
Valthakar
glared at Cody. “What the hell are you
thinking? You know this is just their
ploy to get access to the book.”
Cody
looked at Valthakar. “Of course I know
that, but they’re not the only ones who have something to gain from accessing
that book. For one thing, I’d like to
look around in it. And for another, I might have use for a creature of the
underworld if I could actually tame it long-term. Think of it this way, no matter who wins, the
creature will go into service of your master’s big plan.”
Valthakar
raised an eyebrow. “True,” he said. He turned back. “Alright then, but the book shall not leave
this mansion at any point.”
Kgobauru
smiled. “That’s fine.” He picked up a piece of paper from the table
next to him. “So, I’ll just write down
the formal terms.” Kgobauru wrote for a
few minutes. “On December 24th
2013, both Ntullnarlth and Odelarch shall arrive at The Vergangen Asylum for the Mentally Ill by 10:45 PM. They will then be escorted to bases, which
will have been set up prior to their arrival, and which shall consist of a
platform, a pedestal, and a colored ball atop the pedestal. Odelarch’s shall be blue, and Ntullnarlth’s
shall be red. They will each be permitted
to use souls to animate sixteen provided corpses. No other souls may be used. They shall also each be permitted one
creature from the Underworld that shall be made loyal to them through the use
of a binding spell. This creature shall
be selected by them and approved by me.
Neither Odelarch nor Ntullnarlth may use any external method to attempt
to discern what creature the other has selected. Invisibility shall not be used. Odelarch will be the victor if he, his
zombies, or his selected creature are able to bring the red ball into physical
contact with the pedestal in his base, or if Ntullnarlth deliberately destroys
either ball. Ntullnarlth shall be the
victor if he is able to bring the blue ball into physical contact with the
pedestal in his base or if Odelarch deliberately destroys either ball.’ Are there any objections?”
“No,”
Ntullnarlth said.
Cody
took a deep breath. He shook his head.
“Good
then.” Kgobauru looked at
Valthakar. “Please retrieve the copy of On the Underworld.”
*****
The
next day, after Ntullnarlth had selected his creature, Cody was allowed to
spend time looking through Bavandersloth’s copy of On the Underworld. He took
it as Valthakar handed it to him.
“Be
careful,” Valthakar said.
“It’s
indestructible.”
Valthakar
sighed. He looked down. “Right.”
Valthakar took a deep breath and walked off.
Cody
looked at the book in his lap. He opened
it to the Q&A section and picked up the quill. He took a deep breath.
“Could
you give me a list of the most powerful creatures in the underworld that the
binding spell I plan to use could be used on?”
“Bahamut
“A Fish of Enormity.
A galactic fish, his size is so great that he cannot safely enter the
realm of mortals. He can easily swallow
entire galaxies, and should a mortal see him, they would go insane.
“Falak
“A serpent of enormity. A galactic serpent, his length is so great
that if one were to stand in front of his head, the light from his tail would
not pass them for many epochs. He cannot
fit between the stars in galaxies.
“Antimatter Dragons
“Beasts of atypical charges. Destructive Beasts, they take advantage of the
most fundamental laws of the universe to create explosions rivaling none. With one breath, they can destroy an entire
planet.”
“What are some of the most powerful
creatures of the underworld that the binding spell I plan to use can be used on
and whose size, composition, powers and personality lend themselves well to use
first to help me with my contest with Ntullnarlth, then to assist me in future
battles?”
“Gryphons
“Beasts of Predation. Hunting beasts, they soar in the sky and haunt
the ground looking to devour the enemies of the underworld. They are bored easily, and will destroy easy
prey quickly so they may move on to challenges they consider worthy of their
talent.
“Hellhounds
“Beasts of Pursuit. Persistent Beasts, legions of them shall track
any soul who ever escapes the underworld. They are very hot, and leave a trail of
blazing footprints anywhere they go.”
“Nuckelavee
“Demons of Disaster. Malevolent demons, they have the power to
cause untold destruction in any way they wish. Their shocking appearance brings terror to all
who see them.
“Nurikabe
“Walls of shadow. Morphing walls, they block paths and roads to
serve various ends of the underworld. One
cannot go around them, as they will extend themselves until they circumnavigate
the planet.”
Cody thought as he read
several more entries. He needed to make
his choice based on raw power. That was
the primary strength Ntullnarlth had over him.
Cody scratched his chin.
He spent about an hour
with the book before he made his choice.
He called Kgobauru, who approved the decision and cast his binding
spell. Soon, Cody’s creature jumped
through a portal and appeared in the realm of mortals.
*****
The
next night, Cody got home from a Christmas Eve party at 9:00. His parents went to bed at 9:30. Cody waited until 10:00 to sneak out through
his window. It took Cody about half an
hour to reach the quiet streets of the northwest district. He ran down them, following instructions he’d
been given to reach Vergangen Asylum. When he arrived, he was led by Valthakar to
his base.
Cody
sighed. Sixteen corpses lay on the
ground. He shed a tear as he called sixteen
of his souls to animate them. The zombies
stumbled to their feet.
“An
alarm will sound off in a few minutes indicating the challenge has begun,”
Valthakar said. “Stay here until
then.” Cody nodded. Valthakar walked away.
Cody
thought. There were two basic strategies
available to him. He could stay at his
base, on defense, and send his zombies out to get Ntullnarlth’s ball, or he
could go out to get the ball himself, and leave defense to his zombies and the
creature he summoned.
What
would Ntullnarlth be most likely to do?
He’d probably come after Cody’s ball.
He was powerful enough that Cody couldn’t do anything to stop him from
just taking it.
Cody
smiled. His creature might have
something to say about that. In fact,
his new friend would be the equalizer here.
Its magical power would be the best way to combat Ntullnarlth. Cody’s force wouldn’t make much of a difference. Given that, it’d probably be best to go after
Ntullnarlth’s ball and leave his creature to defend his.
Cody
heard an alarm roar through the building.
His eyes widened. He took a deep
breath. Cody turned to his zombies. “Listen,” he said. They turned to him. “I need,” Cody pointed at two of them, “you
two to come with me. Everyone else, you
see the ball on that pedestal?” Cody pointed
to the pedestal. “Take it off, go to the
corner, and pile yourselves on top of it.
Try to stay in a posture where you’ll be able to get up easily. If another lich or any other lich’s zombie
comes, do not let them take it.
The
zombies nodded and did as instructed.
Next, Cody whistled. He heard
growling behind him. He turned around
and saw his creature. He smiled and
knelt down. The creature sat. Cody petted it. “Hey, Sparky, I need you to stay here,
okay? If another lich or another lich’s
zombie comes around here, and specifically if they try to get the ball behind
that pile of zombies,” Cody pointed to the pile, “I need you to stop them,
okay? Do this if you got all of
that.” Cody nodded.
Sparky
nodded too.
Cody
smiled. “Great.” He stood up and looked down the hallway. He motioned for his two zombies to come with
him. They did, moaning. Cody shushed them. They quieted.
Cody looked back down the hall and walked forward.
*****
As
Cody proceeded down the hall, he passed by several rooms. Many of their doors were open, and several
had graffiti inside. All of them were
dusty and covered in cobwebs. Cody heard
nothing but his own footsteps, those of his zombies, and faint laughter.
Cody’s
eyes widened. Laughter? He looked around. He didn’t see anything. Could it have been Ntullnarlth? Ntullnarlth’s creature perhaps? The laugh was coming from the path in front
of Cody. Cody looked ahead. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. He walked.
Left foot. Right foot. Left foot.
Right foot. Left foot. Right foot.
Left foot. Right foo-- Cody’s eyes widened. As he set his foot down, the environment
around him changed. He was outside now. He looked around. It was daytime. He was in the middle of a field of some sort. No, not just of some sort, of wheat. He tried to take a step forward. He heard a buzzer.
“Warning,
patient PRG-R35 is attempting to
escape his bounds.”
Cody
looked around. He didn’t see anyone
nearby.
“It’s
okay,” Cody heard from another voice.
“He can’t move until it’s time.
He needs to see something savage.”
the voice chuckled.
“What
the heck is going on?” Cody shouted.
Cody pulled his feet upward for a few more seconds. He grumbled, unable to lift them. He looked around. He saw someone. He tried to run to them, but his feet
wouldn’t move. He shouted. “Hey, you, over there. Could you come here?”
The
person, a man, wore simple cloth garb.
He looked over at Cody. He was
holding a plough. “What’s the matter?”
he asked.
“I
don’t know how I got here. Could you
come over? I can’t move?”
The
man raised an eyebrow. He walked over.
“Hey,
dude, are you okay?”
“I
don’t know. Who are you?”
“Who
am I? We met at the auction dude.”
Cody’s
eyes widened. “Auction…”
“Yes. Do you not remember? Do you need to call one of the--”
“I… I don’t know.”
This
had to be the work of Ntullnarlth’s creature, right?
Cody
heard a loud crack as he saw a whip hit the man in he’d been speaking to. The man fell to the ground. Cody looked over his shoulder. He saw a man on horseback holding a whip.
“Back
to work,” the man with the whip shouted.
The
man Cody’d been talking too stood up.
“Yes, sir,” he said. He ran back
over to the plough and kept walking.
Cody tried to move again.
Cody
heard the second disembodied voice again.
“Oh, look, he wants to move forward.
Should we let him?”
“Well,
he needs to see the rest.”
“Ha
ha. True. Okay then, go ahead and walk.”
Cody
looked up. He lifted his foot. The area blurred. He moved.
The environment transitioned until his feet locked in place again. Cody fell forward, landing on his face.
He
heard a voice above him. “Hey there,
need help?” Cody looked up. He saw the slave from the last scene, but
dressed differently. His face was dirty,
covered in some kind of black, powdery substance. The man held out his hand. Cody took it.
The man lifted him up. “Thanks,”
Cody said.
The
man nodded. “Don’t mention it.”
Cody
looked around. There was a conveyer belt
in front of him. The walls and floor of
the large room were metal. There was a
lever to Cody’s left. He looked at
it. He heard the man’s voice behind
him. “Better work,” he said.
Cody
turned around. “Huh?”
“Hurry
up with that lever. You don’t want the
boss to get mad, do ya?”
Cody
tilted his head. He turned around. He put his hand on the lever. After a pause, he pulled it. He looked down. On the other side of the lever was a pile of
red slush. Cody’s eyes widened. He looked at the conveyer belt. The lever was attached to a large smashing
instrument. On the side that went into
it were tiny cages full of little animals.
In the next coming cage, there was a cow. In the next one, there was a chicken. In the next one, there was a pig. They were all the size of a mouse.
Cody
heard the disembodied voice again. “Just
a few more smashes.” Cody looked
up. “C’mon. They’re not even real.”
Cody
looked down. He looked at the tiny
cow. He closed his eyes. He yanked the lever and heard a squeal. He did it a few more times.
“Alright then. You can move on,” the voice said. Cody looked up. He took a deep breath. He turned to his side and stepped
forward. His surroundings blurred
again. When they’d refocused, he was
sitting behind the counter of a grocery store.
Cody looked in front of him. He
saw the man from before.
“Hello,”
the man said.
Cody looked at
him. “Sorry,” Cody said. Cody looked down. There were a few items below him. He sighed and passed them over a
scanner. He looked back up at the
man. He was wearing the same uniform
Cody was. Was he on break? Cody finished his job with the man. He looked up.
“Okay, I get it. There have been
slaves in every generation. Every society
blah blah forced labor blah blah lower class blah blah. I understand what you’re trying to say. Can this please end?”
The environment around
Cody blurred again. When it came back
together, Cody was laying back on a couch.
“Do you really?” a man
said. Cody turned. He saw a man with a white beard next to
him. The man wore a suit and tie. “Do you really understand? You say that, but what I still see here is a
man who wants to change things, at least in one case. Why believe that something that has always
existed can simply go away?”
Cody looked
around. He was in an office. There was a plant in the corner, and a
painting on the wall. It had a curly
golden frame around it. It depicted a
table. Several people sat around the
table. One wore a clean, white toga. Another wore a black business suit. Another wore purple robes and a crown. Delicacies lay across the table. In the foreground, away from the table, two
men, one dressed as an ancient roman soldier and another dressed as a U.S.
Marine stood with whips. The roman
soldier whipped a young white boy with a harp, while the marine whipped an even
younger Asian boy who held a shoe.
The man with the white
beard continued. “All of the things
you’ve just seen were forced out of being by law or else may soon be, yet each
time, the next one, which was functionally identical, came into being to
replace it. What makes you think that if
the current order is ever abolished, a new order won’t simply replace it? Slavery gave way to the factory. The factory gave way to the low minimum
wage. Yet you propose that the low
minimum wage will give way to the utopia those other things were meant to be
the last step away from?”
Cody sat up. He looked outside. The area looked modern and urban. There were children playing in a playground
outside, all being watched by a man on a bench.
Cody squinted. Was that the man
he’d seen in each of his hallucinations?
“It’s delusional,” the
man with the white beard said. Cody
looked back at him. “It is quite simply
delusional.”
Cody looked at the
man. “How do I get out of this?” he
asked. “How do I return to the real
world?”
The bearded man
smiled. “This is the real world. It’s realer, at least, than the one you were
in before. But nonetheless, all you need
do to escape it is wait. Soon,
Ntullnarlth will have your ball, the contest will end and you will be awoken to
servitude.”
Cody’s eyes widened.
“Oh, relax,” the man
said. “Look at your skin. Think of your class. Is it any different than when you were born?”
Cody ignored the man
and stood up. He tried to leave the
room, but the door was locked. He tried
to jump out the window, but smacked into the open window as though it were
painted on.
“What do you hope to
accomplish?” the man asked. “There’s
nothing out there. This is all in your
mind. You’re really just running around in
a hospital, and you have been this whole time.”
Cody looked down. His eyes widened. He looked back up. He turned to the doctor. “So when I walk around here, I actually walk
through the hospital?”
The man nodded. “Yes, but that fact is of no use to you.”
Cody smiled. “I beg to differ.”
Cody turned to the
window. He was sure he came from that
way. Wait, no. When he’d been woken into this room, he’d
been laying on the couch. That meant, if
he was moving in real life, that he was on his side now, prone. No, it wouldn’t work that way. It would make more sense for it to be about
the muscles moved than the changes in spacial position.
Cody grinned. He turned to the window and walked into the
wall. The therapist laughed. “Did you not hear a word of what I just
said?” Cody didn’t respond. He ran, touching the wall. He felt his feet slamming into it, but he
ignored it. He’d not made any turns this
entire time, so running this way for long enough should bring him back to his
base. On his way back, he called out to
his beast.
“Sparky,” he
cried. “Here Sparky. I need help.”
Cody kept this up for about
five minutes before he heard barking. He
smiled. “Yes,” he said. He felt heat above him. He smiled.
The scene around him blurred again, and when it snapped into focus, he
found himself in a hallway with a hellhound standing over him. The creature was pitch black with large
glowing orange speckles which moved and morphed like the wax in a lava lamp. It had pointed ears, glowing red eyes and a
large snout. It barked and wagged its
tail. Cody sat up. Hellhounds had the ability to force spirits
to return to the Underworld. It must
have been that some sort of spirit caused those hallucinations. Cody hugged the creature. “Who’s a good boy?” he said. Sparky wagged his tail. Cody stood up. He looked around. There was about thirty feet of hall ahead of
him. He ran its length and looked at his
base. His eyes widened. The pile of corpses was gone from the corner,
and the ball was nowhere in sight.
Cody looked around. He clinched his fist and rushed back down the
hall, calling for his hellhound to follow him.
*****
Cody
arrived back at Ntullnarlth’s base ahead of him. Ntullnarlth must not have been running. He looked around. He heard a moan. His gaze snapped to the sound’s source. There were several zombies around. Cody looked down at Sparky. “Sick ‘em, boy,” he said. Sparky barked and launched streams of fire
from his mouth at the zombies. Cody held
out his hand and shot magical blasts at some of them. It only took a minute for them to finish all
of them off.
Cody
looked. He saw the red ball. Should he grab it and run back? No.
That’d probably just mean Cody wouldn’t be around when Ntullnarlth
arrived. Cody ducked back into the hall.
He
waited several minutes before Ntullnarlth walked into the area, humming. He neared the pedestal. Cody looked down at Sparky. He clinched his fist. “Attack,” he whispered.
Sparky
dashed out. Ntullnarlth turned his
head. He squinted, and then rushed
forward toward his podium. Sparky
reached him, tackling him and pinning him to the ground, barking. Sparky opened his mouth and released a jet of
flame, drenching Ntullnarlth in fire.
“Get
the ball, Sparky,” Cody shouted. Sparky
looked at him, then down at the blue ball.
He took it in his mouth and carried it to Cody. Cody pointed at the podium. “Other one too, boy.” Ntullnarlth stumbled to his feet. He fired a magical blast at Sparky, but
sparky dodged it and jumped into Ntullnarlth’s base, knocking over the podium
and grabbing the red ball in his mouth.
Ntullnarlth
stood and pointed his palm at the hellhound, but Cody fired on him. A chunk of Ntullnarlth’s side came out as
sparky ran back. Cody pointed Sparky
toward the base and rushed in that direction alongside him. Ntullnarlth ran behind them in the hall.
Cody
turned around and fired a magical blast back at Ntullnarlth, but Ntullnarlth
raised his shield. He ran. Ntullnarlth’s age made him faster. He gained on Cody and Sparky. Cody looked down at Sparky. “Can you go any faster? I don’t care if you leave me behind. Make the red ball touch my podium; the one
we’re running toward.”
Sparky
tilted his head and sped up. Cody
stopped in his tracks, turning around and putting his shield up. Ntullnarlth crashed into him, breaking Cody’s
shield. Cody’s eyes widened. Cody dashed to the side as Ntullnarlth
lowered his shield and fired at him.
Cody dodged and fired his own blast at Ntullnarlth, removing a chunk
from his other side. Ntullnarlth
flinched, and then panted. Cody ran,
firing at Ntullnarlth, but Ntullnarlth raised his shield back up and Cody
stopped firing. Ntullnarlth fell to his
knees, panting inside his shield. Cody
took a few steps back. Ntullnarlth
looked up and held out his hand. Cody’s
eyes widened. He turned around and
rushed away. Ntullnarlth fired a magical
blast that knocked Cody over and put a large hole in his stomach. Ntullnarlth walked toward Cody, smiling. He fired a thin magical beam, keeping Cody to
the ground. When he reached Cody, he
leaned down and took the blue ball out of his hand. He looked down at Cody.
“Oh,
cheer up. You put up a good fight. That’s more than any of my souls can
say. Now, I’ll be taking this and using
it to earn your phylactery so I can cast a, well, the term Valthakar spell has
become popular, on you.”
Cody’s
eyes widened. He tried to get up as
Ntullnarlth walked away, but Ntullnarlth kept the magical beam on him.
*****
Sparky
rushed forward. His master had ordered
him to take this ball to the stick he’d been in front of. Sparky dashed forward, taking a few minutes
to reach the podium. He rubbed the ball
against it.
*****
Cody
heard the voice of one of a soul around him.
“The Challenge has ended,” it said.
“It is called in favor of the lich Odelarch.”
Ntullnarlth
gasped. He turned around. Cody rolled over. “What?” Ntullnarlth asked. “No, that can’t be. How could…”
Ntullnarlth looked down at Cody.
“How could you win this? You’re
just a boy. You’re just some random
boy.”
Cody
grunted as he got up. “Ya know, I used
to think so too, but between this and Kaburlduth, I’m starting to reconsider.”
Ntullnarlth
grumbled. He looked down. He took a deep breath. He looked up.
He sighed. He looked at
Odelarch. He bowed his head. “Very well.
If I may say--”
“I’m going to kill
you,” Cody said.
Ntullnarlth’s eyes
widened. “What?”
“You were about to
plead your case? Don’t bother. I’m more than happy to move you to the
Underworld if it means freeing your souls.
I did the math, and you have well over six-hundred-thousand of
them.” Ntullnarlth’s mouth was
wide. Cody turned around and
walked. “I’m going to get Justin,” he
said.
*****
Ntullnarlth stood
there. He watched the hellhound come
back to Cody. His mouth was wide. He… that thing was going to kill him. Ntullnarlth looked down at the floor. He lay on the ground.
*****
Cody
took the Phylactery, a spearhead, out of Justin’s hands. “Thanks,” he said. He handed it to Sparky, who melted it.
Cody
shed a tear as he looked down. Kgobauru
came up behind him. Cody turned
around. Kgobauru trembled a bit. Cody looked up. “Sorry about your friend,” Cody said.
Kgobauru
took a deep breath. “It’s fine,” he
said. He stretched out his hand. Cody took it and shook it.
“So
I get to keep Sparky?” Cody said. He
heard Sparky bark behind him.
“Well,
whether or not Bavandersloth will let you have him is a matter yet to be known,
but as far as I’m concerned, yes. I
couldn’t deactivate the binding spell if I wanted to, though you’ll lose
control of him when I die.”
Cody
smiled. He turned around and put his
hand on the hellhound. He looked
up. “Will Ntullnarlth’s spell over those
people break?”
Kgobauru
nodded. “I plan to make Valthakar find a
way to deal with that. We can’t let the
things Ntullnarlth did get out to the public.”
Cody
nodded. “Right.” He stood up, his hand still on Sparky.
Kgobauru
took a deep breath.
Cody stood up. Justin, who’d stood off for a moment,
approached him again. “That was
awesome,” Justin said. The two walked
away from Kgobauru.
“Yeah,”
Cody said. “By the way, I don’t think
I’ll be able to keep Sparky at my house.
It might be best if he stays in the mansion.”
“That’d
be awesome too,” Justin said. “So,
anyways, what are you doing for Christmas?
It’s tomorrow you know.”
*****
Kgobauru
frowned as the two walked away. He
looked down at the pile of melted metal that remained of Ntullnarlth’s phylactery. He sighed. “Farewell, friend,” he said.
