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Kernstalion 47: What's better than four arms?
🕑 Added 2021-03-27 07:15:10 +0000 UTCWhat the hell does it want? I thought, staring at the arm that was signaling at me rapidly.
I didn't dare speak. My face still stung from the slap it had given me the first time I tried. Attempting to make out what it meant, I saw it repeat the same pattern of gestures.
A finger poke down, cross two fingers, wave a few times as if trying to get rid of a mosquito, clench fist, then pound something. When it finished, it pointed a finger at me and waited.
It wants me to do something to that big guardian, but what, for fucks sake? Taking a deep breath, I mouthed, 'what do you want?' at the arm.
The finger lowered a bit as if defeated, and I almost felt sad for it. That was, until the finger shot at my face and began jabbing it painfully. It didn't last long, perhaps a few pokes, but when it retreated, I was glaring at it, rubbing my bruised face.
Stupid hand.
Careful not to make any sound, I moved towards a dusty area of the floor and wrote something in the dust.
Can you read?
The thing didn't have any eyes, but somehow I got the feeling that counted for little. The arm dropped and almost soundlessly roll-flopped towards me. As soon as it arrived, it wrote a single word.
Idiot!
Seriously. It could read and write, but I wasn't sure if I should be happy or not.
What the hell do you want?
We need to wipe out that fake mind! the hand wrote, and I gaped at it.
That was what all the signaling had meant? Taking a careful breath to keep from shouting at it, I focused on the important part. Fake mind: with all that had happened, it could only mean one thing.
Guidar? I wrote, and the arm froze before giving me a thumbs up. Then it began scribbling furiously, creating a myriad of small and fine lines of text in the dust. I was more than a little impressed with the speed, and how it didn't disturb the dust enough to wipe away what it wrote as it moved.
Fine, not completely stupid then. Yes. One of those demonic things took over my body and part of my mind-scape during a moment of weakness. I barely managed to get away with one arm. What remains of my mind in the rest of my body isn't smart enough or strong enough to resist him. If you can distract that abomination, I can connect with my other half and fight him head-on and,"
The scribbling stopped, and the hand wavered.
Not a hand, but what? I thought. Was it the guardian?
You will need to help me. I can't fight it on my own, or I would have tried long ago. How good are you with deific mind-scape battles?
Good with what? I looked at the hand as it had grown two heads. Wait, deific?
You're a deity? I wrote back, my finger bodging the writing a bit.
The hand seemed stunned, the fingers unmoving before it fervently scribbled back.
Yes, you dimwit, what else would I be?
I glared at the deity's hand, baring my teeth. What the hell was up with this thing? Why did it keep making me out like some idiot? It might be a deity, but at least I had a whole body! I waited with my reply until I had calmed enough not to call him out for an idiot himself.
The guardian, I wrote back.
No. That thing defeated all guardians and consumed their essence to strengthen itself, the deity's hand replied in another bout of fervent writing.
This time I didn't immediately respond. Instead, I began thinking of a way to distract that Guidar without getting myself killed. It was far too powerful; that much was clear, even now that I was fully healed. Wait, was I fully healed? I flexed my body, felt no pain from my ribs, and took a deep breath. I didn't have to cough, and my lungs expanded easily. So, fully healed, or as close to it as was required.
I contemplated casting Entangle on the body, but from what I had seen, it would just rip free. Then the idea I had before casting Sleep with the trees popped back up. Could I cast share-life on it and harm or distract it?
Beside me, the hand began scribbling again.
What are you doing?
I sniffed. Thinking of a way to distract it.
A finger jabbed at my face, but this time I managed to dodge it.
Just go down and talk with it! As soon as I jump it, run forward, and hit it over the head with that ugly tool you carry, the hand wrote.
I raised my ax and blinked. Crude. Would that even work? It sounded more like an easy way to get myself killed.
Stop acting all scared. Your mere presence will distract it!
So he said. Looking at the hand, I wondered how trustworthy it even was. I started when a low, dull voice came from outside the room.
"Little arm, where are you?"
The hand shot upright, then lowered itself and scribbled in the dust. Partially wiped away scribbles filled a great portion of the floor now.
Get a move on, or we lose the element of surprise! If you help, I'll reward you with whatever you want!
Sure, and what good was a reward if I was dead. Getting an idea, I looked around, but I didn't see what I needed.
Are there any statues around here? I wrote.
This isn't the time to admire art!
I almost slapped the arm. STATUES! I wrote in big letters, underlining it and adding exclamation marks.
Fine, this way, the arm replied before almost soundlessly slithering away, using its fingers to drag itself out of the room. I followed and saw it was heading back to the balcony.
Sneaking out, I didn't see the massive one-armed body anywhere. I did hear something rummaging around outside and hoped that was it. Sneaking after the arm, we moved along the balcony until we reached a wider passage. Inside was a long tunnel, and the arm crawled through it, disappearing around a bend.
For a moment, I thought of just turning and fleeing. But what good would that do? I needed the pods, and- Wait? Couldn't I just ignore this stupid Guidar? If there was no guardian, I could just sneak away from this area and search for those pods elsewhere.
The hand appeared on the other side of the hallway, beckoning me. Well, having some statues to imbue with Vengeful spirits would be a good idea. I crawled towards it and around the bend. We were inside a large room with a massive bed on one end and what seemed like a throne on the other. Images of copulating people were etched in the walls, and statues of slender dryad-like beings stood on daises throughout the room.
What the… I looked at the hand that seemed to fidget a bit. Then it moved to an area of undisturbed dust and scribbled something in the thick grey carpet of powder.
I'm a deity of nature, alright?
I sniggered and shook my head as I moved towards the statues. There were a dozen, and they were carved from wood, and two heads taller than me. They didn't look like warriors with their slender bodies, but I guess they would have to do. Luckily they weren't nude. Placing my hands on one, a decidedly handsome woman with regal looks, the hand rushed me and dragged me away.
What are you doing?! It wrote in big, unsightly letters on the floor.
I'm going to make them useful, I replied, jumping forward, out of its reach and placing my hand on the same statue. I didn't wait this time and immediately drew a spirit inside. The influx of pain and misery that I felt at the moment the spirit rushed inside was mind-boggling. I swayed, barely keeping myself from toppling over.
"Who's there!?" Came a loud roar from outside the building. At the same time, something rushed inside, bashing through things.
Shit, I cursed, rushing towards the next statue. The one already moving was staring at me with dead but burning eyes. I could feel the desire for vengeance in the being inhabiting the body. I also somehow knew it wasn't any normal spirit.
Against the clock that was the massive monstrosity ripping apart walls to reach us, I drew Spirits into all of the statues. The hand was now quietly watching what I did, hovering near a second exit at the back of the room. I hadn't seen it when we came in.
I just finished preparing the last statue when the wall behind me shattered much faster than the sound had suggested. The hell did it get here so fast? I cursed as I whirled around.
The multi-eyed, wooden monstrosity used it's single arm to rip open a hole and moved through as it stared at me.
"Who are you, and what are you doing?" It snapped.
"Grab him!" I said, jumping back as the twelve Vengeful Spirits rushed forward.
They were like children around the wooden monstrosity, agile, quick-moving, dexterous children. The one-armed Guidar tried to grab one, but it easily dodged out of the way. A moment later, they were wrapping themselves around its legs and arm.
The wooden Deity's body froze for a second before snapping its arm free, breaking one of the statues in half, before grabbing another and crushing its head.
"Hah! So weak!" The Guidar sneered, the massive mouth gaping open like a dark bottomless pit.
Where is that arm? I thought, backing up to the tunnel.
"Stay here. I haven't had any substance in centuries!" the Guidar said as it barreled forward, snapping the wooden statues that tried to hold on.
What are they doing? I thought, slowly panicking. Why didn't they fight back?
Because I told them to hold him! I thought in a sudden revelation.
"ATACK!" I roared, and immediately the Vengeful Spirits that still had operational bodies let go of the Guidar. They began running around him, striking it, slashing at its eyes. Although it didn't seem like they could harm the massive wood monster, the Guidar stopped coming my way and began swatting at them as if they were flies. They easily dodged its single arm, and I cursed as I realized I had squandered over half of my small army.
Grabbing one of my throwing axes, I backed up into the corridor that led away from the room and waited. When the Guidar struck at a Spirit, I hurled the ax at its face. The thing bounced harmlessly off an eye, but the Guidar blinked and roared.
"Ants!" It shouted, and I saw its movements were slowly becoming faster and more coordinated.
A small movement from the roof made me look up, and I saw the severed arm hanging by its nails. The Guidar was a step away from the arm falling atop its head.
I waited until it took the last step, then cleared my throat. "Who are you?" I said, trying to sound genuinely confused. Probably not my best attempt at a distraction, but I had little to work with.
The Guidar didn't answer, about to move from below the arm which still hadn't released. What the hell was that thing waiting for? I quickly took a step forward.
"Come now, why don't you tell me? Are you the Guardian of this place?"
This time the Guidar stopped.
"You're a mortal. How did you get in here?"
"Through the portal?" I said, hoping to keep it talking until that arm decided to act. Which better be any moment now.
"Impossible. It's closed," the Guidar hissed before continuing more slowly, its voice smoothing out with every word. "Tell me how you managed to get in here, and I'll kill you before consuming you." The voice sounded oily now, like some car salesman trying to tell me the old sedan.
It was disconcerting to see my Vengeful Spirits flit around it, striking it everywhere without any noticeable effect. I almost called them off, just the idea of it swatting me like it had them keeping me from it. Something about it… the almost annoyed way it spoke gave me the feeling it might not be the Guidar reacting. Perhaps it was somehow getting under the skin of what remained of the Deity?
"Answer me."
The Guidar's voice almost made me vomit, so sweet it was. Before I could reply, the arm dropped, landing on the golem-like back with a soft thud. Its clawed hand gripped the throat like a vice, and the arm pivoted around, its other end slamming almost exactly onto its perch on the shoulder.
"YOU!" howled the Guidar, its hand flying to the shoulder before freezing midair. A shiver ran through the body, and suddenly the dull voice sounded, but less dull than before.
"Get a move on! I can't win this by myself! Touch him, and join us in my mindscape, fast!"
What the hell? I thought, but I was already moving, rushing forward. Halfway there, I wondered if the Guidar might not be tricking me, and I jumped sideways, away from the arms. There was no reaction.
"Stop, and guard!" I snapped, putting my hand on the golem's massive ankle. A swirling occurred in front of my eyes, as if I was staring through a windshield with water on it, then I stood on a massive ten-meter wide tree trunk while a jet black night surrounded me. Rain was pelting the ground, and me, while the sky brightened with the occasional massive blue lightning bolt. There was no thunder, just a low rumbling as if the massive lightning storm wasn't above my head but far in the distance.
The ground was slippery, and I felt my bare feet slide. Trying to keep my balance, I looked around. I stood atop a fallen tree trunk in an ancient forest, towering trees standing far apart, more fallen trees all around, covered in fungus and low shrubs. Watery mud was between them, and a short distance away, a battle raged.
A golem resembling the one I had just seen, with four golden glowing eyes, was facing off against a bulky metal demon. The golem's massive, wooden arms were crossed above its head, holding at bay an arm that ended in a gleaming blade. The demon had another hand behind it, the hand morphing, elongating into another blade. Circuitry showed through rips in the light grey outer plating that covered it.
An old, grumpy voice sounded in my head.
Stop lollygagging and get a move on! We need to end this fake thing before it saps what little power I have and takes over my mindscape. Otherwise, none of us, not you, me, nor those fools who just entered my realm, will survive!
Looking at myself, I saw I was luckily in my Grablon shape. I had almost feared I would show up in my pudgy human body, for all the good that would have done.
The bad thing was, I had no armor, nor clothes, not even my loincloth, and my ax was gone.
