Valdis
To Kill
They stand at the entrance to the ruins and the brutes, one-by-one, came out from the heavy mist. “Stand behind me”, Proserpine whispers to Gawain and suddenly her beauty became more goddess-like than before and her hair began to waver seductively in the wind as if it was alive. “Mortal men who have reached my temple, I am the goddess of the underworld; the beauty that Hades’ himself kidnapped so he may have her for a bride. I’ll take any man that can stand before me and he shall be given this body as his temple.” Her prevaricate words buzz in all the scum’s thoughts but the leader finally steps forward and walks toward his prize. But before he could reach the beauty, the color leaves the man’s cheeks and he falls over, motionless. The other men, filled with rage, run toward her, weapons at hand. Like their leader, all men fall and die. Proserpine didn’t even flinch.
She began to laugh triumphantly and the whole mountain seems to be engulfed by her serpentine voice. “Why did they die,” asked Gawain, bewildered still by what took place.
Proserpine pauses and speaks in a tone unbefitting her gender, “Simply the statues are deciding who is worthy to pass to the pool and only those of pure blood may pass,” she looks at Gawain and gives an amused smile, “or I should say virgins.”
Gawain’s face flashes red but something else caught Proserpine’s attention. A new form appears from the mists, slightly smaller from the men before but with the same armor. The figure stares in horror at his fallen comrades. “Another interloper it seems,” speaks the beauty and the barbarian’s eyes fall on her and he yells in rage, “YOU WITCH, YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS!”
Proserpine merely smiles and instigates with her fingers. “Oh, come kill me. I’ll even close my eyes.
She did so and heard the cry of the man as he charges forward, sword in hand. Any minute now he would drop dead but to her disbelief, she felt something pierce into her stomach. Proserpine looks down and sees the handle of a mighty sword sticking out of her belly. “Now how ironic…I hadn’t quite expected that,” whispers the beauty as she slowly falls to the ground. Gawain runs for the door, but the man caught his arm and pulls him back.
”You will die too, you piece of-“ Gawain manages to kick him mid-sentence and runs inside the ruins. He reaches the pool but hesitates again. But recalling well that the barbarian was right behind him, Gawain closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and dove into the golden liquid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The barbarian walks with slow, malevolent purpose down the stairs into the ruins. 'The boy, Gawain the witch called him,' thought the barbarian,' has managed to escape me but not for long.' He plays around in his mind what good painful way to kill him in and his eyes grow bright with malice. As he walks on, he notices the ruins were teaming with small insects of every color but didn’t give them a second thought. Instead dreamt about the exaltation he’d get from his comrades for killing the witch if they were only alive. The scum reaches the main room and looks down at the gold-like liquid that intoxicates the room with its peculiar scent. He notices small ripples in the pool and inferred that the boy may have gone under. Fearing the pool, the barbarian kneels down and raises his ax, waiting for the boy to come up for air.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the pool, Gawain realized that every memory he had before he came to the temple seemed to expurgate from his mind save the knowledge of speech, words, and others alike. He forgot about his family, his home, his first love, and much else. But the absence was filled with the euphony of animal sounds. He could make out the cry of the hawk, the howl of the wolf, the roar of the lion, and the sounds of other beasts he was not familiar with. He also saw the animals as each entered into his being. Gawain could then understand the language of the beasts. They vanquished his philanthropy and he felt as if in an innate state of being. A bright light then came toward him and from it came great warmth. The evanescence of its changing colors filled him with awe. Gawain held it in his hands, and then slowly brought it to his mouth. When he finished swallowing it, his body lit in golden flame but it did not burn him nor did he cry out in pain. The final intransigence of the human condition had been taken away. Complete, Gawain looked up from beneath the pool and saw his adversary, waiting. Filled with rage for the death of his master, his body blurred and Gawain’s mind was filled only with the instinct to kill.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The barbarian sees movement in the liquid and raises his ax higher. But the ax falls from the scum’s hand as his eyes look up at the monstrosity before him. The creature had the legs of a lion, the breast of a hawk, but its head was to alien to name. Its eyes glow red with demonic purpose stronger than his own as it slowly came out the pool, flicking it purple, snake-like tongue. The barbarian stares, frozen by terror but managing to hold his breathe. But he eventually exhales and the beast was upon him in one hellish swoop. The cries of unimaginable pain echo across the mountain.
She began to laugh triumphantly and the whole mountain seems to be engulfed by her serpentine voice. “Why did they die,” asked Gawain, bewildered still by what took place.
Proserpine pauses and speaks in a tone unbefitting her gender, “Simply the statues are deciding who is worthy to pass to the pool and only those of pure blood may pass,” she looks at Gawain and gives an amused smile, “or I should say virgins.”
Gawain’s face flashes red but something else caught Proserpine’s attention. A new form appears from the mists, slightly smaller from the men before but with the same armor. The figure stares in horror at his fallen comrades. “Another interloper it seems,” speaks the beauty and the barbarian’s eyes fall on her and he yells in rage, “YOU WITCH, YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS!”
Proserpine merely smiles and instigates with her fingers. “Oh, come kill me. I’ll even close my eyes.
She did so and heard the cry of the man as he charges forward, sword in hand. Any minute now he would drop dead but to her disbelief, she felt something pierce into her stomach. Proserpine looks down and sees the handle of a mighty sword sticking out of her belly. “Now how ironic…I hadn’t quite expected that,” whispers the beauty as she slowly falls to the ground. Gawain runs for the door, but the man caught his arm and pulls him back.
”You will die too, you piece of-“ Gawain manages to kick him mid-sentence and runs inside the ruins. He reaches the pool but hesitates again. But recalling well that the barbarian was right behind him, Gawain closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and dove into the golden liquid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The barbarian walks with slow, malevolent purpose down the stairs into the ruins. 'The boy, Gawain the witch called him,' thought the barbarian,' has managed to escape me but not for long.' He plays around in his mind what good painful way to kill him in and his eyes grow bright with malice. As he walks on, he notices the ruins were teaming with small insects of every color but didn’t give them a second thought. Instead dreamt about the exaltation he’d get from his comrades for killing the witch if they were only alive. The scum reaches the main room and looks down at the gold-like liquid that intoxicates the room with its peculiar scent. He notices small ripples in the pool and inferred that the boy may have gone under. Fearing the pool, the barbarian kneels down and raises his ax, waiting for the boy to come up for air.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the pool, Gawain realized that every memory he had before he came to the temple seemed to expurgate from his mind save the knowledge of speech, words, and others alike. He forgot about his family, his home, his first love, and much else. But the absence was filled with the euphony of animal sounds. He could make out the cry of the hawk, the howl of the wolf, the roar of the lion, and the sounds of other beasts he was not familiar with. He also saw the animals as each entered into his being. Gawain could then understand the language of the beasts. They vanquished his philanthropy and he felt as if in an innate state of being. A bright light then came toward him and from it came great warmth. The evanescence of its changing colors filled him with awe. Gawain held it in his hands, and then slowly brought it to his mouth. When he finished swallowing it, his body lit in golden flame but it did not burn him nor did he cry out in pain. The final intransigence of the human condition had been taken away. Complete, Gawain looked up from beneath the pool and saw his adversary, waiting. Filled with rage for the death of his master, his body blurred and Gawain’s mind was filled only with the instinct to kill.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The barbarian sees movement in the liquid and raises his ax higher. But the ax falls from the scum’s hand as his eyes look up at the monstrosity before him. The creature had the legs of a lion, the breast of a hawk, but its head was to alien to name. Its eyes glow red with demonic purpose stronger than his own as it slowly came out the pool, flicking it purple, snake-like tongue. The barbarian stares, frozen by terror but managing to hold his breathe. But he eventually exhales and the beast was upon him in one hellish swoop. The cries of unimaginable pain echo across the mountain.
♠ ♠ ♠
originally this one was meant to be longer but i put the rest in the next chapter. The next one is the last chapter of the prologue. I didn't get that many readers for this story yet but for those that do read, thank you and please comment.