Cayzle's Wemic Site
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The Shadow in our Dreams
As he slowly crosses the room, walking in zigzag, a loud thump is heard, as if something just slammed into the wall outside. They turn around to see what it is, but a full minute passes and nothing happens. Maybe it's just the wind blowing something against the wall. . .
Cosmos is still dragging his drunk body, stumbling into a chair, as the sound is heard again. This time it seems to have hit glass instead of just wood. Another thunder booms and flashes the room once more. They can see that the window near the sleeping patron is cracked. Before they can take any reasonable action, they see another flash, and the window brakes open. The loud sound of the storm permeates in the room and a chilly wind rages inside, crying with pleasure as it runs around the room, extinguishing all sources of light. The last one, the hearth fire, fights against it, resisting for a while, but failing in the end. . . Darkness. . . They suddenly find themselves in a dark room and with the feeling that evil slipped into this place through that cracked window. Those with infravision can see that Cosmos is still moving his way to the door, cursing as he hit against another chair, and that the parton still sleeps in his table. No one else is in the room.
"Maybe we should go to owah rooms. " the ninja suggests in a whisper, his voice sounding creepy, coming from somewhere in the darkness. Another few thunders and another few flashes of light. As in an instinct they turn around to check on the patron. The rain is falling over his table, water dripping to the ground and forming a small pond. Near it another pond can be seen. A red one. . . made with blood. Darkness. . . and then another few flashes. They see the dead body of the patron, his eyes open wide, staring at them. Darkness. . .
"What the he. . . " they hear Cosmos say followed by a cry. They turn around to see him. Another flash. They see Cosmos' body spread over a table, unmovingly. . . Darkness and another flash and a shadow with two red eyes stands near Cosmos, staring at the party. "Get out. . . or join me in death!" it whispers, slowly and threateningly.
Owyth casts a Light spell at the monster. Cronis and Sculg, wielding their weapons, charge at the pair of red eyes, floating ahead in the darkness. Their infravision help them avoid the few obstacles, like chairs and tables, infront of them. As they were about to reach the awaiting shadow, a brilliant light appears ahead of them, and right infront the red eyes. The shadow wails in pain, its piercing cry forcing them to cover their ears. Most of the room is then illuminated, though only slightly at the windows and left wall.
The shadow floats in its full form infront of them, already recovered from Owyth's blinding attack. Long thin arms, ending in long sharp looking claws, rest at its side, the hands wide open with the palms turned to them. Cronis and Sculg continue their charge and strike at the shadow. . . but they loose their balance as they find no solid body to hit, the momentum making them pass through the shadow and fall on the ground, near the north wall. It is obvious their weapons can't hurt the shadow.
The shadow laughs at their failed attempt and ignore them, its attention now focused on the dark clothed yellow skinned man running towards it, a blue shining blade raised over his right shoulder. Urameshi moves fast and meets the shadow in a few seconds. The shadow stays still, waiting for the ninja, but to its surprise the blue blade cuts, and harms it. The shadow throws its head back and cries once more. Urameshi and the others can't resist and drop their weapons, pressing their hands hard against their ears.
That leaves an opening to the shadow that, once finishing crying, reaches its ghostly hand inside the ninja's chest and starts squishing his heart. Now it's time for Urameshi to cry, his blade lies flat on the ground near him but he finds no strength to reach for it. The shadow growls, its red eyes glowing brighter than before. The ninja feels his life leaving his body and drops on his knees. He tries to take the shadow arm away but find no hold in the unsubstantial being. "You will join me. " the shadow hisses, squeezing harder and leaning over the ninja's body.
Various objects thrown by Sculg fly through the shadow, landing near Owyth and Solana. The elf, noticing her weapon would be harmless against the shadow, as well as her memorized spell, takes some silver coins out of her pockets and throw them with all her strength at the shadow. But, like it happened with Sculg, the coins pass harmlessly through the shadow, landing near Cronis and Sculg.
The shadow keeps squeezing Urameshiīs heart, ignoring the others' attempt to hit it. The ninja tries to fight, crying in agony, his hands moving erratically in the air but only adding to his icy pain as he touches the dark creature.
Cronis then launches himself forward and dives for the ninja's sword, rolling on the ground and getting up, the holy blade shining on his hands. The shadow turns to the dwarf, letting go of Urameshi, who falls unconscious on the ground. "Drop that!" the shadow demands, its whispery voice a little carried with fear of the sword that once caused it a great amount of pain a few minutes ago. It points its long dark finger to the dwarf and demands once more for him to drop the weapon. Not wasting time, Cronis thrusts the sword upwards, burying it into the shadow's body. "To hell wit ya, ya dawned devil spawn. "
The following scream is inhuman and long, and it trails off into a snarl as the shadow flies backwards.
In the sequence Owyth jumps forward, landing near Urameshi, and drags his body away from there. The wemic sees the ninja's chest moving up and down and sighs in relief, glad that he is still alive.
They all turn their attention back to the shadow that retreats to the east wall and disappears into the ground. . . For a few seconds there is a dead silence in the room, but then, a low sound is heard, like a mourning sound.
It doesn't take them long to find out where itīs coming from. The dead patron. The man who was supposed to be laying on the ground near the broken window is now standing, his throat open and bleeding badly, his ragged clothes all dirty with dried and wet blood. The manīs eyes seem to be staring at nowhere and it risks a few steps forward, dragging his body in the direction of the party, his right hand extended to them. "He he elp!" it manages to whisper with great effort. As the dead looking patron keeps dragging himself to them they hear a door being open. The door behind the bar. From there appears a little blonde girl, wearing a white night-gown, and carrying an old doll on her left hand. She rubs her eyes with her bony hand and look at them, crying. "It hurts! Daddy, it hurts!" she moves a little quicker than the dead patron, leaving the bar and staring at Solana. "Daddy it hurts!" she keeps crying, her arms and legs very skinny and pale.
Owyth sits near Urameshi and begins to cure him with his magic. The ninja is breathing slowly and shivering intensely, his face very pale and his thin lips dry and dark purple in hue. Resting his furred hands over the ninja's chest, the wemic concentrates his magic energy inside him, and focuses on his weakened heart. He can feel the icy pain pulsating in that body at each breathing, and can almost imagine the terror of having his heart touched by those shadowy claws. But as Urameshi receives the healing energy his heart begins to beat faster, pumping more and more blood and warming up his body. The pain begins to leave his chest and his breathing becomes stronger and more even. He half opens his eyes and blinks twice, focusing on the wemic over him. His mouth opens slowly, the upper lip ungluing from the lower one, and he tries to say something, no voice coming out of his dry mouth, but Owyth could read the "thank you" formed by his lips.
In the meantime, Sculg throws his dead lizard in the little girl, who doesn't seem to notice it and keeps moving towards Solana, crying out in pain to her daddy.
Recovering his "things" Sculg turns his attention to the moaning, dead looking patron and throws his dead rat at him. "Shtop dat. Head hurting. Rat cure. Now lemme go shleep. " the rat hits the patron in the chest and falls on the floor. The patron keeps walking towards the party, moaning and asking for help.
Casting a bless spell over the party, Owyth says in a loud voice, "Go, sad spirrits, back to yourr rrest, and trrouble the living no morre!"
The girl begins to cry even louder, as if in greater pain than before. "It hurts Daddy! It hurts" she drops the doll on the floor and let her body falls too. Sitting on the floor, her legs crossed, she rubs her eyes as she cries, though producing no tears. The other patron seems to ignore the whole thing.
Then, another sound begins to draw the party's attention. They have been hearing it now and then, but thinking it might be just the wind entering the room through the broken glass window. But it is not. . . it sounds more like a chorus of moanings. A thunder booms outside and its flashy light illuminates a corpse looking face of a man, outside the window. Rain is pouring over his hairless and wrinkled head, his yellow empty eyes staring at nothing. He grabs both sides of the window, not feeling a thing as a long sharp glass cut through his hand, and pulls himself inside the inn, braking the glass in the process, now lodged in his left hand. He walks in the direction of the other patron, moaning something unintelligible.
Just after that, the door is forced open and the remaining windows explode in tiny pieces of glass as lots of arms appear from it. The wind bursts inside, dropping a few chairs and bringing the cold rain with it. Suddenly they all start to shiver from the cold and their mouths open in bewilderment as the see that, behind all the windows, a crowd of dead looking, moaning people seem to be making their way inside the inn. Through the door, the movement is more intense and the party can see from children to adults, men and women, invading the inn and moaning, some stretching their arms in the direction of the party, others screaming single words and some dragging their chests over the floor, clawing the wood and pushing their crippled bodies forward.
The party stares at this in absolute horror and looks around, pondering their next move. The undead people press forward, moaning and screaming. . .
"You will join me in death!" they can hear the shadow whisper, but still, they see no sign of it.
Sculg, who's beginning to have second thoughts about the healing powers of his dead rat, sees in horror as Cronis draws his axe and charges at the undead. "No! No! Nonononono. . . you a Blupgumpher or something? Crazy fighting those. Just tear you up. Become dead meat. . . . . " Unable to say more, the gully dwarf dashes for the door behind the bar, looking at it as a possible exit.
On the other side of the room, Owyth helps Urameshi to stand up. The ninja releases his sword from the floor and uses it as a walking-stick as he moves with the wemic to the upper right corner of the room. They move slowly but faster than the moaning zombies behind them.
"Help him. " the ninja tells Owyth as they reach Cosmos, his body lying unmoving over the table. "I will get that tehboruh!" he says, moving to nearest table to the left, turns it over and starts to roll it to the corner.
In the meantime, Owyth turns Cosmos' body around and notices that the eye-patched man is breathing normally. There are no superficial wounds, at least none that the wemic can see. Still, the man looks pale and is all soaked with sweat. Touching the manīs wet and cold neck, Owyth can feel that the manīs pulsation is ok.
Actually, if he had not seen the shadow just beside it, he could swear that Cosmos was in perfect conditions. But ok or not, he was still unconscious and unable to move. Thus, Owyth puts him over his shoulder and carries him to the corner.
Once he leaves Cosmos on the floor he goes for the table where he was lying over to use it on his barricade. As he reaches it he shouts to the party, "WE MUST MAKE A STAND! TO ME! TO ME!"
Cronis, hearing Owyth call, spins on his heels and heads for the corner. "Bah, I am with ya lion boy, lets make a stand. If I am to be a die'n tonight, then let many more be with me. "Cronis smiles at Owyth, and starts flipping over tables.
Seeing no obvious other possibilities, Solana picks up Mink in her left hand and begins moving towards the door the girl entered through, drawing one of her daggers as she moves. "Owyth, Cronis, I don't think dying here serves any purpose! Let's try to get out and to the bottom of this while we can!"
While the party splits, with Sculg and Solana going to the door behind the bar and the rest to the upper door, the flow of zombies just get higher and higher. They moan and scream as they move in, throwing tables and chairs out of their way. The little girl near the bar looks up to the many undead and begins to cry even higher, as if afraid of them. "Daddy! It hurts! It hurts daddy!" she screams as she craws on her hands and knees away from the zombies.
At first, standing up against the zombies seemed like a possible alternative, but now, seeing the room getting infested with those tortured souls in a increasingly speed, Owyth and Cronis decide otherwise to follow the others through the door behind the bar.
The wemic leaves the turned table behind and goes for Cosmos, taking his unmoving body from the ground and throwing it over his furred shoulder. After giving a couple of steps in the direction of the bar, the wemic turns around to check on Urameshi. He meets the ninja's gaze and the dark warrior understands his concern. He nods to Owyth, as if telling him he can make it on his own. The wemic nods but quickly runs his eyes over the ninja. He looks a lot better than before, of course, but the energy he had a minute ago, after he turned the heavy wooden table over, seems to have vanished away from his body. He is panting and having trouble to stand up on his own. He is resting his left hand on the wall as the right one still holds on the pommel of his sword, which he's using to keep his balance, the tip of the blue shining blade buried an inch in the wooden floor. He takes a few deep breaths, his sweated dark hair falling over his yellow face as he stares to the ground. At the opposite side of the room the undead keep coming. The moanings get closer and louder and he turns his face towards the undead and back to his friends. He finds Owyth still staring at him, concerned about him. Conjuring all his strength, Urameshi stands up, sheathing his sword at his back and walking towards the wemic to join him.
As they jump over the bar, they find Solana carrying the skinny blonde girl, still crying for her daddy and, it seems, unaware that she's being carried by the elf. Solana finds the body of the girl incredibly cold, and fragile. It is obvious she is not a zombie like the others, but still Solana wonders if the girl is not some other kind of undead. Her skin is so dry and pale, her eyes yellow and so empty of emotion as well as of tears, for someone crying like that. Without time to think too much about it, the elf decided to follow her instincts.
Then, without wasting another second, Cronis opens the door, through which Sculg have passed a minute ago, and they all leave the tap room. . .
The door leads to a very long dark corridor, way too long to be inside this building, but only wide enough to go one at a time. Even those with infravision can't see any details on the walls or the floor. Though they all know it is there. They can touch it and feel it's irregular, wet and cold surface. The floor looks the same though it is a little more plain than the walls. The only thing lighting the corridor is a gray and cold, thin mist, which seems to have a faint glow of its own and raises ten inches from the floor, going all the way along the endless looking corridor and lighting the only path there is to be followed.
Someone shouts just a few feet ahead, the voice being very familiar. Sculg. His voice echoes along the dark corridor till it can't be heard anymore. Silence. Not even the crying child is making any noise. For a few seconds all they can hear is their heavy breathings. Neither the moaning and screaming zombies nor the raging storm can be heard inside the corridor. Then, the silence is broken.
"The door is gone. " Urameshi, the last in line, whispers to the others. He has turned around to check it and found that the door through which they came is not there anymore. The corridor also goes infinitely to the other way, with the thin gray mist showing the path.
He turns back to the others, unable to see their bodies, but knowing where they are as a small portion of their legs is illuminated by the gray mist. Owyth is even easier to discern as his yellow eyes seem to glow in the darkness.
"It just getsuh moah an moah compuhricated. " the ninja mumbles.
Owyth tries to wake Cosmos up but it seems the drunk man is on a very deep sleep. Sighing and looking around, the party stand still, wondering what to do now and why those weird things are happening to them. The dreams they all shared. The sudden appearance and disappearance of old Maestro. The endless storm. This cursed town with lots of zombies coming out of nowhere, a shadowy creature who wishes to kill them, only the gods know why, and now this. This dark corridor that just shouldn't be here. Itīs just all too weird.
The wemic suggests to rest at the place, but the others, probably still amazed with the whole situation, stay quiet. Then, something catches their attention. Some two or three hundred yards away, something seems to block the misty path. A thin luminous streak appears, quickly drawing the contour of a door. A click is heard and slowly the door begins to open and a strong white light starts to run along the corridor till it catches the party. By this time the door is fully open and the light coming from it is so strong they can barely look at it, directly. Near the door a red cloaked person, with a large hood covering its face, speaks to the party.
"Some doors can only be opened in our dreams. " he says, his voice sounding like that of a young man, and steps through the door disappearing.
"I do nottuh know what he's talkin but I think we should follow him. " says Urameshi. The door remains open and now they can all see each other very well.
With no other apparent alternative the party moves toward the door, the light coming from it getting more intense as they advance. They wonder what is about to happen next, as soon as they step to the other side. At this point, it seems anything is possible. They follow the misty path till they are just ten feet away, the light is so bright they can't look directly to it and even have to partly cover their eyes before they give the final steps. Then, one by one, they all cross to the other side. . .