Chapter 9: Chapter 9
Inside the mine a chanting could be heard coming from further down. The light outside was coming from a lantern hanging from a nail hammered halfway into one of the old wooden supports which held the shaft up. When Ben grabbed it they heard the howls outside. Just as he thought. They were being followed here. "Everybody run!" Ben yelled as Cole, Lydia and Sarah ran further into the shaft. Ben stayed at the back to watch for the source of the howls while Cole walked at the front with his rifle held to his shoulder breathing slowly as he stepped over the rails and the slanted rock as they made their way deeper. The howls and cries outside drew closer. "Try not to shoot in the cave, the vibrations could cause a cave in. let's hurry before they catch up. Ben caught up to Cole and with the lantern they saw a dark shape move ahead as they continued. Whatever it was was gone. They continued downwards following the rails to a large opening. The lower half of the tunnel was boarded off some time ago, the boards ripped off and left on the floor next to what little remained of the wooden doorway. "Cole." "What is it Sheriff?" Ben held out his hand stopping Cole. Ben lowered the lantern to reveal a small metallic wire stretching across the floor to a shotgun which had been hidden in a hollowed out section of wall on the other side of the wire, hidden by the doorless doorway. Everyone carefully stepped over it. And quickly made their way deeper into the dark tunnel which opened into a massive chamber with a dome-like roof carved into the stone, clearly not the work of the miners who once worked here.
As Ben silently creeped into the chamber with Cole, Sarah and Lydia close behind as they crept behind a boulder. Snarls and growls sounded from the tunnel they just came from along with the clicking of claws on stone. The shotgun trap triggered by one of the creatures obliterating it from the neck up as its comrades trampled its carcass while the bone bubbled and regenerated. Almost a dozen dark shadows filled the room, darting in different directions. The shotgun trap predictably shook the cavern causing the tunnel they entered to become a massive wall of fallen gravel, rock and dirt. Just as it caved in a figure stumbled in with a limp. It wasn't a cultist. He shook dirt off his blue jumpsuits shoulders. His hands and face were wrapped heavily in bandages and a shaking bloody machete hung from his left hand. The creatures paid them no mind as they were busy searching for someone else. Snarls and screams filled the chambers. "Sheriff? so good of you to make it!" A damaged voice came through the bandage covered face as he moved fast, Sarah and Lydia both fired at him. His body shook where the bullets struck but he paid the bleeding wounds no mind as he picked up Ben with a single hand wrapping around the sheriff's throat.
Sarah slammed the butt of her rifle into his neck causing it to jolt forward with a loud cracking noise before it cracked back into place and knocked her back against the boulder with a smack that felt like a baseball bat. Lydia fired two more bullets into him as Ben choked and gasped in his grip. Unable to break the strange bandage man's iron grip he punched him hard in the face, forcefully turning his head but it did little besides tighten his grip. Cole Sarah and Lydia ripped through the bandage man with bullets from the hunting rifles. He turned for a moment to look back at his shooters as if they were pulling some joke on him. When he turned back Ben fired three forty four rounds into his face and his group lessened.the bandage man raised his machete and Ben punched the revolver through the bandages on his face where it looked like his mouth was, and fired the remaining bullets into the back of his head causing his brain to splatter on the boulder behind. He dropped the sheriff and machete and stumbled back into the boulder moaning as if it only caused a headache. "Jesus christ he isn't dead?" Cole gasped, backing into the stone as him Sarah and Lydia quickly reloaded their rifles.they each had four extra magazines of bullets. "Save your bullets." Ben grunted picking up the machete. "What are?" The bandage man didn't finish his dazed sentence as Ben swung the machete down into the bandage man's skull and he dropped to his knees, and fell on his side with a groan, shaking. "We need to move now." "Get… Them…" nothing happened until he remembered what Gerald mentioned to him. "Vae… Victus…" the barely audible words left his mouth as his eyes closed. the bandage man grew still. The order reached the creature's ears.
Howls shook the cavern in unison. The powerful deep howls shook the walls and caved in several tunnels. Except one. At the far end of the chamber a tunnel wide enough to drive a truck through, had torches on both sides and much newer looking supports holding it up.
Ben yanked the machete from the bandage man's head, and made his way across the chamber towards the wide well lit tunnel with the others close behind ready for anything. Ben reloaded his revolver, two full speedloaders left. Up ahead was a very old looking thick wooden door with dark iron hinges. They could hear growling coming from the other side and raised their guns, doubting that they could kill whatever was on the other side. "Sheriff, I just wanna say, it's been a pleasure working with you." "We aren't dead yet, I can't promise any of you we'll make it. But I can promise we won't go down without a fight." "That's reassuring." Sarah said not taking her eyes off the door that creaked with pressure from the other side. Before a series of bangs and screams filled the room on the other side. "Shit." Lydia muttered. "Nobody move. They're already in here." Lydia's eyes were wide as she scanned the giant dome-like chamber. Some of the dark shapes were crawling up the stone. Several sets of yellow eyes watched them from the darkness. Circling the room towards the bandage man's body. Where it was anyway. Bandage man was gone. Only a pool of blood from where he fell, remained. There were at least four of the creatures in the room. Whatever was on the other side was somehow silenced from a gunshot. The voice of two elderly men conversing from the other side.
"Oh god that felt great." The bandage man said, stepping out of the darkness holding an old heavy pickaxe. "What the hell is this guy?" "Cole asked, raising his rifle as they all backed up until they were against the stone wall. The creatures dropped from the ceiling without making a noise as they circled and protected the bandage man. "Ahh normally dogs, any animal really just pisses me off, but these dogs are great. They listen, they...clean up after themselves, they don't bark unless I tell them too, and of course they just get along so god damned well." He spoke loudly through the blood soaked bandages. Pointing to them and the creature's eyes lit up as if wanting to know if this was the signal to attack.
Not yet buddy just gotta wait a little longer. Benny said scratching the creature's head like one would a dog. It paid little attention to Benny as it simply stared down the four survivors backed against a door. "I need what's on the other side of that door, now I don't have to kill you… I just really fucking want to." Benny snapped his fingers and the wooden door swung open. A single loud bang filled the room as a bullet struck the creature closest to them. The others stopped and backed away with whimpers watching the dying member of their pack as it's blood boiled and it flailed about recklessly tearing at its fur which smelt badly burnt. "What the hell?" Benny questioned, tilting his head as he watched an Abe standing in the doorway with his thirty eight ready and loaded with silver bullets. He put one in each of the creatures and they fell to the ground in agony. Abe squinted and aimed to the roof where one last set of yellow eyes was watching. He fired and the creature's body fell feet from Benny writhing in agony as a small cloud of dirt shot up as the creature hit the stone floor with a hard crack before falling still. "What- what the hell is in that gun?" Benny muttered, shaking as he backed away realizing he wasn't prepared for this. "Your mother's jewelry." Abe said before putting a bullet in Benny's foot. He screamed in agony. He had been shot a couple times over his life, both times in fatal spots. This bullet to the foot hurt ten hundred times more than the shot that missed his heart when he was twenty two or the shot that punctured his lung a year later. It was just his goddamn foot. He Tried to step forward to grab the gun but was too slow, he took another bullet in the arm. It felt like he had been stabbed with a rod of hot iron.
Benny screamed in Agony smacking Abe's gun out of his hands before disappearing into the massive chamber. The other voice from the other side of the door stepped into the chamber. It was Francis Callahan still alive, albeit with a bloody eyepatch over his right eye. "Sheriff." He said with a smile and nod holding his rifle ready. "Francis? Abe? You're both alive still?" "No time to reveal that trick sheriff. Those cultist bastards are gonna be coming once they realize we are still alive." "We can't get out this way those things caused a cave in." Ben filled in Abe and Francis while Cole Sarah and Lydia watched in horrified awe at the creatures dead on the ground. He imagined a dead werewolf turning back into the person they once were, like a mystery being revealed. The creatures Abe killed were bubbling black pools with unnatural looking bones splitting, melting and turning black. The smell was as repulsive as the sight.
Benny was still trapped with them. In the darkest furthest corner of the room, He twisted and broke. He just had to envision it, and will it to be. Will himself into whatever he desired. Every predator he could think of Bears, snakes, wolves. Every creature that popped into his mind made the change that more painful. It didn't sound like they were even coming this way. He had an advantage. They must think he's dying in a puddle of blood and excrement like the others. His legs snapped and bent, his arms grew and thickened. His head narrowed and his eyes turned a bright yellow. He let out a small laugh before the changes took hold and soon he would be an apex predator. He couldn't wait to bite the head off that old guy that shot him and the shifted ones. There were three more creatures he could feel the presence and life force of. Benny smiled a sharp jagged grin as he peered around the corner and watched as they flowed into the true Nocturnis Infernis compound. Most of them died before he gave the creatures the order to retreat back to this room, an unfortunate mistake he didn't foresee. Gerald didn't say anything about them actually posing a threat let alone being able to kill the shifted ones so effortlessly. He would need to be fast if he wanted to kill them. And he was everything fast he could think of as he silently, dashed across the room with all the grace of a demon. His body was built like a wolf with thin legs and large claws. He felt venom flow through his claws. Instead of fur his dark hide was lined with pitch black scales and the head of a snake with hideous massive teeth like a grizzly bear. His tail was a massive scorpion's tale folded over his back. If Benny had the vocal cords to laugh he would have been. Instead the abomination leapt silently over the dead machinery and pools of the once shifted and pushed open the heavy door with its head. Heaving in large breaths with every step it took. Benny imagined his lungs to be larger, and like so his breathing silenced. These powers… are endless." He thought gleefully as he stalked the dark tunnels without making so much as a noise.
Up ahead Ben pushed open a large set of wooden doors and Cole, Lydia, Francis, Abe and Sarah had their weapons ready, but the room was only filled with corpses and it was well lit with burning wall sconces. A small table and a red leather couch were in the centre. They lowered the weapons once they realized everyone was dead and entered the chamber, Cole closed the doors behind them. "What the hell is that thing?" Cole pointed to a large painting behind what looked like a bar counter though there were no bottles in sight. He was shivering, from the sight. It looked like an old renaissance painting, though the subject was anything but a renaissance painting. A pitch black faceless figure with burning flames shooting from where eyes should have been, a long hooded flowing robe made of green flames draped over the dark figure who appeared to be floating in space or some unnatural realm. The words beneath the painting like a small plaque which Cole read aloud. "The Flaming One, Lord of The Universal Spaces, Vorvadoss. What the actual fuck is this? Is this what the Nocturnis Infernis worship?" "You know nothing of our ways." "What the hell?" Cole said turning, from a wide stone stairwell in the far side of the room, descended Doctor Barker wearing black robes and holding a Luger pistol with two robed figures with bone masks holding shotguns to his left and right.
"Why are you here?" Ben asked, raising his gun while the others behind him did the same. "I could ask you the same. None of you were supposed to survive, my little castle of traps back in the woods." "Cut the bullshit who's running this place?" The doctor cracked a smile like he was waiting for him to ask that. "Well that's a little complicated sheriff." The doctor turned towards the top of the stairwell as a woman's footsteps began to descend. A robed woman with blonde hair with grey roots and a large scar going from the left side of her mouth to her ear and bright unnatural orange eyes. "Ben Aster. I wondered if you would get this far. I had a good feeling." she said with a weak sounding voice like an elderly woman though she hardly looked like one. She had a strange otherworldly beauty about her as she slowly stepped towards them. Ben lowered his gun slowly. "Lisa Grisham? Sheriff Lisa Grisham? You died." Confused Ben raised his gun again. "I wouldn't do that, sheriff." Doctor Barker warned, aiming his Luger at the sheriff's head. Pam Hodder descended the stairs in similar black robes, her dark hair flowing behind her as she handed a small black remote to the doctor and smiled at the group before ascending the staircase and disappearing.
"Ben you don't understand what we do here." "Why the fuck are you even here!? Tell me now!" He demanded cocking the revolver of his gun. "Because with a little blood every now and then, he keeps Amber safe, alive. If I didn't do what I did everyone in Amber would be dead!" Her voice boomed powerfully through the room. When I came to the false compound twenty years ago I marched in with an army of officers that died horrible deaths. I wanted to avenge them and I did. The old leader was a weak madman. His only ambition to rule Amber like a warlord." She chuckled. I tracked him here like you did with me, and I put a bullet between his eyes. After I killed him, he told me If I didn't take his place that there was a worse future That I'm afraid is where our similarities end." "Who told you?" "Him" She said with a half mad smile that for a moment bent her eery beauty into a look of madness, as she lifted a finger towards the eerie painting of Vorvadoss. "The Elder God of ambition and power. Spoke to me, I was the one he chose to replace that forgotten, nameless husk." "This is insane, you're all insane!" Francis scoffed. Doctor Barker raised his pistol and fired a nine millimetre bullet into his heart and the old man fell to the floor. "No!" Shouted Ben raising his gun and fired once at the Doctor before the two shotgun armed men opened fire.
A piece of buckshot grazed his shirt as he dived out of the way and emptied the remaining five rounds into the masked gunmen. Sending them crashing backwards lifelessly onto the stairs. The Doctor pulled a small remote from his pocket and pressed a button. You should probably check up on your friend right about now sheriff." Barker said with a grin. "What did you do with Delton?!" Cole cocked his gun and took aim at the doctor. "Ask him yourself when he rips your hearts from your chests." Barker scoffed, raising his relic of a handgun to fire again but Sarah Lydia and Cole raised their rifles and emptied them into him. A total of thirty bullets from the combined rifles holding ten rounds each. The doctor hit the stone steps hard, his glasses cracked and bloodied from a round hitting them and splitting the frame down the middle. A ferocious roar filled the chamber at the top of the staircase. Angrier than the sounds of all the other creatures it's roar shook the chamber and put out the wall sconces leaving them in darkness. Lisa's orange eyes glowed a few moments in the dark before they closed and mysteriously disappeared. A fast paced clicking got louder and louder before they were looking at it, a twitching dark creature with wolflike figures like the rest though this one had an either rusted or blood stained metal covering screwed into its head. It's eyes were bright green. A police badge hung from around the dark creature's throat. With Delton's police ID on it. "Delton?" Cole's senses fled him when he saw the badge, his friend wasn't just one of those monsters but an experiment for these lunatics as well.
"That's not your friend!" Abe yelled snapping Cole out of it as he raised the thirty eight loaded with silver rounds and fired into the creature. They did nothing as it snarled and crawled across the room, throwing the small glass table into a wall shattering it into hundreds of pieces followed by the couch being effortlessly thrown into the other wall, breaking apart almost as easily as the glass table. "Delton… buddy." Cole backed into the painting of The Flaming One. as The creature was berated with bullets from all sides and Cole dove to the stone floor and flipped onto his back, gun ready and fired everything he had at it, but the creature only snarled in rage as each rifle round penetrated its body causing it's lips to pull back a little more with each bullet before it was snarling inches from his face. He could see the green in its eyes was like a cloudy cataract only an unnatural green instead of white. A bullet bounced off the metal plate in its head and it let out a painful cry grabbing the metal dome on its shaking head as it backed away. "Hit the plate!" Cole shouted and they did, the creature tried to flee into the darkness but was actually thrown back into the room rolling across the stone floor as a massive, dark amalgamation of what they could only call a monster came into sight, it was nothing like the other creatures. It looked like a black scaly wolf with a snakes head and a large club like tail that Ben soon realized was a massive stinger. He ducked out of the way as the tail was embedded in the stone above him as rock melted away from whatever poison or acid in "They fired but the shape appeared to slither and dive around each shot as everyone wasted no time getting to their feet and running to the set of stairs the changed Delton descended. "They must be controlling him with that plate on his head."
The dark snake headed creature stared at the massive green eyed werewolf and it almost looked like words came out of its mouth before Cole and the others rushed up the stairs as the two monsters fought below. The snake monster swung it's heavy stinger tail at the werewolf who caught it and swung the creature into the stone wall. "Why won't you listen?" the snake creature cried out in an inhuman deep voice. Once again Benny remembered the words. "Vae… Victis…" the green eyed werewolf snarled in anger leaping forward and biting the snake wolf creature's scaly body. The werewolf threw the snake wolf creature's body across the room, colliding hard against the stone as black blood flowed from the bite. it's blood entered its mouth. It tasted vile, like a corpse not fit for eating. The werewolf tried to ignore it and pursue the others up the stairs but behind the werewolf heard a low hissing and turned. The snake creature leapt onto the werewolf with it's scaly wolf shaped body and impaled the werewolf with the heavy stinger and pumped it with poison which did nothing as the werewolf bit through the armored tail and ripped it off. Black blood poured from the snapped tail as the werewolf with the dented metal plate on its head and twitching green eyes raised the severed tail and stabbed it into the body at least a dozen times silencing the snake creature. Just to be safe, the werewolf twisted off the snake-like head from the scaly twitching carcass and tossed it across the room before stabbing the severed stinger into the dead creature and impaling it to the ground. The werewolf turned its attention back to the stone steps and ascended after it's prey.
Ben, Cole, Abe, Sarah and Lydia all sprinted down the narrow dark tunnel as they heard growls and roars from behind. The end of the tunnel started to turn into another ascending staircase. It appeared this tunnel went all the way to the top of the mountain. The sound of clicking claws against stone quickly grew faster and faster while snarls and barks sounded behind them. "Faster, we're almost out!" Ben called as everyone flowed out onto a narrow path overlooking the forest as well as the town of Amber in the distance. The stone path wound around the cliff leading to a large clearing of rock with a massive statue of the figure from the painting below. The creature sprinting out nearly threw itself off the cliff from how quickly it ran out the tunnel. Quickly it stopped it's fall by digging its claws into the stone and pulling itself up. When the others saw the creature they rushed into the open area at the top of the winding snow covered steps as wind blew hard around them.
Around the statue of Vorvadoss, Lisa Grisham stood with three more masked followers as well as Pam Hodder loading a large crossbow while the others raised shotguns at the group. "Put your weapons down. Now." Lisa said as she raised a small gun much like the doctor's Luger. "Stop!" her voice boomed and her eyes glowed like fire. The creature that was ready to slaughter the group, raised it's claws and stopped when it heard her voice as it sat down in a squatting position behind them. It's green eyes stared into Lisa's waiting for the order to kill. Everyone put their guns on the ground. Abe squinted, bending over and slipping his thirty eight in his pocket, he actually put down the doctor's gun which he picked up as he thumbed the six silver bullets that jangled in his pocket next to his thirty eight which still had three bullets in it. luckily no one noticed.
Sheriff you and your friends have caused so much trouble for us… a little blood keeps things at bay you couldn't imagine!" The wind blew hard. "So you have been behind the murders." "The murders mean nothing to me Ben Aster! I've spilt blood before and I will again!" "What are you talking about?!" the werewolf looked around. It scanned the mountain top with it's green glowing eyes, it dropped to all fours and crawled past Lisa to the cliffside behind the statue. A voice echoed from below. "The black goat.. With a thousand young. Your friend here's monstrous form is the result of powers not meant for this world!" The green eyed werewolf peered over the side into the dark snowy abyss below. "V…" The deep inhuman Voice began to speak slowly from the darkness. "Venatores Ultionem Vae Victis!!!" The thunderous voice boomed from beneath the mountain. "Now Shub-Niggurath's agent comes… For all of us…" Lisa muttered, lowering her gun.
The green eyed creature scurried back rising on its back legs as it snarled and roared, tearing out the metal screwed into its skull, roaring as pieces of bone and brain ripped out as the device was ripped piece by piece from its head. It's eyes blackened from green before reigniting in a bright bloodshot yellow. It turned to Lisa, Pamela and the cultists. The masked men raised their guns. One fired a shell of buckshot disintegrating the skin and fur from the front of it's skull. It snarled in anger as the bare bone skull clamped around the shooter's face like a beartrap and ripped out his jaw, eyes and nose. Pieces of his brain spilled to the ground before his body limply followed. The other tried to back away but was too slow as the wolf grabbed the shotgun and pushed it out of the way as the cultist fired into the dead night sky before the gun was ripped out of his hands. Ben Abe, Sarah, Cole and Lydia started to make their way back down the path, picking up their guns and slipping out as the wolf creature ripped the gun from the screaming cultists hand. Clutching the gun by the barrel the wolf creature buried the heavy wooden stock into the screaming man's head before pulling it out and beating his already dead body on the ground with the gun snarling as it did. Lisa and Pam backed into the statue of their god. "Pam. do it." Lisa ordered and without hesitation, Pam raised the large crossbow and fired a large silver bolt at the creature's head.
Doctor Barker's device on the creature not only suppressed its mind but also the inherent weakness of silver that came with all of the shifted werewolves. Unfortunately the bolt didn't fly fast enough and it caught it out of the air. Smoke rising from the hand that caught the bolt before throwing it into the snow. It turned the gun in its hands. Examining it before wrapping it's large hairy finger into the trigger guard with the smoking hand under the slide as it racked a shell into the chamber with a wide bony grin. Lisa's eyes glowed orange and the creature stopped in its tracks snarling. "Go… get your master. I have words with him." the beast snarled through its teeth as it lowered its head and turned back to the stone steps. It wasn't going anywhere. It was keeping them up there on the cold mountain till his master arrived. It snarled as Pam reached for another bolt. Raising the shotgun with a single hand ready to fire at her. Pam slowly dropped the crossbow and kicked it away holding her hands up as the creature grinned lowering the gun while it waited for its master.
Ben and the others ran through the tunnel wasting no time as they passed the dead cultists, Doctor Barker, and Francis Callahan as they ran through the door back into the large stone chamber. The tunnel they entered was still caved in. "Shit what do we do? Now?" Sarah asked, looking around for ideas. "Look over here!" Lydia called everyone as she approached a mine cart filled with crates. "Check this out. We can blow our way out." a crate probably a foot high, loaded with dusty sticks of TNT. "Perfect." Ben said not sure just how perfect this would be but it was the best they could do. A long drawn out howl filled the chamber coming from the tunnel leading up the mountain. "We need to hurry before more show up. Everyone push!" Lydia yelled, grunting as her and the others pushed the cart towards the cave in entrance. Ben rooted through the crate once the minecart was steady in place and pulled out a bundle of six sticks with a fuse dragging nearly two feet long to the bottom of the cart. He pulled it out and dug through his pockets for his lighter. He cut the fuse in half, lit the fuse which started to spark and burn quickly. They had maybe thirty seconds to get to the other side of the room. Everyone ran to the far side of the chamber and ducked behind a massive boulder next to some sort of drilling machine. "Everyone get down!" They all ducked as the room shook violently as the explosion rumbled the chamber. The massive dome-like ceiling was beginning to collapse as large rocks fell into the chamber. The remaining coal caught fire and quickly engulfed the room. "Everyone cover your faces and stay low!" Ben ordered taking off his winter jacket and wrapping it around his face. Lydia, Sarah and Cole did the same while Abe wrapped a long rag from his pocket and wrapped it over his mouth and nose as they circled the edge of the chamber which was filled with blinding dark hot smoke. The minecart was gone. The tunnel didn't appear to be on fire but the smoke filled the chamber to the point where seeing was impossible. "Stay close!" Ben called. They all flowed out of the tunnel.
"The hot blinding smoke replaced with a gentle falling snow and a cool breeze. Everyone put there jackets back on and Abe stuffed his rag back into his pocket. "Gerald!" Abe called. The giant that was his son was approaching from their left. His dark coat flowing beneath his massive arms as he stomped towards them. His piercing yellow eyes watched them closely. Something was wrong with him more so than usual. His left arm was longer twisted. His fingers were no longer fingers but long bone like claws all with different lengths. Almost dragging beside him. His lips were rotted off. They raised their guns and watched as they backed to the trees. Gerald glared at them with his yellow eyes before ignoring them and ducking to go into the tunnel. "He's not here for us Abe, he never was, let's go.��� Ben said, putting his hand on the elderly man's shoulder. "Right." Abe muttered staring into the tunnel which soon was erupting with flames and smoke. Even walking away he couldn't take his eyes off the burning mineshaft. Up ahead Gerald's truck hummed in the distance. The hulking giant ducked under the low cavernous roof covering his face with his still gloved arm. His other arm had begun to lose control. It began shifting on it's own and he was running out of time. If he wiped out the servants of Vorvadoss. He might be rewarded with control over his abilities. The black goat would make sure of that. He knew Benny was dead. Even through the thick smoke and fire he could smell his black shifter blood. Gerald crouched and stepped into the massive flaming chamber and towards the smell of his consort's corpse.
Even as he raced towards a goal that would surely damn his humanity he thought of his father, the keys and truck he left for him to escape if the stubborn old man survived. He should have never gotten involved with any of this. This was his mission. Beyond the comprehension of any living being. His humanity meant nothing now. He was a monster and a servant. Though if his plan was successful, a servant no more perhaps. Gerald passed falling boulders as the mine around him shook and rumbled as flames grew from all sides. He couldn't feel the heat at all as he ducked under a wooden door. Several corpses filled the room along with what was left of Benny, whose corpse had shifted beyond turning back even if he had survived. His blood smelt like the putrid offerings he made to get this power they both so recklessly abused. Gerald grunted climbing the steps. The chamber was in flames though luckily his coat was thick and he moved fast. His steps were like rapid thunder jumping four steps at a time he climbed out the tunnel opening and patted out the fire on his shoulder. Up ahead, his servant howled and the giant turned the corner. Smiling with what remained of his lips. Lisa and Pam were backed into the statue of Vorvadoss shivering. The werewolf put down the gun and looked up at it's master. "So… where is your god now." He chuckled bending down and picking up the gun. "Did you think this would end any other way?" "Vorvadoss protects us!" Lisa spat. Gerald raised the shotgun. "Call your god, He may feast on your corpses!" Gerald licked his lips with a charred black tongue as he aimed the long pump action shotgun toward the shaking women. The bone-like claw fingers on the other hand flexed and opened. "The black goat sends her regards."
Lisa's eyes glowed a bright orange as the mountain shook. The statue of Vorvadoss ignited in green flames that climbed the stone figures' robes; there were no facial features on the statue until two burning orange flames opened like eyes as the stone began to crack and move. The twelve foot stone statue bent it's head down towards Gerald with a loud crack of the stone as the flaming eyes locked on Geralds. Vorvadoss spoke into Geralds mind. "You feeble slime! Servant of the outer god, my enemy, Shub-Niggurath." Gerald dropped the gun falling to his knees. Grabbing his head in pain as a loud ringing filled his ears growing louder and louder, though the deep raspy voice spoke into his mind clear as day. "You come to my servants mountain, why? To kill them? What have you been promised aside from lies of power. You have nothing to gain serving the outer gods you fool! Only doom like what stands before you now!" The statue cracked as it's legs stepped down from the stone podium. Gerald raised the shotgun in vain and fired it at lisa, missing as the buckshot disappeared as it fired. "You are done killing… for her." Geralds mind went blank as he fell to the ground. "Now you kill for me…" Gerald screamed in agony as he felt like his innards ignited in flames. "Bring me the ones that destroyed my mountain!" Gerald vomited black blood onto the snow covered rock beneath him. "Yes… Master…" Gerald Obeyed. "Go find the ones who burnt down this place. And rip their skulls from their shoulders. Do you understand?" The towering stone figure wrapped in green flames stared down with the orange burning flames for eyes. "These servants have failed me… you must do what they failed. Now go. Kill for me."
Vorvadoss's statue turned its hunched visage to the two female cultists. "You've allowed both outsiders as well as the servant of Shub-Niggurath to desecrate my mountain. Tell me why I should not boil you where you stand and let this one take your places!?" "Please Lord have mercy. we have served you so long, we are loyal, we can help get the ones that did this!" Lisa begged the angered god. "You had better or you will share her fate." a stone finger was raised to Pamela, who had begun screaming in agony as her skin began to smoke and peel. Her agonizing screams intensified with each second before only a black haired skeleton in black robes remained. Gerald rose, his eyes were a bright green. "They are going back to the police station. I can hear them… now go, both of you." "Yes Master." They both said in quivering voices. Gerald picked up Lisa and held her in both arms as he jumped off the side of the mountain. Lisa screamed the entire way down before Gerald landed stiff as a tree into the snow, put her down. And started walking towards town.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone