Chương 24: The Horrors of Whispers

{pictures in the end comment will be added at a later date or in another chapter.}

They say that in the depths of the earth sleeps a horror… A horror that is an insane dragon… one that in his sleep… heard their call… a call that twisted his destiny… for in his dreams they waited… they planned and reached… their corrupting whispers… seeped into the very fabric of the dream…

And in that dream slept the furbog… innocent and cute creatures who knew no better… took the dark tendril hands… and with it… sealed their destiny… and while they fought and died… to steal away the sleeping druids from their dens… the satyrs who oversaw… laughed with a vile smile that showed their inner selves!

→ Excerpt by Ogmot the Mad←

As a village burned in… fire, the buzzards swarmed corpses that slept on the greenery floor… that bathed in innocent blood… Blood that the old ones enjoyed… the same blood that now stuck onto Lanthios' sweet hands, as he was swept across the grass… seeing his hands and face covered with blood that wasn't his own, but that of many others sent a shiver of anger down Cynthia's back…

[Lanthios…] said Cynthia with a threatening tone

Scared, Lanthios thought of his response, but before he could utter a single word, the mutant furbog roared with painful intensity! As one side of his face grows out a big disgusting orange eye! That glared at Lanthios! And with a hidden shadowy smirk, the painful blood that poured from its eye…mixed in with that of the innocent blood… and with it…out came a burst of void energy! Energy mixed with nature… to open a window into the dream! A window that leaked out cursed whispers from a cursed creature…II'gynoth!

[titan spawn! No…wait… not a titan spawn… but one of hers… it matters not… your placement of the time will not change the events to come… the torches will still be lit… and her heart is still our cradle! The king of diamonds is still a fool, while the boy will serve another!

Even with our deaths… oh! Wonder of the stars… you cannot change it! Fate and destiny are our seals… forever… bond… to serve! The void will consume all…even us… the light… will forsake you!]

Hearing the dark words of a creature born of the old one… Lanthios stared back into the bleeding eye for but a moment before replying:

{you're right I can't change it… but not because I can't... But because I don't want to… this destiny that you said is sealed… I'm fine with it… for I wouldn't want to change a damn thing about it! Ha… I'll enjoy the ride…}

This response confused II'gynoth… but then after a second of waiting... The ground shook, while the void portals vibrated in…joy… with a hardy laugh from the void creature, II'gynoth said through multiple changing visions:

[as you said… I too will enjoy the 'ride'…even the moment of my end…]

With those words, the void window collapsed like a closing eye, to which Lanthios's mind returned from the dream… and the moment that he did, he said while staring at the poor furbog used as a medium…

{I hope you will enjoy the show as much as I will enjoy it! As for you furbog… go with the light!}

Unfortunately, the poor creature could not hear the words of Lanthios… for the furbog was lost to its madness as it roared a charge! With mind-flays shooting from their respective tentacles! Mind flays that picked up blood and dirt with no rhyme or reason… complete madness was all that drove the furbog in its attacks!

Seeing through the pattern of its madness, Cynthia and Cetrisa bobbed and weaved through the raging purple beams, as the creature solo focused its claws at Lanthios! With bubbles of light and an inner will of fire, Lanthios played the kiting game!

As the earth was broken, and corpses put to shame, the furbog smashed trees that Lanthios used to hide from its sight or to by distance… cautious with mana, Lanthios only cast what, and when he deemed it necessary, he covered for Cynthia and Cetrisa injuries, he protected them when they took a claw to weapon! He freed them from their shackles caused by the mind fray whenever possible…

But even with their persistence in backstabs or gouges or blood loss caused by ruptures, the furbog just wouldn't relent… with fist size holes and rendered flesh, the furbog looked like a bloody mess, its once white fur comply soaked red and its big eye impaled by throwing weapons...

But with each attack, Cynthia grew worried, while Cetrisa grew tired… and Lanthios's little legs began to shake… time was running out! And with a smirk of madness, the furbog raised his arms and roared! And with his roar out came void tentacles that shackled the feet of all who were too close!

With his prey finally caught, the furbog focused all his remaining void energy into a giant purple bomb above his head! A bomb that would even claim his own life when set off, but even if it knew this, the furbog would not care… he was too busy enjoying the moment…

Seeing the bomb forming above the furbog, Lanthios didn't waste a moment… instead, he smiled and said to himself:

{finally, I can stop running… I now have time…}

And with that time, Lanthios focused on the light within him, and like a giant golden bell had rung… An enormous bubble formed around Lanthios, Cynthia, and Cetrisa… but it wasn't enough… and Lanthios knew that… but there wasn't anything else he could do… so like he promised II'gynoth… he smiled and enjoyed the show…

And in that enjoyment, out came the sound of a roaring horn! The horn of the druids! And with that sound, the nature vines wrapped themselves around the furbog! With their thorns cutting deep into its legs, not that the furbog cared…

With the leading druid covered in scars and fresh blood from war, he stood tall as he directed the other druids to call down a moon! A giant moon, so beautiful…so holy… one filled with Elune grace…then as one… they called it down! They called down the blazing fires onto the servant of the void!

It clashed with his void bomb! Drowning it and the furbog in a beautiful blue flame! But as his flesh melted and his blood boiled, a crazed smile never left his face! As he lost control of the void energy! And with an exaggerated haunting laugh...the bomb went off! With a purple explosion filled with silences encompassed the world… and in that silence…Lanthios opened his eyes to a scene of blue ghosts… the spirits of the forests… the souls of former night Elfs…

Though Lanthios was grateful for their aid… Cynthia could not hold back her tears… As she watched those sprites… disintegrate like dust in the wind… they had expended all they could to protect the three'… even at the cost of their own corporal form….

Cetrisa on the other hand, didn't show much of an expression, because to her… even if she were to die, she would only return back to the legion… so, death to her was of little consequence in the long run.

But while she didn't care, Cynthia turned to Lanthios. She was about to scold him when she noticed that his skin glowed with light! As he approached the hole that was left behind by the furbog. But as she stared into the crater that held a bone statue of the furbog, she decided to keep silent just a little longer to see what Lanthios was up to.

In Lanthios' point of view, the statue glowed in the purple-ish-red hue that shaped an old one! One that Lanthios knew all too well…for it shaped the great one… N'zoth! But seeking deeper Lanthios noticed that this was a lie… though it looked like N'zoth... It felt different… looked different… breathe different…

And like the starry sky, a black curtain opened a window into the rift of Aln! And there… in the center of a palace made of madness and emptiness… sat upon a throne made of dead worlds… a being… a black star… a god formed from the vastness of emptiness… were by his thrown sat corporal beings wrapped in paper cloth… and like a vision from an old television, black static that rained in black blood poured down…

In that moment… of static vision… Lanthios felt fear… even as the light shaped him… for even as he stood in the being presences, maddening whispers were but a simple itch compared to just looking at this god… this king of the void! Where even the wave of his hand told a story of a galaxy's birth and death… this king… was the shepherd of the stars!

It made Lanthios feel so small... So insignificant… with this realization the king of the void, took one small glancing look and Lanthios… A simple glance that made Lanthios realize why Sargeras betrayed his brothers and sisters…

{phew… HA..hA…hah…. I see… so this is... This is what leads the lords of the void… I wonder then oh! God of the void… what branching futures do you see when you look at me! As I wonder what future the light has planned for me… haha… but I guess someone such as I... am only worth one single glance…BAhahah!} said Lanthios with a mockery smile.

Hearing this... creatures' born of light and order… feeble words… the king looked again into his future… and while its eyes opened like a crescent moon… light shaped hands covered in feathers gently hugged little Lanthios to her bosom… as Lanthios fell silent in its embrace… the light being who looked like a goddess looked at the king of the void and nodded…

As she vanished with the light, the void king scoffed and said:

[by such a worm… I'm to die… and by such a worm… the light will rest in regret… for all things return to the vast emptiness… but there must always be a shepherd…]

Several hours later:

{ah… my head…} said Lanthios as he woke from the dream in a bed made from the finest of feathers…

With a shake of the head, Lanthios barely had time to turn his head to the right, when he heard a voice in the night:

[oh! You're finally awake!] said Cetrisa like a cat in the shadows with her shimmering eyes…

{guh.. Ya... but it feels like my head got slammed by a truck! But what happened?} asked Lanthios but suddenly stopped, as Cetrisa walked into the moonlight grace that came through the window.

For the gentle light of the moon stimulated the beauty of her pink skin, while at the same time, giving her eyes a memorizing taste… her skimpy outfit of course not leave much to the imagination…

Of course, Lanthios knew this was a demon in disguise but still… the 'view' was beautiful if nothing else… But Cetrisa being a succubus in the skin of a night elf, easily felt Lanthios's slight arousal and blushed a little, but quickly hid it as the door to the room burst open!

[good! you're awake…] said Cynthia as she approached Lanthios threateningly.

Seeing how angry she was, and knowing he had no good excuse, Lanthios just accepted what would be… So, with a slap to the face that was soon covered with a hug that could kill, Cynthia said:

[Do you even know how worried I was… and how mad I am at this moment!]

But unable to breathe… Lanthios could only reply with:

{...}

[look... Lanthios you need to be more careful... The druids were already wary of you before this incident but now… not only did you ignore their instruction and go to the battlefield, but even looked through the Rift of Aln… They're scared that you may have been corrupted!] continued Cynthia as she tightened her grip.

But with no words to say, Lanthios simply continued to hug Cynthia as the druids outside the inn of Dolanaar, discussed their future plans concerning the boy.