Tragedy Of Rain
/ Tragedy of Rain 30 Chapter 30: Rainfall Part 2
Sucking in each breath taxed her lungs. Whatever toxin had coated the surface seemed to be fueling her flames, the euphoria made her feel alive. Something lashed out at her from the mist. Long elongated arms thin as bones met the sharp ends of her gauntlets. She could hear the crack of disjointed limbs as the thing tried to grab her with its other arm.
Fire burned, searing the mist and boiling it away. A thought spawned in the recesses of her mind. Was she being tainted? She ceased the flames, holding back her power. Skulking forms began to surround her. Other shadows marched behind them creating an endless wave of cultists. The mists floated around her, she could feel the power in it.
All the hallmarks of the shadow of dreams, and father of nightmares were distilled in that moment. The sweat fragrance in the air mixed in the spoiled meat of battle. The sounds of eerie music dancing amid a see of guttered cries. It was disorienting trying to capture it all.
Rain casted another torrent of flames as another hulking monstrosity swam through the fog toward her. Each time she burned the mist, small pockets of reality would free itself revealing eyeless blood soaked fiends with jagged jawlines and dark grey flesh. Within seconds the mist would take hold again, obscuring the thing attacking her. She didn't need to see it to know it was the cruelest form of sorcery she could imagine.
Fire and blade worked against them but only for a time. With each passing second Rain could feel her muscles burning. The slick air had now coated her lungs, taxing and making her feel as if she were breathing water.
She had to get out, she had to escape the mist. Bulbous hulking masses tore through the wall, their arms were like tree trunks and hefted their oversized bodies. Even through the oily backdrop they looked like the bodies of hundreds mushed together to form a living catapult. It's back protruded in the air like a cannon, sending toxins into the air and firing them across great distances. The smoke trails of each round looked like a bloody tear drop in the mist tearing through the heavens.
The sounds of fleshy foot steps marched on. An endless wave of things once human had butchered its way past the guardsman. Rain tapped the power within herself, each ball of fire scorching new waves of hestati foot slaves. They were like a wave of stones grounding against their meager forces. What she could see told her all she needed to know.
Rain was pushed back, she slew three hestati as they came up on her. Her bladed gauntlets skewing through their dirty robes. Another larger monstrosity barreled toward her on uneven legs. She dived down, barely dodging its rabid advance, and slicing the meat of it legs. As the creating fell to the earth it seemed to collapse into a mound of maggots. She burned them off her legs before rushing back to the keep.
There was no hope of fighting, the mists were doing more than fueling her. She could feel the taint seeping into her bones, trying to undo the progress she had made. She felt a knot in her stomach, and sweat pouring down her muscles as she was nearing exhaustion. If she kept fighting she feared the curse mark would take her over again. Except this time there wouldn't be an escape.
It felt heavy fighting against the mists as she ran. Remon Butcher had ignored her outcry to remain hidden. He stood out in the open, she grabbed his arm to pull him away from the fighting. He had another contraption in his hand, a smaller compact version of the muskets he had been working on. She doubted it would do any difference.
"Diva!" The voice belonged to someone she recognized. Rain looked behind her to find a thin woman, naked and with pitch black skin. She bore the face of Maxine, but her curse mark had spread across her body and converted to a dark red. Other figures joined behind, some she recognized. Zane was mutated beyond any recognition, except for his eyes. His skin was a pure white, his markings dull blue. His arms were elongated, his body reborn under the crooked care of the father.
"Come back to us diva! Don't leave us!" Rain heard the calls. A tear strolled down her cheek as she turned away to run.
More of the hestati rushed forward, finished with a pair of guards they were eager to mutilate. They met fire and death, their screams echoing in the mist. More pairs of warriors advanced and Rain understood there was no victory if she stayed at all.
She abandoned the fight, holding onto Remon as the pair fled. Inside the keep the air was still toxic, she could feel her lungs burning. The pigmentations of her skin were in flux as she fought back against the taint. The mark glowed bright white and danced across her skin.
An arm emerged from behind wrapping around her throat. She felt something sharp piercing her. But before it could drag her back it went limp. She felt something hot hit her skin and heard a scream that could not have come from human lips. A blade had sliced through it. Sir Tristan, bloodied but standing, limped toward her.
"I told you, my son shall conquer the world. Therefore I can't die until I've fathered him." He turned around to cut down another hestati. His blade cut through its chest as he kicked another away.
The trio ran until finding the stairway that led to a basement. The air was cleaner down there. It was welcoming to feel the kiss of untainted air in her chest.
"There's an escape tunnel. Another one of fathers plans. It should take us to a river. Gods willing there won't be any of these bastard there." Of course they would have a hidden escape, Rain thought to herself.
"How could we escape these things! There the stuff of nightmares!" Remon was growing pale.
"Your welcome to sit back and die, or join them blacksmith. We're leaving!" He grabbed Rains hand, carefully avoiding the sharp edges of her gauntlet, and ran down the steps.
There sprint was so fast he dropped his sword behind. Away from the mists Rain could feel her magic being sapped away. She still felt like she had tar in her throat. Her skin crawled and she felt weaker with every step. Finally the trio arrived at the bath house. The water looked grimy to the surface. They were not alone.
Rain felt a pit of terror in her stomach. Not of the tall figure standing in the center of the pool with sunken eyes and clawed hands. She felt horrified by how empty she was. It was no worse than suddenly being deprived of one of your senses. But instead of sight or sound, she felt hallow. Coldness consumed her and she suddenly fell to the ground wracked in convulsions.
Her body was suffering from withdrawal. Being deprived of all magic had starved her beyond recognition. Her hair was falling out, her limbs became a ghostly pale.
"See what happens when you abandon me!" The father looked at her with pure malice.
"Begone filth!" Tristan charged him only to be swatted away like a nat. He landed with a thud against the wall, she could hear bones crack under his armor.
A detonation sounded as Remon fired his handgun at the beast. The light froze it in a glowing display of raw savagery.
The firearm hurt him! It actually hurt him!
"Another one! How annoying!" It screamed as it focused its attention to him.
Rain tried to get in the way, but each step made her feel even weaker. Her life force seemed to be bleeding into the ground. She watched as Remon was torn to pieces in front of her.
"What a meddlesome tool! Unlike you. When I'm finished with you...oh how much fun I'm going to have!"
It's voice was razor thin and grating. But before it took one more step it lurched back. It turned around showing a dagger in its back. Sir Tristan had somehow made one last desperate attempt to fight it. The dagger he threw was stuck in between its shoulder blades.
The father looked at him almost bemused. It smiled and laughed at him.
"You can't kill me, I do not die today!" Tristan's voice was weak. Blood was leaking from his lips.
"Oh you really believe that! Let's put that to the test."
Rain wasn't paying attention to the private duel the pair were having. She was only fixated on one thing. The fathers blood. It was calling to her. Whispering of power and more. Her hollow shell of a body was drained of all power, it was starved for any it could find. And watching the fathers blood sink to the earth was intoxicating.
She ran forward, the pain in her limbs the last thing in her mind. The father noticed at the last second as she approach. She jumped on its back and pulled the dagger out. It was scorching hot to the touch.
The father grabbed her with an over extended arm. It held her in front of him with a crooked grin.
"No more running, no more promises! What?" It seemed confused as Rain fought to get closer to him. Her movement surprised him which allowed her to dislodge herself and jam the blade into its chest.
"What are you doing!" The father cried.
"Give me it! Give me all of it!" She demanded as she sank her blade in him. One hand duh with the dagger, the other carved with her gauntlet.
"Nooo!" The father clawed at her, tearing muscle and flesh from her as she dug deeper and deeper.
She ignored the pain until her blades cut into its heart. Like a heartbeat she felt something pulse within herself. She had to have it, she needed it! With one quick motion she dragged the blade out and forced her hand inside. She felt dagger like fingers stab into her stomach, carving into her raw innards. She felt ice and fire scorching her insides. Her eyes were going red then black.
None of it mattered; All reason had dissolved. There was only one thing above all she wanted. Even if it meant being torn apart for. She touched its heart and with all the strength left in the world she pulled.
The scream it made was a sound that shook the earth and burned the skies. The likes of which would never be repeated again. Like a sack of meat and bone the pair collapsed on the blood stained floor. Rains broken form a mere husk to what it was. But she had it! Its heart permeated magic from a source beyond any relative boundary. It shouldn't exist, let alone beat. But it did.
With one arm left she brought the heart to her lips and bit into it.
The raw power of tainted magic flooded her. Her mind broke only to be pieced together a dozen times before she finally felt sanity restored. When her eyes opened they perceived a black sun and red clouds. The sky was raining. Rain was renewed, her body fully restored and remade. Her dark skin and white marks glowed in the light to appear devilish. There wasn't a single scar to stain her skin. She looked down to her hands, drops of rain landed into them. Her armor was in pieces but somehow seemed to meld back together as if alive.
The rain increased into a downpour. It was then that she noticed the water was a deep crimson.
The Hestati stood before her. For several minutes they watched until she took a step toward them. As one they all fell to their knees, there heads touching the dirt.
"I reject you..." she spoke clearly to the world. Wings of fire erupted and a burning angel towered before the horde. She doubted any of them felt fear. How could they?
A shockwave of superheated air was sent crashing towards the worshiping cult. They would not have their god today. The wave sent them crashing to the trees and perishing into dusts of smoke.
"I Reject you all!" She declared to the heavens. The red haze and crimson tears ceased followed by the warming light of the sun. The world seemed to break free from the maelstrom of insanity.
"What just happened?" Remon was carrying the wounded lord on his shoulder.
They both seemed terrified of her.
Rain continued standing in the open, her feet still felt the old marble stonework but the keep around them had been uprooted and shattered all around them. She looked at them and could see the strands of energy pouring from their souls.
She felt hungry...
Chapter end
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