Wraith of the Mother 01
is there any reason or rhythm for putting this up here today? Absolutely not. good luck everyone. [I hope I get the tags right]
Based on an annon request/ask from months ago, and after talking on my Doom Discord and SOMEONE [ @thespiritofcliffhangers ] encouraging me... have a very, VERY lost Gecko.
Really, crossing the void should come with more warnings.
@noris-stoneward you might like seeing this here too.
[part 2]
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01: Lights In The Dark
What is it? The voice came from the ever present darkness. Sounding… large and ethereal, so much different than anything he once knew. There was something sharp in that voice as, but not like a blade pressing on him, more like cracking, groaning ice from a distance.
There was something like a deep sigh, a second voice rumbling out of the darkness. Gravel in that voice like someone that had a hard, tiring life. More earthy than the first speaker, and on the edge of dosing. Distracted by sleep or something small she was focusing on. A brat of some kind, lost I would say? Like so many here.
She. Both were female voices that came from the darkness. So very, very different from anything he had heard from the darkness. Or the warped, fragmented whispers in the void.
Be kind, Sister, it is clearly lost. But is… almost familiar? The first speaker scolded the older one, and there was a sense of the mass moving from her. Searching… for him?
Was it not… bad for something to look for you in the darkness? It had been. He almost could remember why. Almost, but like so, so many things it was all fuzzy and starting to break apart.
What are you seeing Gaia? Nothing is there, just drifting souls. The older voice almost seemed to sigh, seeming to be very tired and finally turning her attention away from what was holding it before. There's so many that had died on this world, Sister. Souls that are lost on the metaphorical shores before the river between worlds. It’s going to be a mess to clean up even if the others wake up.
It's not just that, Bastet. Something is alive in the dark. Not being consumed by Jakkad. The soul is near, or nearer to you… I think.
Is it one of our children? One of their other sibling races?
Voices in the dark… One like ice, oddly soothing against his senses. The other like earth and gravel, just as strong if not stronger then the first to become a pillar of solid strength for what was around her. Both were giving of something that his weary mind and soul could absorb in passing. Like feeling rain on skin for the first time after months in armor…
Armor?
Did he still have a body?
There you are, child. That coolness from the dark was breathed over him, washing over his back and curling around his drifting mind. It was so oddly… gentle, cool, that he wondered if he was dreaming in the darkness again. It was not… not like he was instinctually expecting attention from the darkness to be. It should be painful, attention drawn to him should be resulting in what was left of him being torn apart and devoured.
Only it was not.
It was coolness pressing in behind him. His broken self was being nudged back together and wrapped in ice, only it did not… hurt.
That was more confusing than everything else starting to happen.
Oh child, why would I wish to do something harmful to a lost soul? The first speaker, Gaia? She half asked, voice vibrating through him with something alien, and it took a good long time for him to place it as reassurance. Something in a vast, consuming darkness, was not eating at his soul, not wanting to take his light. But offering something soothing.
For the first time in what seemed like decades (or was it centuries?), he felt the connection to his body again. Felt like crying as the unseen mass was coming up under him, leaving his almost detached soul sprawled over something massive and wide. Laying on a head?
The second speaker was felt drawing herself up and was both older and even bigger then the first. Coming over with suspicious interest. I know that scent of power. What did you Find Gaia? If it's one of those spawn from across the deeper dark…
It’s a mortal. Gaia said, and then seemed offended as the bigger presence in the dark nosed into check what was found.
He was being inspected, judged. Very clearly he was being judged by an older being then what was in the warp-
…what was that again?
Somewhere bad.
Something that he used to have to balance being able to use it, and not being seen by… by…? Them?
This was a greater darkness then there. Empty but for him, and these two great old things… mothers?
The judgment came, as something in him struggled to find his body. He was on the very last dregs of mental strength. Even dreams and nightmares were not coming anymore as there was pressure from the second speaker, Bastet.
What’s happening to him, sister? Gaia was worried, and her blessed compassion was flooding from below and vibrating through him.
He’s stretched too thin. Bastet said, and there was a sense of jaws bigger than his whole self opening in the dark. The breath was, again, so oddly soothingly cold. And he could feel his body for another flicker. Those spawn have an anchor to part of his soul. They do that to always find and eat the mortal lives there, instead of letting them pass to the next world and life. He is… stretched. Thinned from the crossing to our territory.
That is why we keep them away? Even as he was lifted off Gaia, she sounded and felt close, but so was the sense of being cradled in massive jaws like a dragon’s.
That’s why we eat them when they come, sister. Dealing with Jakkard is enough. Bastet snorted around his soul, looking and seemed to find the tether to his body. Letting it slip between her fangs harmlessly before finding what felt like the… well, the stretched and stranded part of him. This might hurt boy, but you will be able to live properly.
Cold, primordial energy rolled over him. Flooding around and numbing what was left of him before those massive jaws dropped. Biting through the stretched thin part of him, severing the mentioned anchor and binding. Everything flared in agony as a part of himself was broken. Wanting to scream in the darkness but no sound came as more numbing cold came flooding around him. This great being was suddenly coming into hazy focus in his mind’s eye. Like the connection to the other place… warp? Like that place had blinded him to these beings
He just saw the glowing inside of a great, lizard-like maw. Impossibly large, fangs bigger than his own leg, but room for him and his…armor? He was in armor? He was in his body again? Liquid energy that did not burn but soothed was swirling around his own self in the massive jaws. As he watched that shimmering liquid was absorbing into himself, through cracks in the armor that was not caused by these beings.
You’re too weak for a gift right now. The older being said, Bastet was opening her maw, and for the first time in possible lifetimes he saw… stars. A hundred, million specks of light filling up the darkness.
Stars.
Life.
There was life here?
Gaia chuckled, the sound amused and almost painfully fond. Fond of him for just being alive. More than you know, lost one. What are you going to do with him, sister?
Put him where our children can help. There was a tilting of the great jaws holding him. As if the older being was shrugging. Then addressed him, sounding very much like something he should know while moving. When you’re strong enough, seek us out again child. My son, and his followers will take care of you. If you are not so frantically delusional as the last one that made it here, that is. Be kind to our children, and grandchildren, and you will heal with the love you seemed to have lacked in your home realm.
What are the ones where he came from? How do they know to make children like ours? Gaia was asking outside as there was a sense of power building and fanning out all around the older one. The massive jaws opened partly again to show the stars, but moving this time.
Those spawn do not properly create life, but fling chaos and energy at the wall to hope something sticks. Bastet was lowering her head, letting him slide out with a pool of that shimmering liquid, he grunted and then gasped at feeling solid ground. The pain of his body, as he collapsed back into himself, was oddly welcomed after so long in the all consuming void. The voices of the beings started to fade as they drew back into the darkness… no, into the sky itself?
One of those spawn had seen our first children long ago Gaia. Before you ascended. Only one has ever gotten away from us Wraiths.
That one tried to copy our children?
He must have, this one is like both the Argenta, and your humans. Somewhere in between I think...
...will he be safe with your beast of a son...?
Oh he’s not that bad.
Your feral son tried to eat my tail!
Good! It should keep you on your wing tips!
He blinked up at the expanse of stars, trying to understand who these beings were. As well as who they were talking about. Most of what they talked about had all gone over his head, more so with the feeling of being… rooted? The other senses were all dulled, numbed pain from whatever Bastet had severed him from. His body felt cold, but oddly not in a bad way.
He was lying crumpled in his armor and against stone. Carved stone? The liquid energy was still pooled around him but slowly soaking in through the cracked armor and into him, reviving and healing. Mostly healing.
The right arm stayed unmoving and at an odd angle, while the left twitched with reviving nerves. It hurt, but he was aware it should hurt a lot more as his legs started to twitch. The left one was not responding like it should as well. He felt pain in the right knee but nothing from the left.
Was he coming back to life?
Had he died?
He coughed, something rattled inside his chest, but it settled for now once he was breathing better. The man sagged into the hold of his armor, likely the only reason he was able to be sat upright. It was… strange to try and sort out what he was seeing.
He could see space, not recognizing the pattern of stars. He could see the vast expanse of pale gray and white chucks that took up part of the sky as a debris field. A moon or small planet that had been cracked… but for natural space born reasons? Not a purging?
…why would something be so bad to break a small planet…?
Something hazy in his memory tried to flicker up past the damage and stress that happened being in the Darkness for so long. The thought, or memory, did not quite make it up.
Another rattling, deep breath was attempted, if he kept his breathing shallow it was quieter. Easier to do the breathing thing. It had let him know his armor was definitely cracked, seals had degraded, and there breathable air where he was. He could smell stone around him, water distantly, and… plant life?
There were definitely plants closer to him, and not dead ones but… living green.
He blinked, then again realizing that he could. He was alive, barely it seemed like but taking breaths once more in his own body. He was watching the unfamiliar stars. The man- he was sure he was a man, lifted his head in his helmet, not much as there was some sort of icy buildup around his joints.
He saw an overgrown clearing that might have been a courtyard. Large trees that once might have been manicured, but now sprawled out and shaded the yard between two massive buildings more than likely intended. Almost fully cover the half he was not in.
Was he not in the courtyard?
…no, not exactly. He was on the edge, his legs were definitely in the courtyard. He was sprawled out on his back looking up through... a wall? It might have been a building or just a wall? What was left of a building? Did he do that?
He could see just the stars and the moon or planet fragments from there. Lifting his head got a look into the greenery. The world around him was coming back into focus. Not just the details of the leaves and what might be fruit, or nuts. There was definitely water moving somewhere, out of sight.
Simple water sounded amazing, flowing over rocks maybe. The idea of water to drink too, was even greater… idea. Thought. Craving?
Definitely a craving, his body wanted and needed water. Enough so that he finally struggled to lift his arms, and it was strangely a struggle to do so. He could start to flex his left hand, hearing and feeling things breaking off his fingers. He was just able to turn his head in the helmet, feeling another grind of debris but he was able to get a look at his left hand.
Now he could watch and be sure that his hand could flex in time with his thoughts. Testing what he could do, and slowly was able to grasp at the stone wall he was laying on. It took two tries to get a good grip, the first time he had grabbed a loose chunk. Having a grip, he could pull himself forward, back upright and wedge himself by the armor on the side of the wall he was…in. On? In.
He growled in frustration at first, as it felt like everything was refusing to move. Joints grinding and popping, and it was not clear if it was the joints in the armor or his own bones grinding. It could be both as the man glanced down, his right arm was definitely not responding at the elbow joint down.
He had to wedge his shoulder into the stone wall, using the left hand only once sure of his balance. The man, or, maybe not fully a man, reached up to touch his chest plate, scraping off some of the build up. Getting a look at it, it seemed like a mix of silt, frozen mud and something that dried over top. Sediment?
He did not seem to have been buried, but then eyeing the two walls and one being connected to another that was now missing.
He turned back to the garden like space. First things first, getting to where he heard water. He automatically tried the mostions to get up, as if to walk but had to grab the wall as he started to lose balance. Once under control again, he looked around and as this was survival time, not pride time, he carefully moved one leg. Needed to reach down to move the unresponsive left leg.
It was more controlled then it would have been if he did not hold the wall, but he slid down to his knees. He had control of his upper legs, could flex his stomach and brace his good arm on the ground. Hand spread, feeling the give of soft earth.
For a moment he wondered what it really felt like. The earth under him looked dark and healthy as far as he could tell. No ash and a lifeless, dehydrated layer as he dug his metal covered digits into it. He looked up, scanning around as it gave him another perspective.
There.
In the shade of the overgrown trees, the water was almost visible in the mix of the overgrowth and carved stone. A fountain, one with water that was moving.
That was his first goal, getting over there. Hells, even if it was stagnant he needed it.
Flex his stomach, hold himself in a hunch to stretch his arm out. Get his balance and move one leg at a time. It was not the fastest way to move, but it was steady and after a long enough time that some of the moon debris shifted position over head. It was notably darker by the time the man got himself to the water. More of the build up had fallen, taking with it some paints off the armor’s top layer.
As far as he could tell the armor itself was still good, not corroded as far as he could tell. His left arm at least was mostly clear of the build up and ice after all that movement. Some bits stuck on him like dried cement, but the flakes were shaken off as he grabbed the curved, thick stone of the fountain.
It was only a foot or so off the ground on the outer ring. The pool of the fountain was deeper than the ground level, possibly as deep as his arm as the man twisted to prop himself up on the outer ring. He could see slow movement inside of small fish, and plants that drifted over the surface. Some sort of water movement inside, as well as a few trickles of water from the inner stone ring.
He was taking stock of what was around, catching his breath so to say. Some part of him annoyed at himself, then tensed realizing very belatedly that he was not alone-
The man stilled, staring at the figure over him, and winced in his helmet. Realizing again, belatedly that he had missed that the center of the fountain was not another armored form. At least not real armor, the stone had a lot of fine detail in it though, under the crawling vines that it had startled him. The weapon it grasped in its hand though was real, shining metal that was not rusted. It was in a kneeling position, as if resting after fighting.
Still stone, just nearly as big as him, if not a bit bigger.
He did not recognize the armor at all, the man watching the statue as he felt around the collar of his armor. Feeling around the helmet and digging some of the debris. There should be a latch, and with the holes in his armor as it was, he was breathing the air. The man looked back at the statue, and then focused beyond it, scanning around. He saw movement in the air and automatically scanned.
Something was flying, clearly, but it was moving like an animal, not hunting. One larger pale, dragon-like creature with a large wing span as it back winged. Then three much smaller ‘dragons’ fluttered up after the big one. A mother teaching her hatchlings how to fly?
It was a simple thing, but… nice to see.
The longer he watched, the more it did just seemed like local animals playing in the air. Definitely not mutated… mutated…
Mutated what?
A squeak happened closer, much closer and he started to tense. Gaze landing on the startled little set of eyes staring at him from around one of the big trees.
A child?
Unharmed, living and even to his dulled other sense, whole. No corruption of… the… the warp? No corruption, no…
What had those voices called it… a tether. No ‘anchor’ like he was used to sensing, even in himself.
There was a rumble from his chest, staring at the little one. His hand lowering from around his neck, hesitated and tried a greeting. Voice not what it should be for his scattered memories. Rough, scratchy and barely making it past his armor, yet he tried.
“Hello… small… sm… one.”
Oh, well, his head felt strange now that he had reflexively reached out with his other senses for the first time since meeting the voices.
Or perhaps everything else felt strange around him. It flowed and swirled out from a point that felt like that older voice, somewhere near. Somewhere close enough to keep things alive. He had the sense of a shield wrapped around this…world? Fractured part of a world, considering the debris in the sky.
Yet the feeling of that shielding energy was cool and… safe??
It was such an alien feeling of sensing such power and not having to fight for his mind. That it was just there in the background but safe.
He was sagging back into his armor to rest, tired and distracted enough to not feel the little one pushing at his good arm.