Ending H (Fear & Hunger) Ch. 13.0- Wizened or Witless?
I'm doing something a little different this time and making what I guess could be called a 'multi-choice' chapter. The parts will be finished soon so I hope you enjoy!
The last of the Fellowship is the current reigning king of Ma'habre but it couldn't be the old man that stands before you, could it? Still... there's an undeniable power in his eyes that makes you shiver in disgust. Is there a point to delving any deeper, or should you just give up while you still retain the remnants of your sanity?
âYouâd do well to stay clear of that cursed, rotted place.âÂ
You had already delved too deep. Could you simply just⊠leave? The man before you was old, ancient, with dark, leathered skin and an iron-grey beard that spilled over his legs and onto the ground. He was hunched over as though pained by the years that he carried on his back. There was⊠something about him, what, you were uncertain of, but whatever it was, it made your stomach twist into knots and made your fingers reflexively tremble and reach for your weapon. Your companion, Frederick, already had his weapon drawn and was pointing it at the stranger, who didnât even spare him a glance as he stared a hole straight through to your core.Â
âA man cannot attain true godhood. The souls of men are too wicked and tainted, too frail to do so.â With the heel of his foot, the old man tapped on one of the cages behind him, the dog within barking loudly and lunging against the metal walls that contained its feral fury. Every time the cage jostled violently, your heart sank to the depths of the Abyss and came surging back up whenever the beast remained locked in place.Â
âWhat do you know of godhood, old man?! Youâre nothing but a fool! A fool that-â As Frederick spoke, the man burst out into laughter, though it was sharp and cruel and lacking any warmth of joy.Â
ââA foolâ! Yes, yes! A fool, indeed! Though a fool that you will not best, methinks.â His eyes finally shift away from you and land on your companion, his shoulders visibly bristling under the old manâs gaze.Â
âWhat was that?! You think I am incapable of killing the likes of you-?!â
âD-Donât-â
â-do not TOUCH me-! You little wretch-!â As you reached for his sword arm, Frederick pulled it from your grasp. He never turned away from the stranger and spat in his direction. Phlegm landed on the manâs steel-toed foot, his facial expression never wavering as he watched your companion turn to walk away from him.Â
â-you arenât worth the effort it takes to raise my sword arm. Come-â Frederick beckoned you over his shoulder as he left the kennel. His footsteps were wet in the urine-soaked floor and echoed against the templeâs walls. A knot formed in your stomach as you watched him walk away.
â...fool. A foolâs ego is a terrible thing, indeed.â The old man was staring at you again, almost as if he was sizing you up. You feel that, if he werenât so enfeebled and you armed, that he would have inflicted some sort of evil upon you. Sensing your discomfort, he smiled, again void of any warmth or friendliness, just as most things in this accursed place was.Â
âAre you a little weasel? Or are you capable of something more?â He was looking you up and down, his eyes raking against your body with enough intensity that you could feel his gaze on your bare skin. It made you shudder in disgust and fear.Â
âHmph- No, I doubt very much that you could do more than be an extension of a foolish manâs dominionâŠâ The old manâs laugh was harsh and kicked your body into motion. You left him, gooseflesh covering you from head to toe.Â
Rounding the corner, you can still hear the manâs laugh ricocheting off the walls around you. Frederick was already down the hall, not having bothered to wait for you to follow him. He knew that you would follow him and you did, blindly and with your head down as the old manâs words still repeated in your head.Â
âI doubt you could do more than be an extension of a foolish manâs dominionâŠâÂ
In between the clacking of your and Frederickâs heels, a loud, metallic clank snaps you out of your thoughts. It must have started Frederick too, as he stopped mid stride and exclaimed aloud-
âWhat the hell was-?!â
The sound of claws scraping for purchase on the urine-slick floor and barks loud enough to reverberate throughout your bones nearly deafens you and freezes you in place. Four large, ragged and frothy-mouthed dogs barreled down from the side room that the old man was standing in. Cold fear freezes the blood in your veins. W-Why would he-?Â
Frederick was frozen too, eyes wide and limbs stiff, unable to raise his sword. You both only need to flee deeper into the temple to reach the end of it all. The endâŠ? Or⊠another path? The temple was the beating heart of this old, decaying place and the entire reason why he journeyed to this terrible place. He couldnât even remember what the country that he hailed from looked like. What it sounded like⊠What it smelled like⊠You were just the same as he, losing what you once were every passing second that you are in this terrible black.Â
If you remain in place, you will die, but you will die as yourself and not what you could possibly become should you fall into the shadow of the last withering new god.Â
