talien
Community Supporter
Adventus Regis - Part 17b: The Senator’s Box
Colia Thalna, the tall beautiful courtesan, strode out of the chamber. “Where are you hiding?” she snarled.
Dulius Decula, a fat man dressed in a fine toga, followed behind her. Both had wavy-bladed knives out.
But there was no sanctuary for Sebastian. On the other side of the stands was another of the massive beasts, an insane amalgamation of vermin, corpse, and reptile. It slithered and snapped, first at Cal, then at Beldin.
Bijoux whirled her sling overhead, but Cal put out his arm. “Back!” he hissed. “Too dangerous!”
Ilmarė sang, firing arrows into the thing even as she mouthed each note. “O môr henion i dhû.” She sang of the darkness, and how she understood the night.
Colia, witnessing the combat, closed her eyes and lifted her arms. “Iä! Iä! Hastur!” she chanted.
Ilmarė’s head snapped around to look at the new threat. Colia’s words were guttural, awful, offensive. It didn’t seem possible that the sounds could come from within a human form.
“Ely siriar, êl síla.” Ilmarė sang of dreams, and shining stars.
Colia chanted louder. “Hastur cf’ayak ‘vulgtmm, vulgtmm, vulgtmm! Ai!”
“Ai! Aníron Aldebaran.” sang Ilmarė. She spoke of the desire for the star to return.
“Ai! Hastur!” Colia chanted back.
“Stop that blasphemy! Osalian take your breath for speaking such words,” said Ilmarė. “Dîn!”
And suddenly, Colia couldn’t say anything at all.
Sebastian panicked as he realized Dulius was looking right at him. He charged, knife raised, even though no sound came out of his mouth. It was all he could do to draw his own dagger. They struggled in silence.
Dulius slashed downwards, tearing Sebastian’s robes. He twisted away from the fat man and blindly stabbed outwards. He felt something warm splash on him as Dulius recoiled. Sebastian’s panicked strike had found its mark, but the man was so fat that it barely penetrated.
A huge maw bit downwards, tearing the seats apart in great stone chunks. Beldin rolled to the side and struck at the outstretched head.
But it was too fast. A paw batted at Cal, snapping him sideways into the arena. Then another pinned Beldin between its claws. Only the space between the seats saved him from being crushed to death.
It reared back its head, preparing to chew Beldin’s head off.
There was a loud CRACK!
Then the thing collapsed, rolling over and over until it flopped, dead, into the arena.
Ilmarė looked from Bijoux to the monster’s corpse in shock. “Did you do that?”
“Duck!” said Bijoux. Ilmarė ducked.
Dulius stood over Sebastian, both hands on the hilt of his blade, poised for the final blow. A red blot appeared on his forehead as Bijoux’s second sling stone found its mark. His fat corpse fell on top of Sebastian.
“Remind me never to piss you off,” Ilmarė said to Bijoux.
Sebastian backed out of the room as quickly as he could. It had seen him. He wasn’t sure how, but the unnatural thing’s eyeballs had turned to focus on him. He suppressed a chill.THE KING: The Phantom of Truth shall be laid. The scalloped tatters of the King must hide Yhtill forever.
--The King in Yellow: Act Two
Colia Thalna, the tall beautiful courtesan, strode out of the chamber. “Where are you hiding?” she snarled.
Dulius Decula, a fat man dressed in a fine toga, followed behind her. Both had wavy-bladed knives out.
But there was no sanctuary for Sebastian. On the other side of the stands was another of the massive beasts, an insane amalgamation of vermin, corpse, and reptile. It slithered and snapped, first at Cal, then at Beldin.
Bijoux whirled her sling overhead, but Cal put out his arm. “Back!” he hissed. “Too dangerous!”
Ilmarė sang, firing arrows into the thing even as she mouthed each note. “O môr henion i dhû.” She sang of the darkness, and how she understood the night.
Colia, witnessing the combat, closed her eyes and lifted her arms. “Iä! Iä! Hastur!” she chanted.
Ilmarė’s head snapped around to look at the new threat. Colia’s words were guttural, awful, offensive. It didn’t seem possible that the sounds could come from within a human form.
“Ely siriar, êl síla.” Ilmarė sang of dreams, and shining stars.
Colia chanted louder. “Hastur cf’ayak ‘vulgtmm, vulgtmm, vulgtmm! Ai!”
“Ai! Aníron Aldebaran.” sang Ilmarė. She spoke of the desire for the star to return.
“Ai! Hastur!” Colia chanted back.
“Stop that blasphemy! Osalian take your breath for speaking such words,” said Ilmarė. “Dîn!”
And suddenly, Colia couldn’t say anything at all.
Sebastian panicked as he realized Dulius was looking right at him. He charged, knife raised, even though no sound came out of his mouth. It was all he could do to draw his own dagger. They struggled in silence.
Dulius slashed downwards, tearing Sebastian’s robes. He twisted away from the fat man and blindly stabbed outwards. He felt something warm splash on him as Dulius recoiled. Sebastian’s panicked strike had found its mark, but the man was so fat that it barely penetrated.
A huge maw bit downwards, tearing the seats apart in great stone chunks. Beldin rolled to the side and struck at the outstretched head.
But it was too fast. A paw batted at Cal, snapping him sideways into the arena. Then another pinned Beldin between its claws. Only the space between the seats saved him from being crushed to death.
It reared back its head, preparing to chew Beldin’s head off.
There was a loud CRACK!
Then the thing collapsed, rolling over and over until it flopped, dead, into the arena.
Ilmarė looked from Bijoux to the monster’s corpse in shock. “Did you do that?”
“Duck!” said Bijoux. Ilmarė ducked.
Dulius stood over Sebastian, both hands on the hilt of his blade, poised for the final blow. A red blot appeared on his forehead as Bijoux’s second sling stone found its mark. His fat corpse fell on top of Sebastian.
“Remind me never to piss you off,” Ilmarė said to Bijoux.