ForceUser's Vietnamese Adventures Story Hour! (finis)
ForceUser
Explorer
What a fun session!
Pop Quiz. After last night's session,
A) the group celebrated their victory against the Monkey Woman.
B) the group still searches for the elusive Monkey Woman.
C) everyone saw the sun again.
D) some unfortunates will never see the sun again.
E) A and C are both correct answers.
F) B and D are both correct answers.
Pop Quiz. After last night's session,
A) the group celebrated their victory against the Monkey Woman.
B) the group still searches for the elusive Monkey Woman.
C) everyone saw the sun again.
D) some unfortunates will never see the sun again.
E) A and C are both correct answers.
F) B and D are both correct answers.
Last edited:
ForceUser
Explorer
Session Four, Part Five
HIEN RECOILED as he entered the room beyond the elaborate doors, flinching as though stung by a swarm of invisible mosquitoes. Sca whimpered, hanging at the doorway, and Hiraki squawked in dismay upon the young shaman’s shoulder, fluttering its wings in an effort to stave off whatever evil lay beyond. Steeling himself, Hien calmed his companions and continued.
Holding aloft his torch, Lei discovered a long and narrow antechamber replete with Hindu murals and containing a pair of altars long disused. Made of wood and brass, graven with images of Hanuman and his trappings, they stood against the walls of the room as if shoved there with little concern or reverence. Old candles, long burned low, sat in pools of wax flaked with the dried incense of forgotten prayers. The floor lay covered in detritus and filth; the air hung heavy with the smell of fresh animal dung and the acrid scent of piss. Choking back his revulsion, the mercenary sidled into the room, careful not to disturb the ominous presence he felt beyond the opening in the wall to his right.
They all felt it, a malign and ancient force that caused despair and hopelessness to swell in their hearts. Each step became a journey, every movement a supreme effort of will. They sweated, and resolve warred with terror on their faces. Coming abreast of the opening, they peered within. Mingled with the brightness of their torches was a dim indigo light that permeated the chamber beyond. Tall and vaulted, the ceiling swelled into darkness. Supporting it were six enormous pillars of stone carved with more images relevant to the monkey god, cavorting animals and fierce soldiers upon the field. Directly opposite the opening upon a wide dais of stone squat the god Hanuman himself, massive and tall, a mirthful expression carved upon his monkeylike face. In each hand he held a scroll of wisdom and upon his head sat the sun, representing enlightenment. His eyes, however, pulsated with the corpulent glow that blanketed the room.
Before the statue, the floor wriggled and dozed with a furry carpet of monkeys. Languid, they snuggled against each other, seeming to take comfort in the wicked aura permeating the corrupted shrine. As the party shone their torches about, some of the creatures flinched away from the light and began to stir. They cackled in their animal language, warning of intruders, danger. All across the room, monkeys took up the call, coming awake and adding their voices to the chorus of outrage and hatred.
Thrusting his hands aloft, Hien begged the blessing of the spirits of earth and sky. Answering as if from far away, the group nonetheless felt immediately bolstered and comforted, as tiny invisible spirits alighted on their shoulders and began to whisper encouragement and praise. Shrugging off the lethargy that had seized him, Vinh called “Tam, get up here!” and whirled his kama-do to the ready. Gathering his ch’i, Vinh released it all at once and cried out, “By the power of my ancestors!”
His voice shook the walls, and he seemed frenzied then as he stepped forward to meet his enemy. Inspired by Vinh’s example, the others began to move, drawing weapons and rushing to meet the monkeys that even now scrambled over one another to attack the intruders. A large langur, murder in its eyes, dashed toward Vinh, and Lei cut it down while stepping up to form a line at the shrine’s entrance.
The monkeys gathered themselves and charged, a rippling wave of malice that broke against the heroes, but the line stood fast and thundered death upon the corrupted animals, who climbed over the bodies of their fallen to press savagely at the humans who had invaded their sanctum. Mai tumbled into the shrine but immediately regretted it because the unease and fear she had felt outside it multiplied then, and became a living thing of evil that gnawed at her stomach and suffocated her soul. Her stomach turned as she skewered an animal, and choking on bile she dashed back across the line.
Behind the warriors, Tam raised his arms, yellow fire blazing along their lengths. Pointing a finger, he twisted reality, and fragments of stone exploded among the back ranks of the monkeys, sending a dozen animals and parts of animals flying in all directions with a cacophonous BOOM. Gore rained down upon the survivors, and they shrieked in hatred and dismay.
With a final flurry of attacks, Lei, Woo, and Vinh slaughtered the wicked animals to the last. Many that had tried to reach the shaman and the wizard lay dead in a pile at Vinh’s feet, where he had hacked them down one after the other as they had braved his flashing kama-do. His surge of energy now spent, the no-sheng stumbled and leaned on his weapon, breathing heavily as he thanked his ancestors for lending him their vigor.
Looking around him, Vinh noticed a grim satisfaction and a new resolve in the eyes of his companions. Something had happened here. They had grown.
“So,” began Woo, wiping his sleeve across his face, “then this is it?”
Lei, gasping, shook his head. “I think not. No Monkey Woman here.”
“But what’s making that glow,” wondering Vinh, pointing at the statue of Hanuman. “Surely we’ve found the stone at least.”
“We don’t know,” Tam ventured, shaking his head, “She was said to be wearing it.”
“One way to find out,” replied Woo, pointedly looking at Mai. Shuddering, she nodded in return and steeled herself, picking her way around the piled corpses of their foes. She held herself as she went.
The others stepped into the shrine then and felt it too, reaching for walls or weapons upon which to lean, so heavy was the air of desecration in that place. Visibly shaken, they spread out and searched for any clue of the Monkey Woman. Mai climbed the dais carefully, alert for traps, and searched the statue as well. Finding none yet little at ease, she drew a rope and hook and skillfully tossed it into the crook of Hanuman’s arm. Testing the hold, she climbed toward his face, and the others stopped their searching and came forward, ready for more foul play.
When she reached the head, Mai blew out a frustrated sound and called down, “It’s not a stone. The head is hollow, and there’s a candle inside. The flame is indigo, and it burns but does not consume the wax.” She placed her face within an empty eye cavity and blew, then blew again, then shook her head. “It won’t blow out. What should I do?”
“Destroy it!” Woo cried. Mai drew her sword then and swept the black candle out of the cavity. The tiny flame flickered as it fell, and the candle splattered on the steps of the dais. The light snuffed out, but the foreboding evil in the shrine remained. Frustrated, the adventurers backed out into the antechamber.
“We should leave,” began Vinh. “There is much we must reflect on.”
“Yes,” said Woo, “It’s time to go.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
DEEP BELOW the earth, the Mother moved ponderously, gingerly stepping around the desiccated corpses of her victims. Slouching, she took delight in the subservience of the mewling creatures bound to her will. They swarmed over her like maggots seeking dead flesh, and she allowed it, reveling in the pinpricks of pain from their tiny claws. She shuddered in pleasure and the creatures quailed, afraid that their touch had offended her. She took pleasure in that as well.
Before her lay an altar carved of granite and topped with an obsidian slab inlaid with gold. The slab, once glossy, now presented a dull black surface in the indigo light, forever stained with the blood of a thousand sacrifices.
Quivering, she gathered her power, and her servants screeched and attacked each other in an orgy of violence. Ignoring them, she lifted the limp form at her feet to the altar top and bound it there. The figure moved then, a last bid for freedom, but weakness overcame it quickly and it soon lay still except to tremble at its fate.
Joy swelling in her breast, the monster that had once been Pham Thi Nhu cut deep into her victim, and with great savagery wrenched free the living heart. Blood spurted across her face and she laughed then, a terrible sound that caused her creatures to flee to the far corners of the vaulted chamber. Holding the dying organ aloft, she incanted words of supplication and rejoiced at the answer she received – throbbing, immediate and longing to be free.
Very soon, it would be.
HIEN RECOILED as he entered the room beyond the elaborate doors, flinching as though stung by a swarm of invisible mosquitoes. Sca whimpered, hanging at the doorway, and Hiraki squawked in dismay upon the young shaman’s shoulder, fluttering its wings in an effort to stave off whatever evil lay beyond. Steeling himself, Hien calmed his companions and continued.
Holding aloft his torch, Lei discovered a long and narrow antechamber replete with Hindu murals and containing a pair of altars long disused. Made of wood and brass, graven with images of Hanuman and his trappings, they stood against the walls of the room as if shoved there with little concern or reverence. Old candles, long burned low, sat in pools of wax flaked with the dried incense of forgotten prayers. The floor lay covered in detritus and filth; the air hung heavy with the smell of fresh animal dung and the acrid scent of piss. Choking back his revulsion, the mercenary sidled into the room, careful not to disturb the ominous presence he felt beyond the opening in the wall to his right.
They all felt it, a malign and ancient force that caused despair and hopelessness to swell in their hearts. Each step became a journey, every movement a supreme effort of will. They sweated, and resolve warred with terror on their faces. Coming abreast of the opening, they peered within. Mingled with the brightness of their torches was a dim indigo light that permeated the chamber beyond. Tall and vaulted, the ceiling swelled into darkness. Supporting it were six enormous pillars of stone carved with more images relevant to the monkey god, cavorting animals and fierce soldiers upon the field. Directly opposite the opening upon a wide dais of stone squat the god Hanuman himself, massive and tall, a mirthful expression carved upon his monkeylike face. In each hand he held a scroll of wisdom and upon his head sat the sun, representing enlightenment. His eyes, however, pulsated with the corpulent glow that blanketed the room.
Before the statue, the floor wriggled and dozed with a furry carpet of monkeys. Languid, they snuggled against each other, seeming to take comfort in the wicked aura permeating the corrupted shrine. As the party shone their torches about, some of the creatures flinched away from the light and began to stir. They cackled in their animal language, warning of intruders, danger. All across the room, monkeys took up the call, coming awake and adding their voices to the chorus of outrage and hatred.
Thrusting his hands aloft, Hien begged the blessing of the spirits of earth and sky. Answering as if from far away, the group nonetheless felt immediately bolstered and comforted, as tiny invisible spirits alighted on their shoulders and began to whisper encouragement and praise. Shrugging off the lethargy that had seized him, Vinh called “Tam, get up here!” and whirled his kama-do to the ready. Gathering his ch’i, Vinh released it all at once and cried out, “By the power of my ancestors!”
His voice shook the walls, and he seemed frenzied then as he stepped forward to meet his enemy. Inspired by Vinh’s example, the others began to move, drawing weapons and rushing to meet the monkeys that even now scrambled over one another to attack the intruders. A large langur, murder in its eyes, dashed toward Vinh, and Lei cut it down while stepping up to form a line at the shrine’s entrance.
The monkeys gathered themselves and charged, a rippling wave of malice that broke against the heroes, but the line stood fast and thundered death upon the corrupted animals, who climbed over the bodies of their fallen to press savagely at the humans who had invaded their sanctum. Mai tumbled into the shrine but immediately regretted it because the unease and fear she had felt outside it multiplied then, and became a living thing of evil that gnawed at her stomach and suffocated her soul. Her stomach turned as she skewered an animal, and choking on bile she dashed back across the line.
Behind the warriors, Tam raised his arms, yellow fire blazing along their lengths. Pointing a finger, he twisted reality, and fragments of stone exploded among the back ranks of the monkeys, sending a dozen animals and parts of animals flying in all directions with a cacophonous BOOM. Gore rained down upon the survivors, and they shrieked in hatred and dismay.
With a final flurry of attacks, Lei, Woo, and Vinh slaughtered the wicked animals to the last. Many that had tried to reach the shaman and the wizard lay dead in a pile at Vinh’s feet, where he had hacked them down one after the other as they had braved his flashing kama-do. His surge of energy now spent, the no-sheng stumbled and leaned on his weapon, breathing heavily as he thanked his ancestors for lending him their vigor.
Looking around him, Vinh noticed a grim satisfaction and a new resolve in the eyes of his companions. Something had happened here. They had grown.
“So,” began Woo, wiping his sleeve across his face, “then this is it?”
Lei, gasping, shook his head. “I think not. No Monkey Woman here.”
“But what’s making that glow,” wondering Vinh, pointing at the statue of Hanuman. “Surely we’ve found the stone at least.”
“We don’t know,” Tam ventured, shaking his head, “She was said to be wearing it.”
“One way to find out,” replied Woo, pointedly looking at Mai. Shuddering, she nodded in return and steeled herself, picking her way around the piled corpses of their foes. She held herself as she went.
The others stepped into the shrine then and felt it too, reaching for walls or weapons upon which to lean, so heavy was the air of desecration in that place. Visibly shaken, they spread out and searched for any clue of the Monkey Woman. Mai climbed the dais carefully, alert for traps, and searched the statue as well. Finding none yet little at ease, she drew a rope and hook and skillfully tossed it into the crook of Hanuman’s arm. Testing the hold, she climbed toward his face, and the others stopped their searching and came forward, ready for more foul play.
When she reached the head, Mai blew out a frustrated sound and called down, “It’s not a stone. The head is hollow, and there’s a candle inside. The flame is indigo, and it burns but does not consume the wax.” She placed her face within an empty eye cavity and blew, then blew again, then shook her head. “It won’t blow out. What should I do?”
“Destroy it!” Woo cried. Mai drew her sword then and swept the black candle out of the cavity. The tiny flame flickered as it fell, and the candle splattered on the steps of the dais. The light snuffed out, but the foreboding evil in the shrine remained. Frustrated, the adventurers backed out into the antechamber.
“We should leave,” began Vinh. “There is much we must reflect on.”
“Yes,” said Woo, “It’s time to go.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
DEEP BELOW the earth, the Mother moved ponderously, gingerly stepping around the desiccated corpses of her victims. Slouching, she took delight in the subservience of the mewling creatures bound to her will. They swarmed over her like maggots seeking dead flesh, and she allowed it, reveling in the pinpricks of pain from their tiny claws. She shuddered in pleasure and the creatures quailed, afraid that their touch had offended her. She took pleasure in that as well.
Before her lay an altar carved of granite and topped with an obsidian slab inlaid with gold. The slab, once glossy, now presented a dull black surface in the indigo light, forever stained with the blood of a thousand sacrifices.
Quivering, she gathered her power, and her servants screeched and attacked each other in an orgy of violence. Ignoring them, she lifted the limp form at her feet to the altar top and bound it there. The figure moved then, a last bid for freedom, but weakness overcame it quickly and it soon lay still except to tremble at its fate.
Joy swelling in her breast, the monster that had once been Pham Thi Nhu cut deep into her victim, and with great savagery wrenched free the living heart. Blood spurted across her face and she laughed then, a terrible sound that caused her creatures to flee to the far corners of the vaulted chamber. Holding the dying organ aloft, she incanted words of supplication and rejoiced at the answer she received – throbbing, immediate and longing to be free.
Very soon, it would be.
Last edited:
zoroaster100
First Post
great!
Great story hour!
Great writing!
This one is always a pleasure to read.
Great story hour!
Great writing!
This one is always a pleasure to read.
Warrior Poet
Explorer
And now it's time for your regularly scheduled praise for this story hour. Please stand by ...
Huzzah!
We now return you to your anticipation.
Warrior Poet
Huzzah!
We now return you to your anticipation.
Warrior Poet
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