The doors to the church are not locked and the group sneak in. The first thing they notice is a slight headache which turns into a dull pain that seems to permeate every cell in their bodies, like a deep chill. It is very unpleasant.
Milan is far up ahead to the left, near the altar, above which, suspended in mid air, are two huge contra-rotating concentric rings of a dull rusty metal, probably iron, one inside the other. They are about a foot wide and the outside diameter of some 30'. In the centre is a dimensional hole, not unlike the one back at the theatre, but much bigger, almost filling the space inside the rings. The inner edge of the ring scintillates with silver flecks of energy and shimmers with St Elmo's Fire. Standing against the far right wall near the altar are two rows of creatures, big armoured humanoids. They are totally still, no sign of life at all. 
Oddly, off to Milan's left is a girl, perhaps 13 or 14. She stands very still, blank expression, her lank hair falling about her shoulders is oddly grey for someone so young. Marcel also recognises her face, it is one of the young girls from the first village they encountered. She was one of the girls about to pass the ceremony of womanhood, the ceremony for which Leopoldo was going to be a sacrifice, but a sacrifice to what? She was an almost tubby girl when they last saw her, now she is gaunt and skinny.
Floating above the alter is an odd, iron sculpture of Christ which lacks any legs.
Milan meanwhile is talking up to the black hole.
<A very deep voice or voices perhaps> "We see you again Milan Zdradnik. The attack on the Guardian was successful?"
"Yes, zat threat has been removed. Many of the Legion of Wrath vere destroyed."
"It matters not. There are more. Many, many more. We were most impressed by your ability to maintain the portal rift. You are getting stronger."
"Yes, it vas hard vork. Ze boundaries between your dimension and mine are surprisingly tough and very energized."
"It seems that the actuators we spoke of are not active. This is very good. Did you find any evidence of their key mechanism?"
"No but zen I do not know vhat I am looking for and since you said it could be anyzing, ze search is a little fruitless!"
"The Guardian will have left it but will have made it safe, disguised it. You must find it Zdradnik! Find a way of detecting it."
"I left a few of ze Legion searching."
"This is not work for them. Do it yourself or get some of those human slaves to do it. What about that adolescent female?"
"Pah, she would be too young and anyway she is nearly drained. She is only good for being ze portal keeper now.”
"Portal keeper?"
"I prefer to avoid any possible trans-dimensional backlash so she acts as a key and fuse to open and close ze portal. Any dangerous energy surges pass through her and not me. Ze Depravity of Faith is still here with me you know."
Milan waves his hand vaguely off to the left and for the first time the party notice the presence of an indistinct creature in the shadows of the church beyond the girl. Its smoky indistinct shape, tall and looming, shifts, twists, changes constantly, sometimes showing noticeable shapes: biped, quadruped, winged, but never the same twice as they look.
They also notice that the stone floor on which it stands is blackened and grey, the colour sucked out of it, the great slabs cracked like a dry lake bottom. Smoky tendrils drift out from the creature, feeling the air around it, distorting the air itself. A couple brush ever so lightly across a pew, which dries, buckles and twists beneath the caress, before turning grey and falling apart as the middle of it crumbles into dust and fine wood fibres.
"So we see. The Depravity has accepted you, but do you accept our offer?"
"I have considered it at length and I have decided to accept your offer Chaos Lords."
"Good, we see much potential in you. You can be of great service to us. In return there is much we can teach you. We see that you are now able to create this little world of yours."
"It is good. I have been practising and I am now able to Shadow Walk briefly to my real home and collect some belongings of mine. Most impressive"
"Good, with knowledge and your increased strength there is much you can achieve, but you can become oh some much more Zdradnik, so much more. However remember, what we give, we can also take away. Do not cross us. Now, go and find the Guardian device and seek the gamma-rift that first drew our attention to this dimension."
"Zis gamma-rift you are so interested in still persists hmmm?"
"Yes. Usually they are quite transient. We thought it was just the usual natural phenomena but it appears it is being held open from your side. Find it Zdradnik, find it. We need that rift secured."
<pause>
"You cannot come yourselves can you?"
"What?"
"I have been observing you most closely for weeks now, since you first made contact, and you don’t have ze power to open a hole to my world I’m thinking or, or perhaps you cannot survive here hmmm? You send your minions but seem very reluctant to come yourselves."
"Do not question us puny human! The boundaries to your world are strong but we will breach them soon and you shall see us in all our might!"
"Ha, zo very interesting. Since you cannot safely come here it seems you need me but I zuspect, not necessarily ze other way around? I have what I want here. Oh yes I am enjoying myself in zis new milieu but you, you are hungry for something, something here. Vhat is it eh Lords? Vhat do *you* need so badly?"
<Angry> "DO NOT seek to push your own agenda here Zdradnik."
A stream of black energy pours out of the hole and flows around Milan, up his body. The Legion of Wrath move as one, quickly with a clacking of hard feet on the stone and arrange themselves around the small old man.
"And vhat if I am? I am no longer just zome old and frail man to be used and thrown avay. My powers grow! In that world of yours you may be ze Chaos Lords but in zis one...I am!"
"This is a pitiful little dimensional fold you have here. Lord of virtually nothing is what you are at the moment."
"Pah! Zis is a mere sand pit I have created here under your tutelage. Its size suits me, a world of my choosing populated by little play things for me to enjoy. I would be a powerful ally and a fearsome foe. Which would you rather?"
And with that Zdradnik looks taller, stronger, Rosalyn recognises him from the form she and Simone saw walking in amongst the barracks. His eyes glow with power as the black binds around him pulse, stretch thin and finally start separating as streams of purply-green energy push out from his body. It pushes the black energy back, the two forces curling and fighting but the black energy is forced back into the inky hole. The Legion move to attack with their obsidian blades but the Depravity of Faith moves in and with a touch sucks the life from those nearest to it whilst with a sudden raising of his arms Zdradnik summons cold, steely tentacles that burst from the ground and rip the remaining Legionaries apart. There is silence for a moment.
<slow, deep laughter> "Ha ha ha ha ha ha! We like you all the more Lord Milan of Earth. I see the Depravity has acted on your behalf. That is high praise indeed Zdradnik, high praise indeed. Let us not bargain then, let us instead negotiate a treaty, a mutually beneficial pact."
"Zis seems like a better course. I vill give it zome thought Chaos Lords. I am not an ungrateful man. I vill seek this Guardian's key device and the gamma-rift, but not right now. There are matters on my vorld I have to attend to. I vill need some more information on this gamma-rift. To zis end I vill open another dimension fold from here zometime zoon. I assume you can find it?"
"Yes, we can find it and we'll be ready with the data you require."
"I look forward to it."
With a wave of his hand the black hole closes and the rings start to slow down. He turns to the girl and ushers her away, talking more to himself than her as they slowly walk.
"Just as I thought, qvite taken aback by ze iron rings no? Wouldn't come close to the boundary, but oh zey zo vanted too. I vas right about the ze iron. Ze old legends may have zome truth in zem after all. Pah. Zey are too eager. Patience is what they must learn."
They pass the Depravity of Faith and the party hear them disappear through a door. Invisible, Marcel follows, carefully giving the stationary Depravity as much room as he can. The others meanwhile back quietly out of the church and once outside, they give Simone a call on the walkie-talkie.
No comments:
Post a Comment