Memories of Nobody
We came so far... Overcame so much...
I'm sorry, Ash... I failed you... and them...
Please... know... I... love...
Hmmm, well that was interesting. Well, now that I have flesh again, that's useful. I can finally finish what I started...
—Final thoughts from Row, lost to the Rot God
Row watched Leinaa's face carefully, unsure how to act. Yet she saw from his calm that something was wrong, and it was in fact what she saw. Her and Meekie both kind of ended up in a stunned fear, which was good—it gave Row time to calmly assess how to address the threat.
"WHAT IS THAT THING?" Vence's scream followed by a literal scream as Row turned to address the threat, not having time to do much else. Have mercy, it was huge.
It had the start of what looked like a chitin shell, but its form was massive—about the size of an elk. It was hunched forward on four arms, two legs crawling like... something. An oversized jaw was slightly open as it tasted the air. Its eyes looked scarred, but the rot that started to form as its shell showed it was not originally like that. And Vence's scream was making it clear it was on the right track to something it could eat as it rushed toward the sound of the fear.
Rushing to stop it from getting Vence, despite his fear, there was really nowhere to go. The walls, while not high from inside, were high enough you still needed to climb a bit. Add to it, the predator could just follow.
The panic in Vence's eyes never left, as if stunned into silence now that he'd alerted the beast and it was near. Row smashed into its side as it was getting near to having Vence in its grasp. The sheer mass barely moved, but it did flinch—more from the surprise of an unknown attack and wondering what was there. It shifted slightly, looking, wondering what was there. Row pulled back, unsure what to do from there. He had no weapon but needed the kids to get somewhere safe.
The water.
It was not deep or very wide, but it would have to be enough. If they pushed to the far side, it would give them distance and him time to figure out how to handle... this.
"THE WATER! NOW! GET BACK DEEP AS YOU CAN GO! NOW!"
The shout drew its ire and it was starting to move his way, but the following splashing swung its head back and it rushed them instead.
No.
It tried rushing toward the sound and panicked, jerked its massive arms near the water's edge. Finally felt it, but it did not faze it much—the sound and hunger driving it forward. It tried going deeper but panicked once more as its arm sank into the unknown. The water was not deep—even farthest end, near waist at best—but the beast could not see that and did not like its arms submerged in the rot water that it knew aided in eating its flesh and blinding it. So it persisted with reaching out, trying to feel the unseen prey but keeping its distance as it smelled the air, knowing they were close.
Row grabbed loose rocks and threw them as hard as he could. It annoyed it but little else. He kept the assault up. It finally tired of the strikes, lunged in the direction he was. The distance was easy to avoid, but it now had his scent and kept lunging wide, making him question its intelligence when it paused. And he realized his mistake—it was listening to his movement as it lunged, gauging his distance.
He tried not moving, but it knew and lunged, arms wide, catching him in a snare he could not easily flee. As it slammed him down near there.
It used all four arms to pin his legs and waist. It could not see and missed his arm, or he'd already be dead as its face went in for the kill. He grabbed its head best he could, pushing it back, trying to avoid the jaws that could finish him with a single tearing of his flesh, ending his fight.
Closer and closer it edged. The rot on its breath—a promise of death the ash on his skin would not prevent—
A roar as it flung him, smashing him on a nearby wall. Pain flared. What happened?
He looked up, dazed, to see Leinaa had left the water's edge and got her bow from the pack and seemed to have hit the beast, which was flailing around, wondering what wounded it. She tried another shot. It went wide—the beast was thrashing too much—but it heard the sound clinking on the wall and rushed it, smashing all around.
It stopped, calming, sniffing the air, listening to where the prey escaped. Thunk. An arrow in its head, and it dropped after that.
Amazing, he thought, but the pain in his ribs was stronger than that as he coughed, unable to move. Nothing was broken, but it bruised him good. Goddess, please let this hell end here.
"Instructor, okay?" Meekie tried helping him. He gave a strained smile and nodded.
"Just bruised—"
"Once again, low-born, you nearly kill us with your useless tricks." Vence was shivering despite his bravado. It was a big beast, even dead.
"Vence, please let it end. He's trying to help us." Leinaa tried to defend him, surprising him a bit, but Vence did not agree, finally losing the shiver, having something to focus on.
"Don't sully yourself defending THAT." He looked at Row with scorn. "He was supposed to guide us in training, not this. My father will hear of this, I swear." He went for a change of clothes. Row was amazed he'd waited as long as he did to do that. Yet funny enough, even as he changed, it was still pristine white linens—not the leather they'd brought. Row wanted them to dry their clothes but was unsure how they would feel about mixed company.
They still had a little light, so they could wait to undress, he supposed. The temperature was not bad, and he would have them near a fire. He wished he'd planned with more supplies, but it seemed they came underprepared.
The shift same as before: Vence, then Meekie and Leinaa. Today he did need the rest. He was getting pushed far beyond his limits, and even their bickering ended in a low simmer.
The gentle push. He knew, even among the pain in his ribs, it was his shift. He nodded. No words needed to be said as he sat alone in the dark. This had all been too much, and he was pushed too far. He would lead them down the side tomorrow. They'd do a quick scout and head back. He could report he tried, take whatever lashes they gave. Goddess willing, the kids would complain, but everyone would be safe. He would be back with Ash, and this would all be over.
He awoke them with the morning light. Vence complained he let them sleep longer before. What changed? But he lost his bitter edge when Row told him low supplies and needing to head back. The sooner they went, the sooner they'd get home.
He was tempted just to retrace his steps and do nothing more, but coming this far, he had to at least prove he'd made an effort to try to explore the mountain. So a quick look around while they fumbled back would have to suffice.
Low ash, low food, plenty of rot water. So yay for that.
Rocks and rot. Not that he expected to find anything else. He was worried they were maybe near a monster nest—why they'd found them so easy. But then maybe the beasts stayed close to the water and it was inevitable. The real question was: was it just the one large predator or more?
Odd. Darkness in daylight? As if shadows' abyss in the side of a... cave?
"Um... you are seeing it, right?" Leinaa asked. Guess it was easily enough to spot even from this distance. He wanted to explore but knew they'd tempted their luck twice already and wanted no more.
"We move. Whatever it is, it's too much for us."
Yet even as he said those words, a small goblin—common to the forest but an odd pure darkness—stepped from the mouth of the darkness into their view. And he knew this would not end well.
It spread its arms as if wishing to embrace them while walking forward. "My lord welcomes all into his embrace. The fact you found us is proof you—"
An arrow flew inches past its head as a tendril jerked it to the side mid-speech. Row was shocked it was talking their speech and so clearly, but it seemed Leinaa did not share his hesitation and fired a shot.
She was lining up another when from the mouth of the cave of abyss, a being of darkness appeared—swirling shadows of a huge, massive frame of nothing but shadows? Before he could think beyond to act in any way, it rose its hand, and with it they rose into the air.
Tendrils of darkness held each of them by the neck as they dangled, barely able to breathe and be aware of what was transpiring.
He saw the goblin bowing, speaking between his gasps for breath. "Forgive me, lord. I thought to welcome them into your home. I assumed you wanted new followers. I did not know they would strike when I offered mercy."
"You've done well, Ezra. It is they who attacked unprovoked, and I now must decide if I shall return the favor."
The tendrils started to tighten, and Row knew it had made its choice. As his final thoughts swirled, Ash's words came to him: If I face an unknown darkness, say her name? Ash?
No. "Nora," he whispered with the last bit of breath he had as all was going black—
And it let them go.
Gasping, they all choked for air. "I know not what led you here." His hand shifted and a wave of shadow passed them. Row flinched, assuming the worst, but a wave of—relief?—flooded him. The wounds, the hunger, the despair? It all eased. "My mercy is given freely once. Do not mistake this kindness for weakness."
And both the goblin and shadow went back into the cave. A deep rumbling growl could be heard within. What did we just avoid? And how?
Too many impossibilities kept hitting them. Too many escalations. And Row feared it wasn't over, even as they were doing better.
They slowly parted, unsure what to think at the absurdity of what they'd just lived through.
"Um, instructor..." He was drained but listened. It was Leinaa addressing him as they slowly walked deeper into the rot land onward back. Um... he assumed she was concerned he would lead to more death, and he did not blame them. Even he doubted his skill now.
"Just head northwest, mostly west. It will take us home. The forest is not that hard to navigate. We recently had a culling—it should be safe."
He reached for Meekie, still carrying the majority of supplies, surprised she stopped to let him search within. "The rations won't last, even if we ration them between you three. Someone will suffer, but you'll get home long before you starve to death. The water... I can't do anything about."
He looked up, assuming to see Leinaa leave with the others, finally free of all his failures. But he was surprised to see tears in Leinaa's eyes as she watched him. "Why?" she asked in a low voice.
He wasn't sure if it was mocking him or demanding an answer for all he'd put them through, but he still replied best he could.
"I was told to scout something but could not do it without all of you. Everything that happened, I wish I could avoid, but I can't. You're free to choose where to go from here."
"Light's mercy, low-born, you're pathetic. Lead us through piles of shit and then play stupid when we're smeared in it."
"SHUT UP, VENCE!" Leinaa's shout startled them all. Why was she mad at him?
"HE DID EVERYTHING HE COULD FOR US AND WE DID NOTHING!" She held herself as Meekie held her in comfort. Vence glared at Row as if it was his doing, but he was just as confused. He'd assumed they were wanting to be rid of him?
Meekie saw his look and spoke. "We understand. We trust you."
She looked at Vence, who never lost his sneer even as she spoke, near tears in her eyes. "You tried. Even when we did not."
He wasn't sure how he felt about that, so he gave a bit of a laugh. "Yeah, I did. Hopefully the other light elves see that."
"Don't count on it, low-born. I have not forgotten, even if you've seduced them with your lies. I will tell them the truth, and trust me when I say they WILL LISTEN."
The wind blew slightly, and he knew they were at an impasse. Vence would never care, and neither would the majority of light elves—if after all this they still could. Or was he wrong?
Watching Leinaa cry and Meekie confess how they felt, maybe that's what she was trying to tell him and not mock him like Vence. Maybe... maybe things will get better for him and... Nora.
As if a final mockery to test his words, one final push to send them over the edge, it was not the unknown shadow returned, not a mythical beast beyond imagination. No... the last mockery came from the rot itself as it did the impossible and pooled around their feet and rose like a tide upon their flesh. The ash they wore meant nothing as it embedded itself within and dug deeper into their veins. And what little he could focus saw it did the same to them, trapped within.
He felt something probing, hunting, wanting. A voice, distant but clear, came from Vence, breaking those thoughts. His sneer never left his face as he struggled to speak. "You... are... a... curse... low—"
His eyes bled as he stopped speaking. The feeling still probing did not leave, but it felt changed—hunting, demanding, and focused on Vence as it tore at his flesh trying to do something? It did not feel like consuming. It felt too careful, as if wanting... something?
The look of terror soon replaced the sneer. From the angle Row could see clearly, Vence's fate. Meekie and Leinaa were spared, facing him, unable to turn. But their fear showed they knew clearly what awaited them all and what would be their fate.
Vence turned purple. Blood flowed in a river from all places Row could see. The feeling of disappointment entered his mind—the rot was trying to do something and Vence was resisting, and he died for it.
He felt it dismiss him, shift to Meekie. The fear in her eyes as it flowed deeper into her flesh, searching as before, working its way deeper to her head where he knew she would fight it and face the same fate.
Did I really care? Could I make a difference? Did I want to?
Trusted me.
"Take... me... Let... them... g...g...go..."
The rot held him tight. Even his lungs wanted to refuse to speak the words. He fought to utter them. They were young, naive, and stupid, but he did lead them and they did trust him. So let it end with him.
Puzzlement. Uncertainty. Then a rush swam deep within him. It was all he could do not to reject it—the feel of losing himself, willingly letting it consume his thoughts, his feelings, his...
"Well, not ideal, but this can work." Row dusted himself off, watching the other two for a moment with indifference. "Do take care. There'll be monsters out here." Row said casually, smiling, and started walking off deeper into the rot lands.
Both Meekie and Leinaa were stunned into silence, afraid to move, to act, unsure what would happen next. Yet the world did not stop for their fears, and as the sun started to set, both knew the real fear of being alone with nothing but the absurdity of what had happened.
They stayed awake through the night. Fire to ward the dark, but nothing to make them feel they would survive. Not even the ash on their skin gave them any comfort.
As dawn slowly brought its light, they drank the rot water mixed with ash—a bitter reminder it was not all a lie. Assuming the dead light elf that was Vence wasn't proof enough.
With the light came a truth. Even from the distance, they could see a shadow moving—perhaps a rot slug, perhaps something more. But they knew it was coming for the dead flesh, and they'd left Vence unburied. And fear was all they could feel as they left due west, unsure what they would find or if they would even make it there.14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIc7fbv86v2
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