Gargoyle

by Mr101

Chapter XI - Prison Break Part V - Welcome to the boss level.

“Crystal? Where are you?!” I shouted.

Nothing.

Nothing but an eerie silence greeted me.

I have no idea what happened. One second, I was following Crystal down the tunnel and the next.

Gone.

I was left in complete darkness and a really odd silence.

You know how when you wake up in the middle of the night, and it’s quiet but not the normal kind.

The kind of quiet where you’ve just fallen asleep after brilliantly staying up till the wee hours listening to creepypasta stories on YouTube and what have you, then start to let your paranoia take over. The kind where you wake up after doing all that and the air feels heavy and you think you saw something move out of the corner of your eye.

That kinda silence.

The darkness didn’t help as I couldn’t see a damn thing. I was using the wall as a makeshift guide and shuffling my feet along the floor like an OAP so I could feel if a hole or something in the ground.

“Come on Vault… keep it together. Don’t panic,” I muttered.

‘Are you really calling yourself that? I just got over the fact you’re telling others to call you it but now you’re calling yourself it?’ my mind sneered.

“Oh you’re still here… wonderful,” I replied with a sarcastic tone.

‘Of course I am you moron, I’m a part of you. Now, stating the obvious aside, have you figured out a way out of this mess you’ve gotten us into?’

“Not yet… kinda hard to see—”

I paused mid-sentence as I felt a cold air blow over me from behind. Out of instinct, I gripped my warhammer tightly and quickly spun round and slammed it into whatever was behind me.

Only to hit the side of the tunnel with a loud ‘thunk’.

“The fuck?” I whispered as I pulled my weapon away.

‘It’s the darkness,’ my mind started, ‘you’re letting it get to you, just focus on finding a way out of here.’

“I need to find Crystal first.”

‘Must you? She isn’t real, it’s a dream and—’

“Shut up, leave me alone for once!” I shouted.

As my voice echoed down the tunnel and slowly faded away, I heard someone reply.

“Vault?”

“Crystal!”

My heart soared as I heard her voice in the darkness. I immediately ran towards it, panting as my heavy footsteps echoed all around me.

I soon regretted it.

I tripped over something that sent me tumbling to the ground hard. I cried out as I rolled down what appeared to be a very long slope, before free falling several feet and slamming into the ground. As I came to a stop I groaned and slowly got myself to my feet, looking up to see a speck of white light in the distant.

“Okay… two reasons behind the light. One, a way out. Two… I’m dead,” I muttered.

“Vault?!”

I heard Crystal calling me again. And to my dread it was coming from where the light was.

“I’ve seen a couple of horror movies that end like this…” I muttered to myself again, “but I don’t really have a lot of options…”

‘We’re dead.’

I ignored my mind as I slowly made my way to the light, my hands gripping the warhammer tightly. I darted my eyes to and fro trying to see if I could spot anything, now that I had some light to use.

Surprisingly enough though, nothing happened.

I went through the light and ended up in a fairly large open area of the tunnels. And for once I could see, thanks to some light trickling in from the ceiling.

“I guess… I’m near the surface now… but how? We were—”

“Vault!”

I turned round with a relieved grin upon hearing Crystal’s voice. I sighed as she slowly approached me, her wings fluttering slightly.

“Thank god… I was beginning to think I’d never find you,” I chuckled.

“Vault,” she replied.

I blinked as I cocked my head to the side, “Yes?”

“Vault,” she repeated, tilting her head to mimic me.

I blinked and sighed, slapping my forehead as I remembered one of the most important rules of dungeon crawling when playing dungeons and dragons, or any RPG.

Nothing is ever straight forward.

“You’re not Crystal… are you?”

‘Crystal’ blinked, before grinning wickedly, displaying dozens upon dozens of sharp, needle like fangs before her body dissolved into a large mass of shadows. Two white piercing eyes and the teeth remaining in the dead centre of the mass.

“Of fucking course…” I grumbled as I backed away slightly, “nothing is ever this easy.”

The creature screeched loudly, making me grit my teeth as the sharp sound assaulted my ears. To my horror, the screech carried on down the tunnels and was soon replaced with dozens of the same sounds, indicating other creatures where nearby.

I then heard a scream. Her scream.

“I’M COMING CRYSTAL!”

Without a second thought, I charged forwards, back-handing the creature, who appeared to be somewhat stunned at my sudden advance, with my hammer and sending it aside as it screeched in pain. I pelted it down the tunnel, my ears burning as I heard the sounds of magic being used and the screeches of the creatures. I suddenly took a left and headed down another part of the tunnel.

I somehow knew where I was going, despite not being able to see.

As if I’d been down here before, and was only just remembering it from a long time ago.

I soon saw another light down the end and raced towards it, soon coming into another clearing where I saw Crystal looking in front of her with fear. I then noticed who she was looking at.

The alpha…

And a man in golden robes.

I panted as I blasted another shadow, making it hiss and screech at me.

After running down what seemed like countless corridors, I eventually returned back to where I had originally attacked the shadows. Realising they were manipulating the space around me and confusing me, or  anyone who ventured down here.

The perfect hunters, trapping their victims in a never ending cycle of cat and mouse.

I could feel my magic levels slowly diminishing as I shot another blast of magic at the shadows, backing up more into the cavern wall.

“I-I can’t… die like… this,” I panted.

As the shadows came closer, I summoned as much magic as I could and in one final blast of magic, I created a dome of light that expanded in the cavern, eliciting pained screeches from the shadows.

I screamed in pain as my head throbbed from oversing my magic and I struggled to stand. I raised my head and my eye widened in fear as I saw the alpha again.

And the golden demon

I growled softly as I led those miserable hobolls through the darkness, there pathetic alpha beside me nervously looking around every ten seconds. In fact, they were all doing it.

And it was beginning to irritate me greatly.

“What is the matter with you sniveling cowards?” I growled, “It’s just darkness.”

The alpha swallowed, still looking around him, “I-It’s not da darkness we don’t like… it’s wots innit dat scares us…”

“Whatever are you babbling on about?” I sighed in annoyance.

“W-well… dese used tah be hoboll cities… back in da day.”

I rolled my eyes at such nonsense. Hobolls were nothing more than barbaric, uncivilised, rotten wastes of flesh and only good for use as a means to an end. Ever since my release, I’ve never even heard of such a claim. Even back in the golden era there was no mention of hoboll cities they were just as they were back then.

Mindless slaves to my master.

But… could they have evolved since then?

No, they couldn’t have. They were mindless, pathetic, worms.

Nothing more

I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind as the alpha continued to talk.

“Dey say dat… ages ago we used tah have kingdoms undah dah mountains… and had one chieftain ruling us,” he said. “but den… something happened and we abandoned da cities for da surface. Dey say something lurked in the shadows… something not from dis world.”

“I’ve never heard of such ridiculousness in all my life. Your race is nothing. Just mindless and pathetic” I hissed.

“Watch it!” The alpha suddenly snapped as the others growled,.

I raised my eyebrow in mild amusement as it appeared they were about to attack me for my statement.

What fools.

The alpha grabbed my arm tightly as he bared his fangs.

“I’ve ‘ad enough of you! We hobolls used—”

I cut him off suddenly as I spun round and grabbed his throat, slamming him into the tunnel wall startling him and making him yelp in a mix of pain and surprise.

“Don’t you dare touch me! Filth!” I growled deeply, the tunnel shaking from my voice.

The alpha whimpered in my grip and choked as my hand tightened around his throat. The others backed up slightly, a little afraid it would seem.

“You are lucky I even need your service… I could easily just end you now and send you all you to my master for his… entertainment,” I gave a dark grin as the alpha’s eyes widened.

“N-no! Anything but d-dat!” he begged.

“Good… now…” I slowly cast my gaze to the rest, “move out… I want that gargoyle dead, and what is my master’s returned!”

The hobolls nodded rapidly and started off down the tunnels, albeit a little hastily. I dropped the alpha who coughed as he massaged his throat. I smirked as he glared at me before he took off after his pack.

I chuckled softly as I followed, crossing my arms behind my back as I let my mind drift to what I had planned for the hobolls once this was over. I came to a sudden stop as a series of loud screeches sounded throughout the tunnels.

“Of all places… they had to appear here,” I muttered as I quickly made my way after the hobolls who had stopped dead in fear. “GET MOVING!”

I’m not sure what terrifies them more.

The screeches.

Or the prospect of facing my master’s wrath.

Either way, it delights me to no end.

We soon reached a large cavern that was empty save for a single changeling. She looked at us in fear, clearly not expecting our presence. She appeared to be very worn down as well from keeping her attackers at bay.

The hobolls whimpered in fear as the shadows formed around the changeling again.

“W-wot are dey?” the alpha whimpered.

“The remnants of a long forgotten people. A race that escaped their doom by traveling into the void and starting a new life… but there were some who went mad, losing their minds and what little they had left in the ways of souls. They are essentially… my kin.” I replied, “demons of the shadows, fallen and banished members of the first and only race to dwell into the void.”

The alpha stared at me in confusion, obviously confused by what I had just said.

But it did not matter.

As soon as I finished talking, the gargoyle entered the cavern from a different tunnel and I met his gaze.

It was strange… it didn’t seem… right.

I could never forget his eyes, not after what he did to us yet… he seemed different.

I tried to focus my magic into a powerful spell but held back a wince as I realised just how drained I was. I wanted to kill him right there and then, but with my power level this low, I was an easy kill. I had to return to my master now or suffer a humiliating death, without my prize.

But at least I could get rid of one annoyance before I returned to regain my full power.

Before anything else was said, I grabbed the alpha and threw him in front of me as he yelped in surprise. He landed and the shadows noticed and within seconds were upon him as he started to scream in agony.

The hobolls with us finally lost whatever little they had of their courage and ran back the way we came, crying in utter terror as I watched the alpha writhed in pain.

I smirked as I turned away.

Why not let someone else get their hands dirty?

I refuse to allow that gargoyle to kill me here and now, and I can always retrieve my prize from the gargoyle’s cold, dead hands once this was all over and I was recharged.

I looked behind me one last time before I teleported out of the cavern, leaving the alpha at the mercy of the shadows.

Me and Crystal stood watching in fear. The alpha’s body violently twisted and contorted as he cried out in pure agony and pain as the shadows ravaged his body, ripping into his fur and flesh trying to possess him as he tried to desperately crawl away from it all.

The mass of shadows swarmed all over his body and a loudly bubbling sound echoed in the cavern, like something was boiling.

Then the smell hit my nostrils and I nearly vomited.

The shadows were literally boiling the flesh from the alpha’s body.

Smoke rose up as the mass grew larger with each passing second, shadows all around the cavern joining in as the alpha’s pained screams slowly began to fade into the sizzling of his flesh. Blood began to pool around the floor which was a sick, near-black colour and wreaked of decay.

We started to back ourselves up as the shadows began to form into a long appendage. It soon shifted into what appeared to be an arm, followed by a second on the other side. The mass rose up and we could see its long legs emerge, hoisting its body into the air as it towered a good twenty feet above us.

I could hear Crystal whimper softly in fear as the head of the creature formed. Two long, wolf-like ears emerged above its head as a long snout protruded from its face, rows of sharp needle like teeth filling the maw. Two glowing, white eyes with a red pupil formed in the center of the head as tendrils began to sprout out of its back and flail madly. The last thing to form was a glowing red gem like object that appeared on the forehead of the beast as it screeched, arching its back out, shaking the whole cavern.

“Vault… what do we do?!” Crystal whimpered beside me.

I wasn’t sure. I needed to get away from here, get Crystal to safety so I could get her wounds seen to, but I don’t think I could get her out of here unless I went through the monster. I swallowed as I looked down at her fear stricken face and something inside of me snapped.

Something deep inside of me.

“Just stay behind me,” I replied. “No matter what, stay behind me.”

Without hesitation or waiting for her answer,d I launched myself towards the monster and roared loudly, spreading my wings out and pushing myself into the air with a mighty blast. holding my warhammer back ready to strike.

The beast screeched as it shot a tendril in my direction. I spun my body doing a barrel roll over and under it as it sailed past me and I smashed the warhammer as hard as I could into the tendril. To my surprise, when the hammer collided there was a blue flash, like a lightning or a spark, as the beast roared in pain.

I had no idea why my hammer was producing lightning, and at that moment in time I didn’t feel like questioning it.

I quickly regained my focus as I dove downwards towards the beast’s head, rolling out of the way of two more tendrils that shot out at me. As I came closer I flipped in the air and swung downwards, bringing my hammer towards the gem on its head.

However, my blow never landed.

I failed to notice another tendril come at me and strike into me, sending me hurtling to the ground to my left at speed.

I crashed into the ground with a loud boom, sending rock and dust into the sky. With a grunt, I quickly rolled out of the small crater I had created, just as the beast’s foot came crashing down and slamming where I had just been.

I ran towards his leg and launched up again using my wings, giving them a mighty flap as I slammed the hammer into his leg as I flew up, over and over again.

Each time the hammer collided, sparks would shoot out and the beast roared in pain. As I came to his waist, he tried swotting at me with one of his massive clawed hands at me, but I saw it coming and flapped my wings sending me backwards and out of its way.

With another powerful flap, I launched myself towards its head, determined to kill it as quickly as I could. As I dodged its other arm swinging for me, I heard something behind me.

‘Roll to your left!’ a booming voice in my head shouted.

I didn’t question it.

I barrel rolled to my left, just as a tendril shot past me and straight hit where I just was. The beast roared loudly and several bubbles formed on its chest before they shot out as it shook violently.

I flew backwards as I watched the dozens of smaller shadows form into smaller versions of the larger beast, each one grinning wickedly at me. Suddenly, they all sprouted shadow wings that ripped from their backs and they flew towards me with speed, arms out and claws extended.

‘Concentrate, focus on your goal and take them as they come.’

Once more I didn’t question the voice, I simply closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. Then, I shot my eyes open just as one of the creatures swung for me.

I blocked his claws by grabbing his wrist with my hand and spinning my body round to throw him into the wall. Just as I let go I spun around immediately and brought my hammer down hard onto the head of the next creature, blue sparks exploding from the impact as the creature screeched in pain before abruptly stopping as his form exploded.

Smirking, I flapped my wings hard and flew as quick as I could towards the advancing swarm of shadows. Something inside of me just clicked as I swung this way and that way with my hammer, hitting each one as they came in a burst of blue light and destroying them. The sounds of their dying screeches… sounded… beautiful.

Heavenly even…

I felt my heart rate start to rocket as I continued my assault deflecting blow after blow and destroying creature after creature. Each kill making my grin grow larger and large and my thirst for their death greater.

‘Control your self, Vault! Do not let the blood rage dominate your actions fully!’

I blinked. The strange feeling I’d been experiencing for the duration of the fight lowered dramatically leaving me feeling, well, normal.

As soon as I felt myself cool down, I instantly regretted it as I was smacked across the face by a shadow’s claws, causing me to careen towards the ground as they followed in pursuit.

‘Control, it is all about control. Focus your energy and keep your mind open, do not let the cries of death fill your mind and guide your blood rage.’

I flipped and landed on my feet before launching myself backwards as the shadows crashed into the ground where I landed, piling into a large mass before separating and charging me again.

I had no clue what the voice meant by ‘blood rage’, nor where it was coming from. But I pushed it aside for the time being, given now wasn’t the right time to think about it.

I did, however, decide to take its advice.

I focused my breathing as I dodged another attack and flew around in a circle around the shadows. Letting the thirst for their deaths rise inside of me again, but keeping it in check by focusing on the end goal.

Not sure how that was working, but it was.

I quickly made short work of three more shadows as they tried to spin round to attack me. As the last couple launched at me, I spun round and smashed my tail into one of them, crushing it into the floor before I span round and whalloped another with my hammer, instantly killing it. the last one latched onto my arm and dug its teeth into it.

I roared in agony as they sunk in, it felt like hundreds of needles being stabbed into my arm all at once.

With a grunt, I painfully ripped it off before slamming it into the ground, before crushing it with my foot. I didn’t have much time to tend to my now bleeding arm as a tendril suddenly wrapped around me and pulled me into the air as I felt my air supply be slowly cut off.

‘How the fuck did I forget about him?’ 

As I cried in pain, a brilliant beam of light shot past my ear and slammed into the beast, causing it to roar in pain and loosen its grip on me. I focused my strength and pushed the tendril away from me and wriggled out, to look over and see Crystal shooting the beast with her magic.

Three tendrils shot past me suddenly and before I could react, they slammed into Crystal, sending her flying into the wall and to the ground.

“CRYSTAL!”

My heart pounded as I let out a ferocious roar and flew straight at the beast, wanting to hear its screams of death more than anything in the world. Taken into account with what the voice told me, I was able to control myself and dodge the attacks of its tendrils and arms and I raised my hammer up, ready to destroy the monster.

When I brought it down on its head, a might crack echoed throughout the cavern as blue lightning danced around the impact zone.

To my shock, nothing happened. Other than pissing it off even more.

The beast roared in pain and swatted me hard with one of its tendrils, sending me into the wall with a loud boom. I groaned as I pushed myself out from the wall and spat some blood out.

“How do I stop that thing?” I hissed.

‘The gem, that’s what holds it together with its host. Destroy it!’

I looked up at the glowing red gem as the beast turned to face me, raising its tendrils ready to strike again and I mentally slapped myself for not seeing it sooner.

“Of course… why didn’t I think of that? It’s like fighting Fyrus…” I muttered.

With a grunt, I bent my legs and pushed myself from the wall just as the tendrils slammed into where I was, embedding themselves into it. I looked back to see the beast being unable to remove them and grinned, seeing my opportunity I landed on the tendrils and started to run up them, using them as a bridge.

The beast flailed its body as it desperately tried to remove its tendrils, seemingly forgetting the use of its arms as I came closer and close, with each step my hammer started to glow blue as stray lightning dancing from it. As I came to the end of the tendrils, I launched myself into the air with my wings and then shot myself downwards fast, hammer raised and aiming right for the gem.

“THIS IS FOR CRYSTAL, YOU BASTARD!”

I brought my hammer down hard, the clang of metal on gem ringing throughout the cavern as the full brunt of the hammer combined with lightning struck the gem. It exploded in an instant as the creature howled in pain.

I flew myself backwards and landed on the ground, wincing in pain as I held my wounded arm and watched as the shadows began to fall in on themselves despite it trying to remain as one form.

I rose from the ground as the shadows slowly vanished, leaving nothing but the corpse of what remained of the alpha. Slowly turning around, I made my way towards Crystal who was slowly getting to her hooves.

“H… help… me…”

I turned round to see the alpha reaching out to me.

How the fuck was he still alive?

I slowly turned to face him as a growing anger and hatred rose within me. “You know… I was never much of a fan of killing… but for you…”

I grinned wickedly at the alpha, as I approached him and spoke in a cold tone, “I’ll make an exception…”

I shakily got up just as the shadows retreated from the alpha’s corpse, my heart pounded as I watched Valt land in awe, his chest heaving as he glared down at the remains of the alpha. He slowly turned and walked towards me, that same look in his eyes which he had before he started fighting.

Eyes that didn’t belong to him almost.

“H… help… me…”

My eyes widened as the alpha shakily lifted what remained of his arm to Vault’s retreating form.

How the fuck was he still alive?

I watched as Valt stopped and slowly turned to face him.

“You know… I was never much of a fan of killing… but for you…” Vault said coldly as he slowly approached the alpha, warhammer crackling with blue lightning, “I’ll make an exception…”

I looked away as I heard the hammer come down on the alpha, eliciting a loud and painful cry before the hammer smashed into him again and again.

Although it seemed like overkill… the alpha deserved it and more.

In fact, what Vault did was to put it bluntly, showing mercy.

Ending the alpha’s despicable life.

I silently watched as he came over to me, then knelt down and I squeaked as he pulled me into a silent hug.

“You okay?” he asked me softly.

“Y-yeah…” I whispered as I felt my eyes water up, “I-I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything else… I know I-I’m weak and—”

He interrupted me by booping my nose which I scrunched and looked up at him. The eyes that looked down on me no longer like the ones I saw when he was fighting, but the ones I knew.

Vault’s eyes. My Vault’s eyes.

“It’s fine,” he smiled, “I don’t think any different of you, without you I wouldn’t have gotten the slaves free.”

I smiled as he wiped away the tears that filled the corners of my eyes, “Thank you…”

“Anytime, now. Let’s get out of here shall we?”

I nodded in agreement as he inspected his hammer, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s strange,” he began. “When I was fighting… I could hear this voice in my head, and my hammer was producing lightning but now. I can’t… what’s the word? Sense either of them, I guess.”

“Huh… odd…” I muttered, “we should focus on getting out first and figuring it out later, and meet up with the others.”

I winced as I tried to walk, only to have a sharp jolt of pain shoot up my leg. I blushed softly as Vault picked me up and started to carry me down the tunnel. As we walked in silence, I leant into him, simply enjoying the feeling of protection I got from him.

After a while of walking, we eventually somehow got out from where we were and doubled back to where we had originally entered. It was kinda eerie as there were no hobolls present.

They must have fled or something.

As we made our way through the deserted camp, there was one question on my mind though.

“Vault… how do you know to fly all of a sudden?” I asked, looking up at him.

Vault blinked, as if he was confused himself and in sudden realisation he was flying before. He then chuckled loudly, almost in a crazed glee.

“I have no idea!”