Being the first to land, I disembarked from the Quantax, and approached the small entrance to my base with caution. The bad vibes I'd been getting from the woods were going haywire, and the thick fog hovering tantalizingly over the ground didn't help. It was like I was wading in the shallows of a ghostly ocean, which came midway up my thighs. My tail swished to and fro, echoing my own concern and fear, leaving eddies and swirls in the fog with each pass. My back ached more than ever, and that strange feeling of cramped, phantom arms persisted.
I noticed "holes" in the fog, each of which surrounded patches of strange blue flowers. I gave these a wide berth. Anything that could "out-weird" this fog was not to be trifled with, especially barefoot as I was. Warning the others of these patches, I made my way past the barrier, and turned to see the others' progress.
But something was already going wrong. As they came into view, Kapura shouted "look out!" and pointed behind me, at which time I noticed a strange green glow in the air, coming from the general area where he'd been looking. Snapping back around, I saw a spinning, three-spoked wheel of green energy, the source of said light, come flying my way. It was a Rhotuka spinner. Leaning way back, Matrix-style, I barely managed to dodge it. "Run! Get help!" I called over my shoulder, watching it hit the barrier and dissolve. I was immediately rewarded for my distraction with a second spinner, which swept my legs out from under me.
Almost immediately, I was wrapped in tendrils of sickly green energy, numbing my extremities, and causing me to fall, limp as a ragdoll, to the ground. "Go on, scram!" I shouted as loud as I could. Not a moment later, I saw all four ships rise into the night, dodging spinners and green spells left and right, and heading off towards the town. I smiled. At least they'd be safe...
My hope turned immediately to fear as, next to me, a squat, shadowy figure lifted its ugly countenance skyward, and let out an ear-splitting, grinding screech of metal on metal, paired with the sound of a rattlesnake's namesake. Another took up the call, as did a third, before a hush fell over the clearing.
(Web of Shadows 6:00-7:30ish.)
Visorak. It had to be Visorak, didn't it. The other, slightly taller figures, the very same ones I'd seen behind my front door earlier today, chattered excitedly among themselves.
"Well, we didn't get them all, but it's not a complete loss. See, what have we here?" Asked a strange, yet familiar, voice. Into my view, sideways as it was, came a four-legged creature, similar enough to the insectoid "ponies," only taller and more slender. I rose into the air, enveloped in a green aura, which precisely matched the one surrounding this stranger's jagged, gnarled horn.
She, and it was indeed a she, judging by the facial structure, had eyes that were different from the other semi-ponies around us, who seemed to serve her. Her eyes had slit irises, and the "whites" were more of a turquoise-green, giving the overall appearance of an Eye of Ender from Minecraft. She also had a tiny black crown on her head, set at a very jaunty angle atop her long, ragged, dark teal hair.
I felt something peel off of my mask, (yes, strange, I know,) and fall to the ground. Looking down to see what it was, I noted that I'd fallen into a patch of those strange blue flowers... I returned my attention to the stranger holding me, as she had shaken me in her magic. "Wh... what even are you?" I asked, thickly. I was pretty sure I had a concussion from the fall.
"I am Queen Chrysalis," she said, placing a forehoof full of holes and pits upon the point where her windpipe met her chest cavity (I knew nothing about horse anatomy at the time I was caught, don't blame me,) in what would have been a regal gesture on any other species. Say, an alicorn, such as Princess Celestia, or Luna. I shook my head, as much as her magic grip would let me.
"No, no... not who, what. What are you? Never seen your kind before..." I said, still slightly concussed. "I mean, I saw them last time, but I still don't know..."
She rolled her eyes in disgust. "We are Changelings, though it matters not to you. Now, just be silent, we have plans for you." She then addressed the beings around her. "Wrap him up, and bring him with the others. I'm sure that my, ah... sister... will want to see him..." With that, I was dropped like a bag of laundry, and many Visorak came forward. Within moments, I was trussed up like a pig, and several of the "changelings" took their place.
They began excreting something gel-like from the lower-most holes in their forelegs, and smearing great swathes of it over the web cocoon. Once I had been sufficiently coated, some of the changelings spat a second substance onto the bottom of their hooves, and mixed it into the first layer of goop (which had achieved an almost waxy consistency.) The effect was nigh instantaneous: wherever it was added, the gel hardened, becoming rock-solid, yet crystal clear. Whilst most of me was "squicked out" by this, there was one part of my mind that was quite impressed with this natural resin of theirs.
The "others," as Chrysalis had put it, turned out to be a few handfuls of Vahki who had been unlucky in their attempt to return to the ships. They, too, underwent the same process as myself, though perhaps their outer shells were layered more thickly than mine. To my dismay, I was almost certain I heard Shelau's voice amongst those crying out in fear.
We were swiftly dragged into my base, then carried down through my impromptu mines, and into what was (for me, at least,) a hitherto unexplored portion of the local cave systems. Down, down into the darkness we went, though I could still see as if the tunnels were bathed in sunlight.
I took a moment to attempt something somewhat sensible, and looked through the various functions of my HUD to see if there was some sort of pathing function. The thought was that I could possibly find my way back, assuming I could escape whatever these freaks were planning. One of the myriad gods of this multiversal mess must've seen fit to smile upon me back then, because I found what I was looking for.
We continued onwards for at least half an hour, and I was just starting to get bored of my moving view of the ceiling. The struggling of the ensnared Vahki around me had quieted, my fellow captives having exhausted their energy.
I was at a loss for what to do here. Should I try what I'd done with the dragoness, and pull my lightsaber? No, I was too tightly bound to try that without risking injury or death to myself. And that was just from turning it on. So I tried the next best thing: my sword. Summoning it from my Hammerspace, I felt its blade slide along the inside of my right wrist. It had a little trouble piercing the sticky webbing around me, but stopped dead when it hit the outer shell. So, that was a bust.
Dismissing the blade, I summoned one of my knives, but it merely got caught in the webbing. That, too, was dismissed in short order, and I began trying to get into a more comfortable position, settling in for the long haul.
"Stop struggling," ordered a commanding voice nearby, with a disturbing undertone of buzzing. I moved my head around until I could see the one who had spoken.
Finding the closest armored changeling, which seemed to be a rarity, I spoke back. "I wasn't struggling, honest."
"You were thrashing about in there, however subtly. That's struggling." It seemed I'd pegged the right changeling.
"Nope, I wasn't thrashing about, either. Just trying to get comfortable, since we're obviously gonna be a while. No real use trying to fight it till we get there, eh?"
I got a scrutinizing glare in response. "Keep an eye on 'im, he's planning somethin." Said the armored changeling to one of the unarmored ones. He must've been a commander or something.
"Me, planning something?" I asked, feigning shock. "Oh, no, no, no. You must have me mistaken for a hero or something. I don't do plans very well."
"Shut up." Said the Commander.
"Well, since you asked so nicely, how about no?" I replied, sarcastically. All I got was a glare in response. "So, commander dude. Yeah, you, the one in the armor. You got a name? 'Cause I can't just keep thinking of you as 'commander dude,' capiche?" I got no response. "Seriously, if you don't gimme your name, I'll start calling you 'Commander Keen,' or maybe something worse."
He growled. "It's Nymph, if you must know. Now, shut the buck up!"
I winced. "Alright, Mr. Nymph, sir. It's nice to meet you, too. My name's Caldoric, just so you know."
Nymph closed his eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and then let it out, slowly. "Chrysalis, give me strength," he muttered.
"Don't worry, sir, we're nearly there," said a young, energetic changeling nearby.
"Can it, Midge," warned Nymph, "we do not fraternize with the enemy, or new 'experimental' subjects."
"Whoa, hey, I'm not your enemy. I'm not exactly allied with the pony folks upstairs." I said. "I'm more neutral than anything. And what's this about experiments?"
I didn't get answers though, because we finally entered a huge cavern at that moment. I was amazed at what I saw there. The walls had patches of some bioluminescent substance, probably moss, which was spaced evenly enough to illuminate the place. There were many changelings and visorak all around, some on the "ground" level, others in the various galleries up above. Interaction betwixt the two ranged up and down the scale, from fear and suspicion to downright friendliness. Who knew?
There were also tents, of a sort. They seemed to be made of a translucent green material, probably a derivative of the resin that bound me.
The Visorak carrying me broke off from the others in our group, trailed by Nymph, Midge, and a few others, and headed towards another tunnel entrance nearby. This was, fortunately, quite a short one, leading into an adjacent "room," which was still quite spacious. I was dumped unceremoniously on the ground, and left alone with the few changeling guards.
"Sooo..." I began, casually, as the resin shell was removed, and I was stripped of the webbing. "What's going to happen to me, if you don't mind my asking?" Even if I had wanted to attempt an escape at this time, I couldn't have, because I was held by magic through the process. Once said bindings were removed, my wrists were tied in front of me, and encased in changeling epoxy once more. My feet were shackled in a similar manner, but they left enough space between my legs for me to effectively shuffle forward.
"I really hope you survive this, freak, because if you do, I'm gonna kill you," Nymph said. "It's always fun exterminating abominations such as yourself, especially the talkative ones." Midge, however, seemed to disagree, though he wisely refrained from saying anything.
"This just in: future pot calls kettle black!" I said, and glared at Nymph. It was the best threat of retribution I could come up with, given the circumstances. Yet the reply, when it came, was not from his lips, but from those of another being, who had just entered the spacious sub-cavern.
"Hero undergoing imminent horrific transformation into pot correctly identifies color of kettle," said Chrysalis, smiling sedately as she mimicked my headline-style retort. "But not to worry, dear, soon you won't have to worry about anything ever again. Not once we've had our way with you."
"And what way, exactly, is that, pray tell?" I asked.
"We are going to make you one of us," said Chrysalis, though her voice had changed. It no longer had that triple-echo quality to it, and instead had a more sultry, serpentine tone. It took me a moment (and noticing Chrysalis's attention shifting to the entryway,) before I realized her mouth hadn't moved with the words. I turned, and was truly afraid in seeing the figure who stood there.
"Roodaka," I breathed, "well, that explains the Visorak."
"Indeed I am," she replied, then turned to Chrysalis. "Now, 'sister' dear, care to explain what is going on here?"
"We have caught a Toa!" Chrysalis exclaimed. "He's everything I hoped he'd be. And we got a few of his friends to experiment on as well."
I snarled at that. "Let them go. Seriously, they just managed to escape the destruction of their home, and now you subject them to this? Not cool."
Roodaka looked at me, paying me far more attention than was good for my continued health. Once she felt she'd gotten enough information from me in that one look, she returned her gaze to Chrysalis.
"You fool," she snapped, "this is no Toa. This is merely a dragon in Toa armor. In your haste to bring our plans to fruition, you ensnared a local cosplayer!"
"Watch your tongue, Roodaka," hissed Chrysalis, dangerously, "and mind who you call a foal."
"Never mind that," snapped Roodaka, who then turned to me. "What were you doing in here in the Everfree Forest? And how did you bypass the barrier?"
"Yes, I was wondering that myself," said Chrysalis, nodding thoughtfully.
Some part of my brain that wasn't flooded with "panic!" chemicals, like adrenaline and norepinephrine, had noticed a difference in their voices, as helpful as that was at the moment. Chrysalis' voice was almost "friendlier," it's apparent levity born from arrogance and, dare I say it, complacency. Roodaka's, however, had a darker quality, which gave away her many levels of cold calculation and multi-contingency planning, a trait learned from the master himself: Teridax.
No doubt they'd both try to stab each other in the back come the end. Come to think of it, given Roodaka's history, she probably already had at least five subtle knives in her reflection's back, and was just itching to start twisting. There was little doubt she'd come out on top in a fight, in my books.
"Ok," I said at last, "that's two things that you assume I am, but I'm actually not."
"Oh, pray tell," replied Roodaka, stroking the underside of my chin with her clawed fingers. I carefully jerked my head away. I'm not fond of sharp objects in close proximity to my Jugulars.
"The first thing that I am not: a dragon," I said, looking at Chrysalis. "At least, I wasn't when I showed up here."
Roodaka raised an eyebrow, but gave no further indication of interest on that topic. "And the second thing?" She asked, sweetly.
"That," I said, with a little venom, "would be having anything whatsoever to do with you, Roodaka. I know full well what went down between you and Vakama."
Her eyes sparked with malice and confusion at that last jibe. "How could you know-- wait." For the merest moment, she had a faraway look in her expression, but it quickly was replaced by one of astonishment. "No... it couldn't be. It's been years since the last arrival..." She began pacing around me, looking as if she'd just discovered a new and interesting species of animal. "And yet..."
Finally, Chrysalis' curiousity got the better of her. "What is it?" She snapped. "Why is he suddenly so important to you if he's not a Toa?"
"He said he arrived here from somewhere else," replied Roodaka, insidiously, "and he knows of something that happened millions of years ago, but he's not of Spherus Magna, or the inhabitants of the Great Spirit Robot, so he couldn't have been there to witness it. Can't you see?"
"Skip to the point," I groused, internally berating myself. I'd given her too much information, and her vast intellect was piecing everything else together.
"You're another human, brought to this planet from Earth, chosen as one of its new protectors. And here you are, right in the palm of our hands." Roodaka turned to Chrysalis. "He may not be a Toa, this much is true. At least, he's not one yet."
"Oh, really?" Asked Chrysalis, suddenly interested. "Well then, if he's supposed to be human, then why does he look like that?" Using one of her forehooves, she made a vague gesture in my general direction.
"You just gestured to all of me," I snarked, completely deadpan.
"She has a point, though," replied Roodaka, ignoring my remark. This frustrated me. What was even the point of dropping a clever quote if nobody got the reference? "How did you end up like this?"
I turned to Chrysalis, acting for all the world as if Roodaka simply wasn't there. "The first day after I arrived, some bigass dragon swoops down on me, drags me back to her cave, and hits me with some sort of breath attack. Next thing I know, I'm in some stupid egg. Then, nearly a couple weeks later, and BOOM, I'm half dragon, and talking to the twin Bug Queens."
Chrysalis looked thoughtful for a moment, before she deigned to speak again. "A dragon, you say? Hey, Roodaka, didn't we have a dragoness member stationed out here somewhere? What was her name?"
"Gilraea, I believe," said Roodaka, distractedly, still pacing. "I must admit, this does look like her handiwork, but last I heard, she hasn't reported in once during the last week and a half... About as long as our little intruder says he's been here. Could you check--"
"I already have some of my number investigating as we speak," interrupted Chrysalis, before she impaled me with another scrutinizing glare. I looked about, and saw that most of my guard crew had vanished during the intervening conversation. "What say we show this impudent whelp our latest creation, and see if he likes it?" She asked. "Might give us some leverage, if all goes well."
Roodaka's lips parted, thinly, but there was no mirth in the thin smile. No, there was only malice. "Leverage, says you... 'I think I feel a change in the wind,' says I," she replied, feigning a Pirate accent. As she looked at me, we both knew in that moment that she'd been watching Earth movies. A shudder ran down my spine, all the way to the tip of my tail, at that thought.
And with that, Roodaka went off to presumably grab whatever their "latest creation was," and Chrysalis dragged me off to another tunnel, which was short, and concluded in a shallow pit. There were many changelings in this tunnel, on the walls, the ceiling, and anywhere else they could stand. There wasn't much light, except for some more of that luminescent moss, which grew in a tiny patch over said pit. Even with my newly augmented night vision, I couldn't see much beyond the circle of light. Nevertheless, I could still see the faint glow from the eyes of the Changelings, as they blinked and shifted position. About then, I heard the sound of something coming down the tunnel.
My attention was drawn to a new pair of the luminescent, pale blue eyes, but these were shaped far differently than the others. They were narrower, and longer. Pointed, almost, and lower to the ground. There was a different sort of chittering coming from this one, and it seemed to unnerve the other changelings just as much as myself, since they gave it a wide berth. Would that I could do the same... A large pair of metallic pincers came into the feeble light, long before the face they were attached to ever reached it. The bad thing is, I recognized those pincers. They were from one of the worst Visorak possible, given the situation: an Oohnorak.
When it stepped completely into the light, however, I could make out distinct differences between this specimen and the normal breed. The monster's entire body was pitch black, minus the Rhotuka launching mechanism (which was a sort of light green,) and the pincers. There were erratically placed holes scattered across the lower halves of its fore- and hindlegs, similar to those of the changelings around us. Also, the standard... fin/horn... thing... that all Oohnorak had on their forehead was 180° out from the normal orientation, pointing forward like a unicorn's horn. Or, more accurately, a changeling's horn, for it, too, had jagged holes along its length.
"No way..." I said, unwilling to believe it. If Night Furies were supposed to be, and I quote, "the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself," then this thing was Devil spawn.
"Oh, you better believe it," said Roodaka, with a smile.
"Yes, it took us months of trial and error before we got our first viable crossbreed," said Chrysalis, "and you're looking at our fifteenth so far."
Roodaka chuckled, and said, "Indeed. The first Changeling-Visorak hybrid, the symbol of our united efforts. We present to you..."
"The Chanarak," finished Chrysalis, dramatically. "And you're the first test run of its mutagenic prowess."
"As we said before," added Roodaka, "permitting that you survive the process, you'll be joining our army. An army that will extend the reach of the Hand of Makuta beyond the shadows, in which we have lurked for so long."
"Uh..." I said, very intelligently, and finally managed to sit upright, "you said fifteen of them were running around, yeah? So... where are the-- AAARGH!" I was hit from behind with another spinner, but this felt different from the last one I'd been hit with.
My body went numb and limp, and I fell over onto the floor. I felt weak, weaker than ever before, and cold too. All the energy seemed to be draining out of me...
"Like it?" Purred Chrysalis. "It's slowly sapping you dry. We designed it ourselves."
My body was slowly being enwrapped in another cocoon, made of more of the thick Visorak webbing, courtesy of the spinner. I was dragged into the shallow depression by the Chanarak that'd hit me from behind, and my cocoon (which by now covered everything except my head,) was strung from the ceiling. As I was secured to the floor as well, to keep me from swinging too much, the numbness faded, and I squirmed a little.
Just then, several more Changelings (including Nymph, I think,) came bustling down the tunnel, only to stop next to Chrysalis. There was a hurried exchange of information, and her eyebrows skyrocketed. "What?!" She exclaimed. "Dead?! But... but how?" More chittering. "Impossible! Nobody has weapons that could sustain that high a temperature...! Unless..." She turned to face me. "You. You must've done it, somehow..."
"Done what?" Roodaka asked, the epitome of impatience. "Who's dead?"
"Gilraea," muttered Chrysalis, in a dark undertone. "She was sliced to pieces, but the wounds were unusual. They had to have been cauterized as they were made, because they're charred and there was little to no blood, meaning whatever blade he used was over 400° in temperature..."
"Oh, you got me," I said, sarcastically, "I give. I used my scathing wit to cut her to ribbons."
This seemed to enrage Chrysalis, as she glared at me for a moment, then gave the two Chanarak a significant look as she jerked her muzzle in my direction. If I had to say, it looked like the two of them were pleased with this development, as their eyes took on what could only be called a "satisfied" expression. They crept toward me, slowly.
The moment my attention was locked on the left hand one, it's twin leapt at me, and sank it's overlarge mandibles into my side, curling them up under my ribcage.
The pain was unbearable, and I now had trouble breathing. I gasped for air, but my lungs weren't having any of it. The double points of entry began burning, and the feeling spread, following the poison being pumped into my system. I yelped as the pincers were yanked out with (ha ha,) venom. Once the fiery sensation had covered my entire body, it faded to a feverish feeling, both hot and cold, shaky and weak, and achy all over. I felt myself begin to sweat as my immune system began attacking the foreign elements, but I knew it'd be no good.
I could also sense the tears in the webbing close themselves, and looked down through heavy-lidded eyes to see small patches of redness blooming there. Then, strangest of all, I felt the puncture wounds in my sides close up. No sense in having the victim bleed to death, is my guess. It still hurt like hell, though. I gritted my teeth, and raised my head to speak.
"F-fuck... you..." I spat, as best I could. Breathing was definitely easier now that the mandibles had been removed, but something still felt wrong inside, somehow.
"Be careful with him." Roodaka chastised the Visorak. "He's completely organic, remember? Not like what we're used to."
"Yeah," I added, half-heartedly, "like a punctured lung would be the worst of my problems..."
"How about a collapsed lung?" Snapped the former Viceroy. "Though I do have myself to blame for that... I let them have too much free rein. Not anymore, however..."
The webbing at my neck began giving off a faint glow, and started squirming a bit as the bottom of the cocoon began hardening.
"Ah, it's beginning," observed Chrysalis, with obvious glee.
The cocoon itself began widening from the bottom up, and filling with a viscous fluid. Soon, it had reached my lower leg, then my hips, then my upper chest (which still stung around where I'd been bitten, though the itching on my back was soothed,) and seemed to slow there.
As if given a hidden signal, the glowing strands around my neck crept upwards, reaching up to pull my head into the cavity below. In response, I summoned the rebreather, battered and worn as it was, and it snapped together around my face.
"No!" Shouted Chrysalis, lunging forward, but it was too late. With a slithering sensation, I was completely encased in the cocoon, head to toe, and dunked into the goop inside. I found there was a pocket of air for me to breathe, but it probably wouldn't last long. Especially not with someone pounding on the outside of the cocoon.
"It's no use," cane Roodaka's muffled voice, "it's completely impermeable now. All we have left is to wait and see what comes back out." She then stationed a set of guards nearby, to alert them if anything changed.
After everyone and everything else had left, I heard a hushed voice saying, just outside the cocoon, "I'm sorry you had to get involved, stranger." It was Midge! "Just... just so you know... you're in for a rough time in there. I don't envy you what's coming. I'm sorry..."
"No problem, Midge," I said, raising my voice a little, "I've had worse. Don't pity the victims, friend, pity the aggressors. Pity those who live without love." He chuckled softly, but the voice of another guard cut him off before he could speak again.
"Oi! Get away from there! Or do you want another week scrubbing out the refuse pits?"
"N-no, sir..." Came Midge's hasty reply, and he shuffled back to his assigned post.
I sighed, and checked the status of my rebreather's filters. I'd noticed an unusual scent in what little air was available, and while not entirely unpleasant, it was disconcerting. My rebreather should have a hermetic seal in place, unless it was banged up too badly. To my chagrin, I noticed that whatever I was smelling had a sort of soporific effect. For no other reason than to annoy my captors, I looked through my HUD's settings, and started piping one of my playlists through my shoulder speakers, set to shuffle.
On screen, the phrase "Now playing: Dark Dreamers," followed by the first title: "Mull of Kintyre." It was a song my dad used to sing me to sleep with when I was little, so it had a special place in my heart. I sang along with the first chorus, but was soon too sleepy to continue, so I just listened, unsure if falling asleep here would be the last thing I'd ever consciously do.
As I finally drifted off in the gentle arms of Morpheus, I caught the title of the next song to be played (Caught Up In A Dream,) and smiled, then closed my eyes.
~~~~
"And that's it for tonight, kids," I said, lacing my fingers behind my head as I leaned back in my chair. The resounding "awww...!" of disappointment that echoed from all corners of the tavern caused me to overbalance, and I fell backwards with a crash. Getting up again, I looked around to find that I held nearly the entire place's attention. "What, were you all listenin' to my story?" There were scattered noncommittal answers. I rolled my eyes, pinched the bridge of my nose, and took a deep breath.
"They were listening for most of the day," said A.L.E.X., politely.
"Good fer business, too," Smoakey drawled in his deep, rumbling voice. "I wouldn't mind you havin' you do it again soon, as long as I know 'aforehand."
"Yeah, but he can't just leave it there, can he?" Interjected Cloudsnatcher. "We gotta know what happens next! That's not cool, man!"
"That's the best part about it," I countered, righting my chair, "some of the best episodic stories I'm familiar with have cliffhangers at the end of each instalment. It keeps you coming back for more. Besides, it's as good a stopping point as any for the night. It's nearly 11, you should be at home right now."
"But," began Zaka, "weren't you part of the--"
"Yes, several times," I said, cutting him off as I sat down, "but i'm not up to discussing that ahead of its place in the tale. Not to mention, if you don't go home and rest up, you'll be snoring through all the best parts of tomorrow's portion!"
"Tomorrow?" Asked Smoakey, startled. "Well... It is the start of the weekend, so it wouldn't really hurt... Yeah, tomorrow's fine by me."
"I think it may take longer than just tomorrow, old friend," I replied, turning round in my seat. "Maybe a week or so, but I'll try not to take up all your shop hours. Now..." I turned to address the room. "I'm gonna turn in for the night. Sleep well, all, and those of you going out on the roads, stay safe out there, eh?" There was a chorus of agreement, and I turned back to the kids. "Now, seriously, you lot should go home. Your parents should be worried sick about the three of you by now."
With reluctance, the trio left the establishment, and I went up to my rented room, where company awaited me.
"Heh. Long time no see, old friend," I said, closing the door and crossing to the window, watching the kids' progress along the road.
INDEED, TOA OF SPACE, came the reply. His voice wasn't heard, so much as just dropped into your head. After all, he had no lips, or lungs, or vocal cords. The skinny yet imposing figure leaned on his scythe, it's edge glowing blue. YOU'D MAKE A DECENT STORYTELLER, said Death.
"Nah," I replied, waving a hand, "there are better folks than me who're already paid to do that. No, as much as I'd like that, I'm more the type of person to have stories told about." I turned away from the window and began checking the bed for traps, then flopped down on top of it.
NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU'RE A WANTED BEING AT THIS TIME, SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU EXIST. Death added. SURELY THAT WOULD PUT A DAMPER ON YOUR BUSINESS PLANS.
"True, that. But enough about me, and how messed up the current legal system is. Why are you here? Has my time finally come?" I spread my arms wide on the bed, my guard completely down. "You know I'd be helpless against you in a real fight."
Death shook his head and chuckled. NO, IAN, YOUR TIME IS NOT YET UP... AS FAR AS I CAN TELL. THAT LITTLE TRICK YOU PULLED BACK THEN HAS DONE SOMETHING TO YOUR HOURGLASS, SUCH THAT IT NOW HAS A SPECIAL PLACE NEXT TO RINCEWIND'S. YOU WILL, HOWEVER, BE INVOLVED IN A SORT OF NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE FOR SOMEONE ELSE SOON. YOU REMEMBER HOW THIS MUST PLAY OUT, DO YOU NOT?
"Oh, shit, yeah! Almost forgot, actually." I sat up, and placed a fragile hand to my forehead. "Man, this is gonna be... difficult, so to speak. I'll have to tread carefully, again. Those Chimeras won't be fun to deal with..."
INDEED, Death agreed, as he moved to the window, YOU SHOULD GET SOME REST, AND BE PREPARED TO DO WHAT MUST BE DONE. BE CAREFUL, OLD FRIEND... I'D WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK, BUT WE BOTH KNOW HOW THIS MUST GO. And so, without a further word, the legendary anthropomorphic personification of oblivion walked through the very wall, and placed a skeletal hand on the horse standing in midair just outside. He spoke to it, his voice slightly muffled by the wall itself. COME, BINKY, THE TIME TO RIDE IS HERE. WE CAN VISIT YOUR FRIENDS ON A LATER DATE.
The horse (and it was indeed a horse, seemingly of the kind native to Earth, instead of the pony-types that comprised the majority of the populous of the solar system,) wickered a little, and nuzzled Death affectionately. And, with that, they were gone.
I slept a dreamless sleep that night, but it wasn't as restful as I would've liked. I definitely wasn't looking forward to going downstairs, but it had to be done. So, I got out of bed, and prepared to face the day.