Battle of Hollow Shades Part 3
The Battle of Hollow Shades Part 3
Speech Increased To 2.5
“Whatever!” the Mayor howled. “Machine! I command you to ignite! Ignite and let my dreams become fulfilled!”
He opened the book, and the Guard felt as all light dimmed in the world, and the heavens above filled with dark and unnatural clouds. Lightning spat out from that impossible darkness like arrows sent to punish the earth, and the thunder that followed was cannonfire. But he did not feel anything after that, other than the terrible pain...
He screamed. The nord and horse thief screamed, too, as the proboscis over their heads stabbed down into their shoulders with a long, sharp needle as thick as his ring finger. It tore through armor, skin, and muscle like so much paper to lodge itself into the very bone underneath. It throbbed and shivered as it drilled into their marrow, and the blood and bone dust rose in a fine mist around the wound, while the sound of metal as it scraped against living tissue filled the night air.
The Machine began to feed.
“Yes! Hahaha! Take it all! Feed and give me my precious gold!” The Mayor cackled as a violet and crimson gash appeared in the sky above them, shielded from view by the dark storm clouds. Only those directly below could see the full splendor of its terrible horrors, and as the Guard tossed his head back in a howl of agony, he saw it too.
The image of home twisted and roiled in the fel energies within that cut in reality. He could see Whiterun, and Falkreath’s woods, and the great marshes of Morthal. He saw Solitude in all its splendour, and the frozen shores of Winterhold... He saw all of Skyrim in a flurry of images. Every blade of grass, every man and woman, and all the beasts that lived within its endless wilderness. He saw everything, from the mountains to the seas, and the cities and villages, down to the deepest darknesses and crevices underground...
Then the Mayor placed a hoof on the dark book’s pages, and began to recite some dark incantation in that terrible speech the Machine had used, and all images ceased. The rift in the sky coalesced into a single image...
A dark mist came into view that covered the lower half of the rift, and at its very bottom, an elongated rune blinked into existence. It hovered in place, at the beck and call of its insidious master’s command.
The Mayor howled in that terrible speech once more, and runes flared to life as the elongated rune danced across the dark mist, and it left behind itself a line of solid white runes...
‘player. additem 0000000f “999”
What those terrible words meant, no sane mortal could possibly know... but immediately the sky began to pulse and bleed into reality. Hundreds upon hundreds of gold septims followed, an unnatural rainstorm of wealth beyond measure... right onto the glade.
And the Mayor laughed and howled in mirth as his riches materialized before him. No sooner had they stopped, that he chanted that terrible spell again, and summoned more.
And as he did, so did the iron needle scrape! and bite! into the Guard’s body, to tear another scream from him. Beside him the nord screamed as well, but the thief had gone quiet and still. More and more gold rained down upon them, but it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. Even as the Guard’s throat grew raw from all his screams, and all his tears had dried out, the Mayor continued his vile incantation...
...but not for long. He raised his hoof once more to call on the dark powers of the Machine, when a loud stomp! and thud! tore his attention away from the book and toward a wooden trapdoor just a few dozen meters away. He knew what the little wooden door was, of course. It led to one of the many tunnels he’d constructed—an easy way out of the glade, if it ever came to happen that he must flee—but there shouldn’t be anyone there! He had never told either of his henchponies where it was!
The Mayor stared in quiet shock as the trapdoor burst! outwards in a shower of splinters and bent iron hinges, and two terrified mares scrambled out of the wreckage with a screech to end all screeches. They pawed and scratched at the soil with their hooves, and hauled themselves out of the trapdoor's threshold with all their pony might. And not a second too late, for just as Juniper's tail left the darkness of the underground, a massive, clawed hand reached out and tried to grab her.
...and the cave troll followed.
“A cave troll?!” the Mayor shouted, as the massive head and shoulders of the monster emerged out the tunnel entrance and into the moonlight. The beast howled with unbridled delight as it sighted all the fresh new victims on the glade, and with one powerful push of its arms, it leapt clear of the hole and onto solid ground, and charged after the terrified mares, deeper into the glade...
...and the Mayor!
“No, no, NO!” he growled, and slammed the book shut. At once the proboscis inside the Guard’s shoulder stopped, and he collapsed into his bindings. He breathed hard and ragged, and shuddered with the pulses of pain that throbbed all around and inside the gaping wound left behind as the Machine retreated.
Above, the sky trembled and the great rift ceased to exist. Skyrim faded away from view and all that remained was the storm and lightning.
On the ground, the Mayor jumped out of the way and towards the Machine, as the cave troll and the frightened mares closed the distance. He trotted up to a strange panel that had extended down from within the bulk of the alien artifact, and pressed down hard on a button. Instantly the Machine began to growl and sputter, and from one of its many exhausts came the sound of its insides as they reignited with evil intent. Its glow intensified briefly, and then it happened.
The Guard tried to raise his voice to warn Juniper and Jelly, but he could hardly hold his head up to look at them. His every breath was a struggle. There was nothing he could do as the two mares ran straight into the glade, and the swarm of mudcrabs that had suddenly materialized in front of them...
Juniper and Jelly’s eyes widened and their scream of fear froze in their throats the moment they realized their mistake. But it was too late.
The first of hundreds of mudcrabs opened its pincers wide with vicious hunger, as Juniper dug her hooves into the ground to try and stop. It rushed forward alongside its brethren, hungry for blood and flesh, and nothing could stop them this time...
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Lol player console is hilarious.
64.media.tumblr.com/a171ec426874b9b1278c23f46460645d/tumblr_n30nn9CEfj1qjk0pqo1_400.gif
10606421
I have my moments.
10606497
Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
10606850
Such an elegant and deadly creature!
Will the Guard manage to escape the deadly machine? Will they ever manage to understand what foul incantations had been stated? Will Jelly ever reunite with her lover? What heroic machinations are the frogs bringing to light? Find Out Next Time On SPEECH INCREASED TO 2.5!
All Jokes aside, Can't wait to see more of this good silly fun. keep up the good work!
10607291
The questions keep mounting and the tension is unbearable!
For sure! Thank you, I'm super glad you're enjoying it!
From the beginning of this chapter, I was wondering if the machine was what I thought it was, and it is! Nice!
Eagerly awaiting the continuation of this cool crazy train! Wondering about that Dragonborn... Where did the machine come from. Questions, questions, with the feel of possibly awesome worldbuilding behind things!