ALL NOVEL 20. Chain Of Fate
A steel sword sheathed into a leather scabbard. The shield’s handle found an attachment to the belt strapping his heavy armor. The joints of the dry corpse in peeling leather armor creaked as Mike cradled it into his arms. Armor clanked a bit as he walked, but the sound became lost in the noisy cave.
The bodies of his friends laid behind him, yet he kept walking. Azoria watched with a frown. She retracted her claws into her fingers and let them resume the shape and color of polished nails. The fates of chaos had spoken; Mogg-Dell had spoken; they wanted to see what he would do. He was left to walk toward the walls from the bloody mess that used to be his party. Some roaches feasted on the gore while Mike carried his mummified bride in his arms.
Five skulls bounced happily around Azoria’s feet. With a little whistle from Azoria, they floated upwards. The chain skull whipped its chain around Azoria’s neck. She wore it like a choker.
“Well, aren’t you looking chipper!” she giggled, “Are you full? Why don’t you merge with your friends?”
The chain gently slid from around velvet ivory skin while leaving no markings. The others bounced against the chain skull, headbutting it. For a moment, a bright hot light emanated from their fusing. Where there had been five skulls, there was now a large demonic looking skull of charred steel studded with mana diamonds. It had two large bone arrowheads for horns and its teeth were jagged arrowheads. A large steel chain of thick links fell from the base. It dripped a flammable slime. A steel arrowhead with a sharp shimmering point swayed at the tip of the chain. Her spade tip tail swayed energetically as Azoria put her hands on her thighs and observed the highly leveled skull with interest.
“Thank you for all your hard work! Chain of fate anyone I marked after the signal, okay?”
The skull bobbed about. Its eye darted as heart shaped flames made smoke plumes while she gave it a head pat. The skull flew away while clicking and clacking its jaw frantically. It flew towards the ceiling of the cave and surveyed the contestants: many huddled in fear, a few wandering aimlessly, a few trying to organize, and a few still fighting each other. It spotted the mark of the chain above the heads of those fated.
Azoria could be heard giggling throughout the cave. Then it became laughter, raucous laughter from the chest. When the laughing suddenly stopped, a gong rang with a low ring loud enough resonate in the head. It came from the walls and ceiling but the sound did not diminish towards the center.
The first chain dropped from the center. The heavy links slammed into an unsuspecting contestant before latching into the floor. A fine mist of blood plumed from the landing site. Fire lit across the chain as a gore-stained skull with a metal link spinal column bounced to the floor. It clattered before flying high to join its master.
Sally Van Werner: Purest Snow: Chain of Fate:
SKULLIFIED!
Another heavy chain dropped down from the far-left corner of the cave. Once again, a contestant became a fine red mist so that only their gory skull remained. It bounced slightly above the floor with one remaining wandering eye as it clicked broken teeth. It too flew to join the others.
Jason Postley: Hot-In-Leather: Chain of Fate:
SKULLIFIED!
The chorus of death announcements and the clinking of chain accelerated. The dropping of the chain, the eruption of flames, and the appearance of chained click-clacks repeated. Flaming chains scattered throughout the cave tightened. SKULLIFIED! SKULLIFIED! SKULLIFIED! Faster and faster the announcements rang out. They blurred into one another. They drowned out the screaming and pleading of the potential sacrifices.
Glass chambers bubbled and filled in their containment rooms. Ever more of the hourglass shaped glass vessels filled to the brim with glowing red liquid. The glow overpowered the rooms as energy traveled up conduits, merged, and flowed upwards over one thousand floors to a great bowl atop the central spire of the dungeon ruins. The dark ball inside the bowl glowed dimly with a faint red, slowly brightening.
SKULLIFIED!
-----
The group at the right side of the cave towards the front of the stage watched as announcements rang out and chains dropped. Some burned vertically from floor to ceiling while others had a slight diagonal tilt. The cave became peppered with burning chain pillars. Skulls flew frantically about the ceiling.
With a deep breath, Alfredo stood his ground. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do against this if it came for them, but he figured he might as well go out looking defiant.
Circe remained unconscious.
Ebony snored.
Roaches skittered around the wounded and sleeping ladies but Alfredo was too busy paying attention to the falling chains to notice. He stepped on one without knowing. Its innards smashed out near Circe’s cheek.
Another roach crawled across Circe’s splinted leg and went under her shorts. She could feel a vague tickling sensation. The roach popped out of the hem of her shorts. Its dark brown coloration faded. It went under her hand, which clasped around it. Circe could feel the tickling and occasionally pinching of her enclosed palm as the roach struggled to break free. But even barely concious, she refused to let it go.
Fedor caught his breath between groups. His wounds were taking their time and the healing caused his flesh to stretch painfully with every movement as if he had been stitched together. Mark had fallen on his rear with his palms against the granite as he watched the chains unfold like a fireworks display amidst the accelerated death announcements. Nickey kept her eyes on the ceiling, determined to dodge any chain that might try and come for her head. Banko curled into the fetal position and cried while Carson watched his screen.
The list of contestants got shorter. Names deleted even as he scrolled. His heart skipped a beat. Whatever this was, there wasn’t any running from it. The music of this cave blasted. It affected his thinking skills because it was terrible for gaming. Someone ran at their group while screaming obscenities.
Not for long.
The chain smashing into granite sent a blast of debris against them. Everyone facing it put up their arms to protect their face. A light mist of blood sprayed Carson and Nickey, who formed the outer perimeter of their group. Nickey found a chain skull clacking in front of her face as if laughing. It pulled back and flew off towards the ceiling.
“Apparently I’m not worth fighting,” Nickey said, “Thatsha relief.”
Banko had his hands clasped against his chest as he curled even tighter behind them, “Please let me live! Please let me live! Please let me live! Please let me live! ...”
Mark pulled a tube of Skull chewing tobacco from his pocket. He’d been trying to quit, but he’d cleaned this out of his locker and neglected to throw or give it away before he died. He twisted open the cap and took out a big wad before he started chewing complacently. As he sat on the floor, he lifted his knees to rest his arms on them while he blinked at the carnage.
Before long the cavern was crisscrossed with nearly five hundred burning chains with links as thick as a human torso.
Azoria snapped her fingers. The music stopped. The chains thinned to the width of human arms. A wave of skulls flew to the stage and circled around Azoria. She gave them her blessing as they formed into a pile behind her. Arms, a seat, and a wide back formed a throne composed of bloody one-eyed skulls. Chains wrapped the skulls together and formed the cushion. Azoria sat on the throne of skulls and crossed her legs.
“Did you like that?” she asked, her voice rang through the remaining audience as her eyes glowed, “It’s time to light the beacon and get the rest of you on your way to death or glory.”
She threw back her hair, put a hand on each of the skulls tipping her arm rests, and leaned back with a unamused expression on her face. The cardboard cutout of the giant smiling bull stood next to her until a chain whipped out spitefully from the throne and caused it to collapse. Was Moggy seriously that afraid of her?
“Light the beacon.”
-----
On the surface, the glowing ball grew insanely bright with the energy that overflowed from below. The bowl cracked. Red neon light spread over the ruins of Azor. The hollowed-out structures held eerie shadows as the slithering light spread across them.
The ball shot into sky with a great array of red and purple fireworks. It spun. A red light shot forth in the darkness of night as if at the top of a giant lighthouse. It split the clouds and broke the fogs that covered the rocky and half-sunken lands of the continent. The bright beam made night become like red day whenever it passed.
Dogs barked. Wolves howled. Babies cried. Alarms blared. Fishermen pointed. Frogs croaked. Monsters growled. Hawks screeched. Slimes cooed. Villages brightened. Skulls clacked. Citizens stared. Guards cowered. Goblins cheered.
The king would have no choice but to call upon his council and summon a hero. Throughout the sunken and burnt continent of Fruthia, the night sky burned brightly with every pass of the beam.
The beacon of Azor erased the stars.