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the-dorothinquisiton-blog · 8 years ago

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The Front Gate - Chapter XXIII

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Okay, so, I’m posting again! Surprise, surprise! I didn’t actually think anyone would be interested in my work, but I got a ton of likes and even a few people messaging me wanting to see more! This is chapter 23 of my novel, and personally one of the only chapters I prefer over the chapter I posted last time! This chapter features Enoch, and Zone Three as a whole! I would’ve loved to post a chapter on Dedan too, but unfortunately I’d like to take more time to strengthen his role in the story before I post any of the chapters he’s a part of! hope you all get a kick out of it either way I really hope you enjoy! There still might be a few spelling errors, so just leave a comment if you find any! If you’re curious about the cliffhanger at the end, I’ll totally post chapter 24 next! I have up to chapter 31 done so far, so no worries! Thanks a bigillion for all the support on my first post! I’ll see you all in the next one!

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The Batter walked casually through the empty streets of Vesper once more, back on track towards the center of colossal city. He was nearing his destination by now, he was certain of that. He had been walking in solitude through the dead streets for at least an hour now. However, as he carried on casually, he began feeling an odd feeling. One as though he might be being pursued by someone, or something. Despite the creeping feeling, the Batter still managed to feel no fear. His face was stern and cold, still showing no visible remorse for his recent actions. Why should he be? All he carried about now were answers he deserved; and of course, his sacred mission also floated within his mind. Considering The Nothingness visited him to check on his process after the defeat of each Holy Guardian, all he had to do was continue onward now. He held his cold-steel bat firmly in his right hand, just itching for an excuse for combat.

All of these constant mysteries and unanswered questions were beginning to weigh heavily down on his mood. As the pale sun came ever so close to setting below the bleak horizon, a rather large, melancholy building came into view. It loomed far above the industrial bulk of Vesper, casting an oddly huge shadow done upon the Batter as he approached. The building’s colossal smoke stacks rose far into the pale evening sky, spewing rather dark, putrid smoke into the air. Pipes ran throughout the building’s surface, harshly entangling its already melancholic appearance. A large, metal-plated sign hung above the two colossal doors that led inside. It read as follows: “Welcome to – Vesper’s Very Own Sugar Treatment Vats. All new Elsen personnel please report straight to The Director’s Office for further details on possible job selections. All further payment will be distributed in Sugar.” The Batter had indeed arrived at his long awaited destination, as the sign plainly gave away. Various Elsen walked in and out of the building, carrying what seemed to be small plastic baggies filled with a rather strange powdery substance, Sugar. It had to be. As the Batter continued towards the towering building, he stopped one of the many exiting Elsen with a forebodingly outstretched arm.

"Excuse me, what is that you're holding, sir." The Batter blurted out brashly; obviously in a hurry to get this up-coming encounter with this Zone’s Holy Guardian over with as soon as humanly possible. The Elsen looked up at him nervously before responding.

"Oh... you must mean my Sugar...? I’m sorry, but you can’t have any, mister… You must be new here, I guess. We love our Sugar, here… The Director gives us all Sugar as a reward for a job well done." The Elsen retorted softly, towing his baggie of Sugar into his back pocket. The Batter slightly cocked his head to the side, expressing his interest.

“I don’t want any of your Sugar; don’t flatter yourself. Now you must tell me, just what goes on around here?" The Batter inquired. The Elsen began pacing in place, most likely due to the Batter’s overwhelmingly frightening presence.

"Well, It’s simple... we produce Sugar. If we don’t produce enough, however… we’re punished severely.” The Elsen stuttered quietly. The Batter need not question any further, considering he already knew what oppressive force was at work behind the scenes here.

“Alright, thanks for the information, I suppose. I’ll be on my way now.” The Batter uttered calmly; having gotten the information he required. As the Elsen prepared to walk past casually, he made the mistake of looking down towards the ground; the Batter’s shadow twitched and convulsed devilishly in the dull evening sunset as he looked in disbelief down at its form. Letting out an uncomfortable gasp, the Elsen quickly moved around the Batter and sprinted away without any hesitation. The Batter turned back in confusion to watch the suited man flee from him in fear.

“I wonder what had him so afraid.” The Batter mumbled begrudgingly under his breath. As he let out a deep, calloused sigh, the Batted turned back to face the entry way of the colossal building once more. Whatever was inside must be genuinely huge to warrant such a massive structure. The towering complex stood around at least fifty feet tall. Placing his firm hands against each of the dismal, yet extensively large orange doors, the Batter began to push inward.

“Stop.” A sudden voice sounded sternly from directly behind him. The voice was all too familiar to the Batter, as he let out yet another sigh. This time it was not a sigh of disgust, but yet a sigh of disappointment. Without even turning his head to see who stood behind him, the Batter addressed the voice resentfully.

“Hello again, Zacharie.” There was a long, drawn out pause before the voice sounded yet again.

“Ciao.” Zacharie’s voice seemed somewhat different to the Batter’s ears, however. Even in the two words he had spoken so far, the Batter could tell something was completely off about him. He sounded… bolder. As if he knew something the Batter didn’t.

“It appears as though I was being pursued after all. I had a creeping feeling that someone was out there, although, I certainly didn’t expect to see you here. What brings you here to Zone Three, old friend?” The Batter gave an emphasis of sarcastic malice as he spoke in his calloused, hatred fueled voice. Suddenly, Zacharie place a single hand on the Batter’s shoulder, and spun him around gently. Even though the Batter now starred directly into the eye-holes of Zacharie’s lifeless mask, he still couldn’t manage to see Zacharie’s eyes on the other side.

“Batter, I trusted you… What have you done? Do you even know what’s going on?” Zacharie apprehensively proclaimed; His smooth voice now riddled with a primal sense of panic. The Batter was instantly put off by such a strange series of questions.

“What? What the hell are you talking about, Zacharie? Explain yourself, now.” The Batter implied calmly; trying desperately to keep his cool. He could still feel the festering anger welling from deep within the recesses of his mind. Removing his hand from the Batter’s firm shoulder, Zacharie looked directly into his shaded eyes. The Batter still couldn’t see through Zacharie’s awkward headwear, but he could easily sense the fear that lingered in his gaze. It was almost contagious.

“I know I cannot stop your sacred mission from coming to fruition, Batter. I’ve seen you fight before, and you’re obviously much too strong for me to apprehend on my own. And now I truly realize that you know not of your own maniacal[H1] actions; but you need to stop this, Batter. I don’t know how else to break this to you, but this fruitless crusade can go on no longer. I’ve seen what your “purification” truly is… You’re not saving these Zones, Batter. You’re eradicating them, wiping them into a pristine nothingness. Not only that, but you’ve managed to murder the thousands of innocent civilians that resided within the confines of the first two Zones. After you left Zone Two, and gave me your condolences over Valerie’s untimely death, I lingered behind for a while. As soon as you left, the world just… went white. Every essence of life was eradicated before my very eyes. Now I’m positive that the exact same event took place after you slayed the Holy Guardian of the First Zone as well. It took the Judge and I much too long to realize… and now it’s too late to save the people who once lived there. After a Holy Guardian is destroyed, the fabric of reality comes crashing down onto the Zone itself, wiping out all life within it… What we were too thick skulled to realize is that the Holy Guardians were created by The Thousand Faced Queen for more than we originally had thought… They were created to tether reality down to the Zones themselves. Without a Holy Guardian to hold down a Zone, it… falls apart at the seams. You’re not ‘purifying’ anyone by doing what you’re doing, Batter. You’re an executioner, whether you realize it or not. You have become death, the destroyer of worlds. I saw what you did to that poor, mourning girl back there. I’ve never seen such cold and heartless actions in my entire life. Just… just look at your shadow…” Zacharie blurted out profusely, as he pointed down towards the ground at the Batter’s feet. The Batter was completely dumbfounded, and for a long moment, he just stood starring back at Zacharie. He had no clue what to make of Zacharie’s sudden claim.

Slowly but surely, the Batter followed Zacharie’s finger down to the ground where it pointed. There he saw it for the first time, a gnarled, grotesque shadow of a beast long forgotten. The Batter’s shadow had become a horrifying reflection of himself; A twisted monster of uncontrollable malice. Its arms were much too long and smooth, ending in huge, clawed hands of unrealistic size. His shadow, oddly enough, held no bat, but instead rose up its hands of sharp talons and spiked claws. As the Batter starred in disbelief, he began to turn his head to the side. As he did so, the shadow turned its head as well. Only now, he could truly see a visage of what he was on the road to becoming. The shadows head was much too long, almost crocodilian in nature. The ball cap still sat comfortably atop its head; now appearing quite small in comparison with the beast’s reptilian skull. As it opened its gapping maw, the Batter could see rows and rows of smoothly aligned teeth; not a single tooth out of place. Suddenly, just as he thought the horrifying sight couldn’t get any worse, the shadow somehow seemed to open its one, visible eye. Its ocular eye was very large, as it almost took up a fifth of the shadow’s skull. The eye was perfectly round in shape. As it set its gaze upon the caster of itself, it did something the Batter would never be able to forget. It smiled back up at him. For the first time, the Batter was utterly mortified. He took a few steps backwards towards the doors in a hopeless confusion, before gripping the top of his baseball cap to keep the wind from blowing it away. As the Batter continued to stare in sheer distrust, he brought his hands quickly to his face. Much to his relief, his face hadn’t changed in the slightest. No serrated rows of fangs lined his jaw, nor did smoothed, sharpened claws sprout from his fingernails. He was exactly the same as before Zacharie had arrived to speak with him.

“What is this? What is this horrid demon that has appeared before me? This demonic abomination that has dared to pose as my shadow has you fooled, Zacharie. It must not be this way; I refuse to believe it. You’re lying to me. You must be lying to me. You’ve been lying to me since the very beginning, haven’t you, Zacharie?! It cannot be… I cannot be this, this monster you’ve made me out to be. I am helping people, you fool... The Holy Guardians, and The Thousand Faced Queen… They’ve all stepped out of line. It’s my job and my job only to make sure that never happens again. By purifying these corrupted Guardians and these fields of tainted happiness, I am freeing this world from the chains that bind it. I won’t fall for any more of your deluded trickery, Zacharie. Be gone now, lest you become the next foe I must slay in the name of divine justice. Don’t make me kill you, Zacharie.” The Batter’s words were hardened with anger and fueled by a primal sense of fear. Zacharie lifted his head upward slowly, making eye contact with the Batter once again. He seemed to let go of his tension, as if giving up all together.

“Kill me if you must, Batter. If it means a stop to this senseless slaughter, I’d sacrifice myself a thousand times over just to stop your savage killing spree. It’s almost funny… A few days ago, I would’ve been much too scared to say anything, that’s for certain. But this… this is unacceptable and unjust in every conceivable way. Again, I know I can’t stop you with force, but I beg of you to listen to reason, amigo… I know madness is spreading across this world like a disease, but there has to be a better way of solving our problems then… then this.” Before Zacharie had a chance to finish his panicked flurry of words, he was swiftly interrupted.

“Fool, I’ve heard enough of your childish lies. You obviously know not of what you speak. I am helping people, and I will continue to do so. This shadow you’ve summoned forth in an attempt to trick me isn’t going to work any longer. I’ll spare you this time, and this time only. Don’t get in my way again, or I’ll be sure to kill you where you stand. I never wish to see your masked face again.” The Batter spoke firmly; His trust in Zacharie quickly fading. Turning away abruptly from the masked man, the Batter returned his attention back to the towering doors that stood before him once more. In one final attempt to break through to the Batter, Zacharie took in one deep, shaky breath.

“Batter…. Can you not see what you’re becoming? Can you not see yourself? You’ve… You’ve changed. I’m not trying to trick you amigo; I solemnly promise on my life! It’s just… you’ve convinced yourself of your nefarious goals so well, that I think you can’t even see what I now see in you. You’ve convinced me of your goal as well, I’m afraid. Until now, I couldn’t see this blackened side of you. There’s a dark flame burning in your heart, and I can finally sense it now. Now I finally see what you’re truly becoming…” Zacharie quietly begged; His soft voice seemingly on the verge of tears. The Batter stopped abruptly once again, slightly taken aback by Zacharie’s desperate speech. Without turning his head to address his concerned comrade, the Batter pushed open the doors of the massive factory. As he proceeded quickly inside; Zacharie was left hopelessly behind in the dying sunlight. As the Batter disappeared within, the colossal doors slammed shut behind him.

Zacharie stood in the same place completely motionless, allowing the situation at hand to fully sink in. He inhaled deeply, his voice shaking feverously as he did so... “That’s it then, huh? I’ve done all I could stop this cold blooded killer at last, and still I’ve failed. I’ve exhausted all of the possible options at my disposal. It isn’t like I had many chances to begin with… but now it seems, the world is on a one-way collision course with the apocalypse itself. I fear it’s all up to the Judge and Her Royal Highness Tisiphone to save this world now. I’ve miserably failed this world’s very future. May The Thousand Faced Queen have mercy on me…?” Zacharie softly whispered, his head falling desperately into his hands.

The Batter had no time left for Zacharie’s foolish accusations. However, his thoughts were heavily clouded by the various pleas his masked comrade had tried so desperately to have him come to terms with. The Batter thought deeply about his actions, scouring his mind for any sort of reasonable explanation.

“Zacharie had to be mistaken. That shadow must’ve been some sort of trick or illusion, a simple semblance of misconception, and nothing more. My goals are of the upmost importance to the safety of this entire world. Just the thought of my purely divine actions causing the innocent civilians of this kingdom harm is so very far from the truth. There is simply no way Zacharie can be trusted any longer; seeing as though he is now in total doubt of my ideals.” The Batter thought to himself reassuringly. He was beginning to overcome the shock imbued into him by the sinister shadow, and now his calming thoughts began to reassure him once more. As he pushed those perplexing troubles back into the recesses of his mind, he began to acknowledge his uncanny surroundings for the first time since he entered the Sugar Treatment Vats.

The inside of the Treatment Factory was covered heavily in metal pipes, wires, and large glass tubes of what seemed to be circulating Sugar. Large, overhead light bulbs flickered dismally against the darkened factory ceiling, while a stale yet pungent odor resonated heavily in the pale hallways. The room seemed to consist of an immensely long hallway leading to two extremely large and quite intimidating doors at the far end. The large tanks of circulating Sugar seemed to distribute an ample amount of their contents to the various metal pipes that clung to the metal-plated walls. The pipes then seemed to travel down the hall towards the two colossal doors, probably where it’d be processed and distributed to the workers of the Zone. Massive control panels lined the walls in between the various tubes and pipes, as their buttons brightly flashed all sorts of different colors. Worker-Class Elsen were scattered from glass tube to glass tube checking and adding certain unknown elements to the powdery compounds; possibly perfecting the delectably deceptive Sugar before it would be processed any further. The dull, flickering lights that hung high above the workers seemed like they could fall out of place at any moment.

The focus of this compound seemed to revolve more around the production of the maddening substance then the personal safety of its workers. As the Batter took in his surroundings further, he began to hastily approach one of the Elsen that was shakily adding various ingredients to one of the vats of Sugar.

"Excuse me, Sir, where can I find The Director; The Holy Guardian of this Zone?" The Batter spoke out, hoping to make his presence known to the worker. All of the Elsen turned their heads to face the Batter at relatively the same time; seemingly interested in what the Batter had to say upon hearing the name of their Royal Guardian. They all seemed quite sickly, just as the Elsen he had first greeted upon entering Zone Three had. One of them slowly approached the Batter, his shaky hands shivering nervously from within his pockets.

"Oh, you must be referring to Enoch…? Yeah, his office is located right down the end of the hall. You can’t miss it.” The Elsen proclaimed. The Batter hadn’t yet heard that term used to describe The Director before that was for certain.

“Enoch? Is that the true identity of this Zone’s Holy Guardian?” As the Batter spoke, he struggled to have his voice be heard over the mechanical workings of the various surrounding machines. The Elsen looked up into the Batter’s eyes, as a concerned look spread across his face.

“Yes, it is, sir. He allows us to call him by his birth name, as a matter of fact. None of the other workers from the other factories have that luxury. He always says it’s because we’re the workers of his most important factory, and that we’re like family to him.” The Elsen slowly stuttered, shivering as he did so. The Batter gave a quick nod of his head, and began to walk down the hall towards the towering doorway. All of the Elsen that had been stationed around the walls bowed their heads as he went, as if deep in prayer. It was almost as if they were giving their condolences to the Batter as they passed. However, the Batter thought nothing of this strange behavior, and continued further down the dingily lit hall. At this point, nothing odd seemed to faze him anymore, although the Batter found it quite difficult to shake off the sense of uneasiness this putrid place imbued within him. This Zone’s Holy Guardian couldn’t be that dangerous, could he? The Batter had dispatched the other two Holy Guardians without an overabundance of effort; this one couldn’t be too much different, right? Either way, the Batter was about to found out.

Suddenly, the hallway seemed to split off into two different directions. The Batter hadn’t even realized a branching path existed until now, probably due to the immense amount of loudly cranking machinery and churning Sugar vats that clouded his view. As the Batter quietly peered down into the darkened hallway to his immediate left, what he saw wasn’t of much surprise to him. Large metal furnaces shone brightly in the darkness, seemingly the only light source illuminating the room. Several Worker-Class Elsen struggled tragically as they heaved grotesque corpses of their own kind into the broiling fires that erupted from the metal furnaces. As the lifeless corpses came into contact with each other within the dancing flames, they began to broil and sizzle into fine layers of ash. The ashes produced by the burning bodies seemed to flow into various metal pipes, all leading straight out of the sickening room and directly towards the towering doors to the far end of the main hallway. It appeared that whatever both of these substances were being used for, the answers lay behind those menacing pair of huge doors. The Batter shook his head in disgust, watching the vibrant flames dancing in the darkness.

“This Zone has truly gone too far in its corrupt actions. The Holy Guardian of this Zone has delved too far into insanity to be saved, that is for certain. As if The Nothingness would even want me to spare his life in the first place, that is. Either way, he must be severely punished for such repulsive and disturbing acts against his people. Purification will be his only salvation.” The Batter thought furiously to himself. As the Batter turned his gaze back upon the main hallway, he realized just how close he was to his next grand conflict. The thought of such a seemingly dangerous fight unnerved him slightly, but not nearly enough to will himself to turn back now. Not after coming all this way, and struggling so valiantly.

As he casually approached the pair of towering doors, only a single thought seemed to enter his clouded mind. "Now why would anyone need doors this huge? It seems quite anti-productive to say the least. Unless… Oh no. I don’t like the looks of this." As the Batter stood before the doors, he began hearing the faint sound of music emanating beautifully from behind the closed doors. The Batter immediately recognized the piece. “Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.” It certainly seemed off-putting to the overall industrial pretrial of the factory, while still giving off a rather saddening tone. It seemed as though The Director had a taste for the fine arts of music. As the Batter pressed his cold hands against the colossal doors, he heaved them open with a firm push. The now un-muffled sound of the elegant music spread out into the rest of the putrid factory, causing several Elsen to turn their heads in confusion. With a deep sigh of preparation, the Batter slowly walked inside the room that lay beyond the colossal metal doors. As the Batter stepped within the darkened office space, the towering doorway creaked shut slowly; As if the Batter was caught in a cliché, 1990’s horror film. The doors pressed together with a seemingly deafening crash, and the sound of the door’s locking mechanism kicked into gear within seconds. It was clear the Batter wasn’t going to be leaving anytime soon.

Turning his attention back to the room that stood before him, the Batter began to notice that the office space itself was quite neat and organized compared to the rest of the factory. Metal pipes and wires lined the steel-plated walls, leading to two menacingly large glass tanks towards the end of the room. Each tank stood at around fifteen feet tall, and was covered in control panels and flashing lights of all varieties. The tank to the left was filled to the brim with pounds of tantalizing Sugar, while the tank to the right was filled with the burnt ashes of thousands of tragically deceased citizens. It appeared as though this was the room in which the ashes were processed directly into Sugar. Large, flickering headlights hung depressingly against the ceiling of the towering room; effectively masking the room in a hazy gloom. Off to the far left side of the office structure, another huge, darkened hallway was located towards the center of the wall. Next to it was a rather large, metal-plated sign that was effectively nailed into the wall’s surface. “The Director’s Personal Washroom.” Below the inscription was a blacked-out image of a rather large, rounded man; opposed to the male and female figures bathroom signs usually have. Not only did The Director rule over the entire Third Zone itself, but it appeared as though he had his own personal bathroom installed as well; along with a personalized bathroom sign. Judging by the utter size of the washroom hallway and the rounded figure, The Director might just be a rather large fellow indeed. His own personal washroom might’ve been completely necessary due to his colossal size, as utterly strange as that sounds.

At the direct center of the room stood a rather large, metal-plated desk. The industrialized desk was adorned with a small, flickering table lamp, as well as with a various assortment of ballpoint pens and evenly-sharpened pencils. To the far right side of the metal-plated desk sat an old radio, which was surprisingly the source of the beautiful music that now flooded the entire office space itself. Cracks and muffled pauses caused by the age of the radio plagued the graceful melody as it came forth from the speakers; heavily distorting the beautiful music in the process. This heavily industrialized office might be neater than the rest of the grimly-lit facility, but it certainly wasn’t any less unnerving to say the least. Much to the Batter’s surprise, The Director was nowhere in sight; which was quite odd considering the fact that he ‘supposedly’ never leaves the confines of his dungeon-like office.

Suddenly, as if by pure coincidence and perfect timing, the ground all around the Batter’s feet began to shake spastically. The thundering booms sounded quite similar to the footsteps of something utterly colossal in proportion. Something utterly huge was coming. They sounded from all directions, growing louder and louder as whatever horrid abomination that produced them slowly drew closer and closer. The Batter instinctively directed his attention to the washroom hallway, which was most likely where the earthshattering footsteps emanated from. Suddenly, a menacingly huge shadow seemed to spread across the wall to the Batter’s right. The caster of the enormous shadow still hung just out of the Batter’s view from within the washroom hallway, however. Whatever it was that stomped the metal-plated earth with so much sheer force had arrived through the eerily-lit, washroom hallway. The footsteps seemed to stop dead in their tracks for a brief moment. Whatever it was that hid just beyond the shadows had only now noticed the Batter’s presence within the office space. All was eerily silent for a few seconds, before an utterly huge figured stepped out from within the confides of the washroom hallway.

The Batter abruptly came face to face with the towering Guardian of the Third Zone. The Director was undeniably enormous, standing at least twenty feet above the Batter. His rounded head was totally bald, with no visible nose in sight. Only a pair of large, circular eyes, and a hideous maw of calloused, ill-aligned teeth seemed to paint his face in the murky darkness. At either end of the abomination’s colossal mouth appeared to be black, painted-on dimples; Similar to that of a circus clown’s childish makeup. His smooth, plastic-like skin was a bleach-white pigment; causing him to shimmer like a ghastly apparition under the dismal ceiling lights that flickered ever-so faintly. When it came down to his attire, The Director appeared to be wearing a fine, white suit that encased his entire upper region, with an awkwardly small, yet neatly-folded tie to compensate. The towering man’s button-down suit was just barely able to overcome the sheer size of his massive body; yet never seemed in danger of ripping or tearing. He wore black, shining boots upon his feet that shimmered faintly in the murky office lighting. His body itself was almost as round and pudgy as a circle, and even that was being generous. The Guardian’s rounded, bloodshot eyes starred menacingly down towards the Batter; a mere flea to his towering build. A wide, malicious smile of jagged, blood-stained teeth spread across his pale face upon noticing his new ‘visitor’. As he began to speak, the metal-plated walls seemed to vibrate rhythmically with the rebound of his monstrously deep voice.

“Oh, It appears as though I have a new visitor. I could’ve sworn that I heard the doors to my office opening, as a matter of fact. Well, either way, how can I be of service to you, young gentleman? Are you here to be rewarded with your daily dose of sugary desert? If that’s why you’re here, you’ve come to the right place, young man. Although, I must say, you don’t exactly look like one of my citizens, to be frankly honest.” His voice sounded extraordinarily deep and surprisingly dopey for that of a Holy Guardian. He sounded as if he belonged in a children’s Saturday morning cartoon rather than protecting thousands upon thousands of secrets necessary for the survival of the Zone itself. As dopey and childish sounding as the colossal Guardian appeared, even the Batter had to admit to his absolutely mortifying appearance. He was definitely taken aback by the monstrously huge abomination of a man that stood before him, that was for certain. Nevertheless, he responded as calmly as he possible could to The Director’s inquiry.

"I am not your visitor, Enoch. I am the Batter, and I’ve heard tale of the grave injustices you have put forth against your people. It appears as though you have only brought pain and misery to the inhabitance of this now withering Zone. That being said, I have come to de-throne you from your reign of terror; thus ending this fruitless cycle of torment once and for all. Once you die, the power of the Holy Guardians will finally fade away into nothing. I’m afraid the final sands have drained from the hourglass of your life, Enoch." The Batter proclaimed fearlessly; expecting an almost immediate and brutal retaliation to follow. A long moment of eerie silence drew by, as the towering monster that stood before him seemed to squint its ocular eyes in confusion. After a brief moment, The Director’s pupils seemed to dilate suddenly, before the silence was broken by the immense sound of heinous laughter. The Director had busted into an uncontrollable fit of booming laughter; as it appeared as though he had found the Batter’s threatening proposal down right hilarious. As he did so, large puffs of what appeared to be a sugary haze erupted from his gapping maw; as sheets of dust and pieces of decayed rust fell down from the heavily archaic ceiling. As the Guardian began to regain control over his laughter, the sugary haze seemed to dissipate into the heavily populated atmosphere upon reaching the ceiling of office.

“That’s very, very funny, young man. You’ve given me quite the laugh. You've certainly got a great sense of humor! But, I digress. So you’re this ‘Batter’ I’ve heard so much about, yes? My security agents confirmed your arrival in my domain quite a while ago, I’m afraid; in fact, I believe you’re the one who gave my second in command quite the vicious beating, correct? Poor, little Sucre didn’t deserve what you did to her, Mr. Batter. Yet you still beat her senseless in front of her friends and family. I have cameras located all over the city, you see. I’ve been watching your entire trek through this Zone since I was informed of your arrival. Unfortunately for you, that injustice you committed towards Sucre won’t go unpunished. So please, allow us to become a little more ‘acquainted’ before I’m forced to crush the ever-loving faith out of you. Let’s start simple, shall we? You can call me Mr. Director." The Holy Guardian responded, wiping away the tears of laughter from his eyes. The Batter was quickly growing agitated by his foe’s overly self-assured tone.

"No one else is laughing, Enoch. I’ll call you whatever the hell I please, as a matter of fact. Sucre stood in my way one time too many; Even if it was just once. The reasons for what I’ve done and those I’ve discarded are completely justified. I think your little ‘guard dog’ should be the least of your worries, to be perfectly clear. I have already defeated the other two Holy Guardians who ever-so-carelessly let their individual Zones fall into utter chaos, and now I’ve come for you. All of you foolish entities of so called ‘divinity’ have destroyed the good name of your Zones within the span of a single week. This Zone will become purified, just as the others that almost had fallen into an irretrievable chaos. Only then can this world finally be at peace once more." The Batter uttered coldheartedly; as he began quickly losing all of the patience he once briefly held on to. The Director’s gluttonous smile slowly began to drain from his bleached face.

"Well, it’s certainly a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Batter. However, it’s obvious to me that you’re unfortunately mistaken. You really believe in that ‘purification’ rubbish? I’ll have you know, kind sir, I haven’t destroyed my own Zone; nor do I care for the lives of the other pitiful Guardians. They had their chance to soak up the spot light, and if they failed their duties, that’s their own business. Not mine. I have done this Zone nothing but its due-diligence. To stop my wonderful Sugar Production Factories after all of this hard work would be a crime. Well, I’m assuming that’s why you threaten to kill me, am I correct, because you want to stop the ‘killings’, huh? And the Sugar Production Factories? Am I right? Well, allow me to let you in on a little, teeny-tiny secret…” The Director paused for a brief moment to lean down closer to where the Batter stood; still not giving him a chance to respond.

“I was the one who convinced The Queen to release the Zones to their own free will. You see, I was waiting so very patiently for the day that lousy Queen would finally let her guard down. For so many long years I was forced to bare a fake smile, and silently nod my head in agreement gaining her trust little by little each day; every day a little bit closer to my goal. Well, it looks like all that ass-kissing really got me into a great position, don’t ya’ think? She actually trusted me enough to rule over the Zone she created for me without going against her ‘better judgment’. What a laugh. Her better judgment was the key factor in holding us back from real, concrete progress. In the one week since The Queen released the Zones to our control, I have made more progress than I ever could have in an entire year. And I owe it all to The Queen’s soft, weak, ‘goody-two-shoes’ heart, that poor, poor, unfortunate Queen. I bet she’s balling her eyes out right this very moment. She can still hear us, if ya’ didn’t know. She can see and hear everything we’re saying right this very second, but now that I’m in control here, she can’t do a single thing to stop me! She can still watch over her kingdom like the babysitter she is, isn’t that right, Your Highness Tisiphone?!” The Director looked up towards the ceiling, as if expecting The Queen herself to reply from far above.

After a moment of utter silence, the Batter had finally begun to realize the severity of what The Director had just said. He had seen that very same name before, and not too long ago as a matter of fact. ‘Tisiphone.’ It just so happened to be the very same name that had been carved ever so delicately into the withered bark of the last remaining oak tree. The exact same name that had once instilled an almost unnoticeable sense of joy into the Batter’s crippled heart. It might’ve been quite an insignificant sensation, but it was the first inkling of joy he had felt since the day he was wrought into existence by The Nothingness. A sensation such as that had to mean something more, no matter the amount. Suddenly, It finally began to dawn on him. The Director had used that strangely familiar name in reference to The Queen of a Thousand Faces. Could it possibly be that the very same Queen who was fooled into releasing the Zones, was this so called ‘Tisiphone?’ The very same Queen who the Batter was sent to purify by The Nothingness all those long, grueling days ago? Suddenly, the Batter was shot back into reality with a sudden jolt. The Director was turning back to face him once again, causing the Batter to lose his train of thought in a flash. Now certainly wasn’t the time to be focusing on fitting the pieces of his memory together; for there were much more pressing matters at hand.

#off mortis ghost #writing

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the-dorothinquisiton-blog · 8 years ago

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The Ravaging Flames - Chapter XIV

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**Okay, okay, so pretty much, I’m really new to this site. I normally hate the idea of social media, but I guess I want to try some new things or something, I dunno. Anyway, I like to write in my free time, or whenever I feel bored outta’ my ever-loving mind. I thought maybe a good start for me on this site would be to share some of my work; or at least, I hope so. This is just a little excerpt from a story I’ve been writing based on the game ‘OFF’ made by Mortis Ghost. I’ve always wanted to publish my work, so I decided to start writing a ‘test-novel’ of sorts to see if I might be able to interest a few people before moving onto something completely original! I might’ve made a few grammatical errors, and I know that already, so don’t be all that harsh. I’m not opposed to criticism by any means, but I’m just not really looking for any of it right now. I’m posting this manly to make someone’s day a little better, if I’m even capable of that in the first place! This is Chapter 14, and for another note, (if you’re familiar with OFF) some of the character’s personalities and motives have been changed; so just try to bare with me! Sorry if it’s a lot out of context; I just chose one of the chapters I liked best. If people like this one, I might post more, I dunno. So, anyway, here it is. Enjoy this copy-pasted mess from my word document. ;~;

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The cool night breeze flooded through the doorway, meeting the Batter’s cold gaze immediately. He had emerged atop the apex of the Great Library. The summit was rather flat, about forty feet wide and long. An eerily placed barred fence walled off the steep edges, preventing anyone from falling to their untimely demise. The night sky was lit ablaze with stars; from which the Batter could barely avert his eyes. Even he had to admit, it was truly an astounding sight to witness. Dark purple clouds swirled slowly in the midnight breeze, casting a series of somber shadows down upon the library’s peak. However, no one appeared to be anywhere within sight. No signs of life shone at all; the only sounds to be heard were the delicate howling of the wind. The Batter walked calmly over to the barred fence that enclosed the summit of the Library, and looked down at the rest of the Zone far below. The sight was stunningly beautiful to say the least; especially the vibrant lights of the city, and the pale glimmer of moonlight off of the ocean’s waves. Hordes of phantoms still flew around below, tormenting the Elsen ruthlessly in the streets and atop buildings. Most of the Zone’s citizens appeared to have already fled to their homes for the night, but the unlucky few were torn to shreds by the vicious carnivores far below the Library’s summit. The sight was truly painful to watch, even for the likes of the Batter. In an effort to break the eerie silence, the Batter spoke aloud to himself.

“Show yourself Japhet the Millennial Firebird, for I have arrived.” The Batter’s cold statement echoed heavily in the stale air, reverberating countless times before dying off. After a short yet antagonizing silence, the Batter’s words were finally met with a response.

“Beautiful… isn’t it?” The voice came across shy and nervous; as if anticipating what was to come. As the Batter turned in the cold night breeze, he laid his eyes upon the feline host of Japhet, starring down at the breathtaking view. She stood facing away from him on the opposite end of the summit. “A sight as beautiful as this used to bring me to tears… That was a long time ago, however… I cannot even seem to recall how to cry any longer, to be perfectly honest.” Japhet proclaimed from within the feline’s body, a small yet noticeable frown spreading across her face. The Batter however, had dealt with enough of these foolish back and forth verbal games, and was growing distain of Japhet’s careless banter.

“You have brought nothing but chaos and suffering to this land. You are the parasite that not only feeds off of Valerie’s body, but this Zone in its entirety. Stop hiding behind your host, coward. Show yourself to me.” The Batter’s hardened words echoing out into the night sky. Japhet suddenly turned to face the Batter, her eyes glowing a deep purple. The Batter’s impatience seemed to resonate sourly within her.

“It isn’t like I wished so desperately for the poor feline to devour me whole! Is that what you think?!” Japhet shouted aloud, her voice growing pained and weighed down by thoughts of regret. “As I lay, in a peaceful sleep, the foolish predator tried to devour me, as you must already know… However, the foolish beast didn’t chew, and I now reside inside her body controlling her like a puppet… She deserved a fate such as this…“ Japhet’s eyes lit ablaze with anger as she bared a toothy grin. The Batter stomped the ground impatiently, cracking the ground beneath his cleat.

”Enough chatter. I understand that the incident with Valerie wasn’t your fault entirely; thus I have already forgiven your sins regarding the matter. However, that still doesn’t justify your crimes against this land, whether you wanted this or not, tonight you will close your eyes for the final time. Show yourself to me now, and die an honorable death.” The Batter proclaimed sternly. The frightening cat only giggled quietly in response, her grin spreading wider than before. Her emotions were clouded and vivid, changing from one to another within mere moments. Insanity was slowly setting in.

“As you wish!” The small feline began hacking and coughing violently as she uttered those chilling words. A pool of fresh blood gathered on the floor below her mouth, as something began to push its way out through her throat. A small avian-like head emerged from the bleeding maw of the cat, one that resembled that of an elegant, white bird. The bird blinked several times, adjusting herself to the cold outside breeze before speaking out in a hatred fueled voice.

“Valerie couldn’t even chew through a little bird, right until the very end!” The small yet oddly exquisite fowl screeched. The Batter took a somber step backwards, as if he wasn’t expecting her statements to hold any water. It truly was a horrifying sight to witness; a bird forcibly ripping its way out of the mouth of a feline who attempted to devour it.

”What’s the matter, purifier? Could it be that you too fear my true appearance? Well, in that case, allow me to grace you with an even worse sight!” Japhet maliciously cackled, her voice shrouded deep within insanity. Without much warning, Japhet’s host body erupted violently, blood spewing profusely in all directions. As the cat’s body convulsed, two stunningly huge wings, at least sixteen feet long, seemed to arise from Valerie’s now trembling carcass. The horrifying visage of a huge, crane-like bird arose from the weakened corpse of the dismembered feline. Japhet slowly staggered to her feet, still not fully accustomed to her true form. The elegant Phoenix stood at least fifteen feet tall, her wings fully outstretched to the sky. Her eyes gleamed a sickening white, stained with a demented craze. Her neck was long and slender, leading up to her crane-like head. The saddened carcass of Valerie adorned her neck in a rather morbid fashion. It appeared as though when she began to grow into her true appearance, Valerie’s corpse had gotten stuck around her neck; ripping her body open in the process. Blood dripped down from the corpse of the cat, staining Japhet’s magnificent form in fowl drops of crimson red. A long, smooth tail protruded from the phoenix’s rear, slamming fiercely against the tiled floors of the Library’s apex. Yet, her elegant voice remained soft and calm, truly not matching her monstrous crane-like form.

“The more I fight for my people, the more I work to keep them satisfied, only to be let down miserably in the end. They have forgotten me. Against all reason… they’ve become mortified of my very appearance. I’m trapped in an everlasting misery, as if damned by the Thousand Faced Queen herself… But now, I am finally free. Far below this very Library, the carnivores that I wrought into existence look up to where I soar, far above the clouds themselves, far above the storms that plague this tainted world. I can feel the pure power flowing through my veins… The phantoms have set me free of my everlasting burden! They’re all around me, circling like vultures to a rotting carcass! I can feel their sickening presence even now as we speak! Yes, it is true! It was I who summoned the phantoms from the depths! They are truly by my side, even now in my final moments! I’ve risen up beyond the sky that confines me, beyond the stars that withhold me!“ Japhet preached to the stars above, her stunningly beautiful voice echoing far into the sky. With a sudden and fierce flap of her mighty wings, Japhet lifted herself into the sky. The now brightening stars above shone on her massive wings, giving her body a stunningly divine appearance.

“The energy of the galaxy’s divine expanse has given me power beyond the stars themselves. Now Batter, strike me down! End my sinful existence before the very beings of my creation destroy this crumbling Zone!” Japhet screeched down at the Batter, her voice heavily weighed down by fear and grief. Even while begging for death itself, she still feared what lied beyond life’s touch. The Batter pointed his blood soiled bat up at the huge phoenix, a menacing glare upon his stern face.

“Now, look upon yourself. Driven insane by the very power you were graced with in the beginning… how regrettable. You are truly a demented child of evil, Japhet. Your reign of fear and your rule over the phantoms ends here.” The Batter’s voice grew cold and dark, a gnarled hatred growing from within him. The towering phoenix raised her head upwards towards the stars without another word, and opened her gaping beak wide. Her silky white eyes glowed brightly in the darkness of the night. From deep within her throat erupted a vibrant plume of pale purple flames into the night sky. The deep purple blaze spread out in the sky before arching back down towards the Library’s summit. The sky was truly raining heavenly violent fire. As the plumes of fire rained down from the sky, the Batter leapt from place to place; desperately trying to avoid the scorching blaze. He tried to maintain his balance, seeing as though one wrong step would land him straight into the searing flames. From far above, he could hear the demented cackling of the colossal phoenix as he leapt from place to place.

“Try as you might, Batter… I hold within me the searing flames of creation! This Zone and everything in it is about to come to an untimely climax, whether you care for its people or not! What will you do?! Run and hide like the coward you truly are?! Or stay and fight?!” The Flaming Sovereign taunted, her voice soaring far above the flames. She began flapping her heavy wings at a great speed, attempting to blow the plentiful fire straight into the Batter. The sportive purifier stopped dead in his tracks, noticing the vibrant violent flames spiraling around him.

The dancing flames seemed to form a towering hurricane of hellfire, engulfing the entire summit of the library within a barrier of churning flames. The Batter could feel the immense heat harshly pressuring his body from all angles. Japhet was now nowhere in sight, hiding somewhere upon the other side of the scorching hurricane of flames. The crazed phoenix’s chaotic laughter rang out in the Batter’s ears, emanating in all directions. Such an elegant voice should never have to utter such guttural laughter. It simply isn’t natural. It was near to impossible for the Batter to locate the direction of the maddening laughter, seeing as though the roaring flames that surrounded him emanated with such an unknown fury. Without warning, large assortments of phantoms began shooting out from the scorching barrier of fire; all headed straight in the Batter’s direction. They all laughed hysterically as they charged at him from all conceivable angles. Japhet was putting her mastery of the phantoms to sparingly good use. The air was filled with maniacal snickering and violent hisses of anguish. The souls of the dammed were closing in. The Batter swung his mighty bat from phantom to phantom, ducking and dodging as many cackling specters as he could in the process. No matter how many phantoms the Batter seemed to banish, more and more spewed from the spiraling vortex of vibrant purple hellfire. The Batter’s reflexes were spot on, however. He began swinging his cast iron bat as hard and fast as he possibly could in a furious attempt to ward off the countless spirits. Finally, the phantoms seemed to begin to die down in frequency. He had totally lost count of the amount of vicious ghouls he had purified, but all that mattered to him at that moment was completing his sacred mission; and of course avenging the tragic loss of the Judge’s dear sister. He would not stand for such a cruel and heartless deity to get away with these unspeakable actions, no matter how kind and compassionate she may have been in the past.

The walls of vibrant, swirling fire began to close in around the Batter however, leaving him with only a few feet of space left in which to move. The emanating heat and bursts of volatile cinders from the walls of broiling fire seemed to dance about, lighting the night sky ablaze in vibrant color. As the Batter glanced overhead, he saw Japhet circling far above at the highest point of the spiraling vortex. Her voice rang out above the churning flames.

“Farewell, foolish purifier! To think I actually thought you’d be strong enough to snuff out my life like a dying cinder. Now there’s naught left to do but burn you to crisp ash!” As she spoke her hateful words, bright violet flames brewed between her gapping jaws. The mighty phoenix reeled back her head, only to thrust it downward towards the Batter, releasing a fierce burst of blistering purple flames. The plume of fire traveled swiftly down into the spiraling vortex, leaving the Batter with no place to run. He was hopelessly trapped; Blistering fire resonating from all directions. All he could do was prepare to block the oncoming breath of searing flames with his mighty cast-iron bat. As the twisting flare of vibrant purple came in contact with the unprepared Batter’s bat, a vicious explosion of intense force ensued; dissipating all of the surrounding fire. Plumes of smoke erupted bleakly from the explosion as the rising dust began to settle back to the ground. Japhet soared above the scene, observing her handiwork from far above the summit of the Library. As the dust settled, and the sounds of churning flames died down, Japhet gently lowered herself back to her roost upon the Library’s summit. Bowing her head slightly while closing her eyes, she spoke aloud to no one.

“Sleep well, young purifier. You tried your very best indeed… but in the end, no mortal can best an entity of pure divinity such as I.” Japhet proclaimed confidently, folding up her colossal wings around herself tightly. Small cinders still flickered on the now singed ground, as a deafening silence rose into the stale air. The wind could still be faintly heard blowing gently through the air; its soft breeze stirring up dust along the Library’s peak. Just when Japhet was positive her resilient adversary was no more, a deep voice pierced the eerie silence once again.

“I wouldn’t be so sure, Japhet. Divinity is just a concept of delusion, rendering you just as mortal as I am. Not even the darkest flames of the devil himself could cast me down.” The Batter slowly emerged from within the thick cloud of smoke, a stern look plastered over his face. Even after such a devastating blow, the Batter was virtually unscathed by any stretch of the word. His batting uniform was miraculously unsigned, and his ghastly black ball cap still sat eerily upon his head. “If you still wish for death’s icy embrace, now would be a wonderful time to accept.” The Batter spoke, all remorse vanishing from his voice in that single instant. Japhet calmly ruffled her feathers in an expectant manner, not at all surprised at the Batter resilience.

“Ah, you are certainly full of surprises, Batter… And here I thought you’d be singed to a fine crisp. In another life… or maybe, in another reality… we could’ve been… good friends…” Japhet preached softly, somewhat relieved to know that her furious adversary might still be able to finish her off. All Japhet dreamed of now was death’s oh so sweet release. The sickening corpse of Valerie still clung lifelessly to the back of her neck, shaking moderately in the soft wind. Streams of blood trickled down from the putrid corpse, sending forth bright trails of crimson liquid down Japhet’s slender neck. Unfolding her massive wings once more, she gathered her thoughts as quickly as possible. “I would have been overjoyed to be your… friend. Yes… your friend…” Japhet meekly inquired, attempting in vain to hold back tears. All of her cruel wrong doings finally seemed to be weighing down on her conscience as she felt the warm streams of blood traveling down her tensed body. In a sudden moment of clarity that temporarily pushed aside the dreadful madness that plagued her mind, Japhet remembered what it was like to be a Holy Guardian once more. The happiness, the admiration, and the joy. The smiles of her closest friends, the tangled feelings of love she felt in her heart, and the one person who never left her side even in the darkest of times. The one girl she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Japhet knew there was no going back now, however. Her sins were unforgivable, and had driven even her closest friends and loved ones out of her life for good. She had pushed all of them away, except for the girl. The girl who she knew deep down would never look at her the same way if she was to learn of Japhet’s wrong doings. All Japhet wanted now was for it all to come to a close, an end to the pain. Glistening tears began to flow from her glimmering white eyes, staining the feathers lining her gentle face. The Batter starred up at mighty phoenix, who was seemingly falling apart mentally before his very eyes. He knew naught what to expect; Japhet was now on the verge of mental collapse. He understood her pain however, somehow he knew what it felt like to be in her position. The loss of everything she loved, the loss of everyone she loved. All that remained within her was the maddening power she possessed, and the only thing left to do with it. To destroy everything.

“Maybe we could’ve been friends in some other reality. You wish so desperately for me to destroy you, yet you have been the only Holy Guardian thus far to even consider for a brief moment the consequences of your actions. My previous offer still stands. We can compromise. Let us put an end to the fighting, Sovereign Phoenix.” The Batter proclaimed calmly, hoping to get through to the troubled Guardian. A long, agonizing silence ensued as the phoenix pondered the Batter’s words ever so carefully.

“You want… to be my friend…? Even after my countless attempts to take a stab at your life…? I have no one left to love… I’ve driven everyone away… I deserve this fate… Batter, forgive me… but I must respectfully decline your proposal of friendship… I must die tonight.”

#writing #off mortis ghost

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