 |
| "Bio-luminescent lights shone from atop mountains of rippled flesh..." |
My first recollection of this tale began all the way out in the Atlantic ocean, inside the exploration submarine Valiant Fighter.
It was a tempestuous January morn one the day my vessel reached the epicenter of its destination, stopping and remaining still in the undulating current. The clouds above us sighed with sporadic, but light showers of rain, drizzling over the surface, and ultimately rolling over into the waters.
The crew's role here was to map out certain sectors of the hitherto-unexplored abyss deep below miles of water that had not yet been traversed by humans, or their technology.
Myself, I was in charge of guiding our vessel, sending it down into the abyss. This was an exciting opportunity - up until now, this fissure has remained isolated from all outside contact for innumerable years!
What awaited us within?
New species to observe and document?
Precious oil fields to extract and sell off?
Or something that should never have been awoken from its slumber?
I shook all notions of hidden demons and unearthed threats from my head - I was a man of science and progress, not a believer of backwards notions held by goat-herders and lunatics!
"We all set for the descent?" the co-captain said, shaking me from my reverie.
"Yes, I was just about to head downstairs to get this beauty ready for launch." I replied.
"What are we waiting for?" said my co-captain.
We both headed down into the interior of the ship, passing short corridors daubed in utilitarian grey as we moved towards the center. Moving past several crew members, we remained silent until at last, we reached our destination.
Both of us entered the control room of such a vessel; small enough for several men to fit in, with much of the space taken up by bulky computer monitors, guarding over all known functions; radar, weapons systems, everything a good submarine was expected to be carrying at any given time.
"Roger, if you could ensure the crew is ready for descent." I said.
"Of course." he replied, promptly turning for the door.
As Roger departed to notify the other men, I began to prepare for descent, pressing confirm on all functions.
*ACTIVATION SCREEN*
FUNCTIONS
VIDEO CAMERA: ENABLED
LEFT TURBINE: ENABLED
RIGHT TURBINE: ENABLED
WEAPONS SYSTEMS: DISABLED
LIGHTING SYSTEMS/SEARCHLIGHT: ENABLED
PERISCOPE: ENABLED
MICROPHONES: ENABLED
LEFT TURBINE: ENABLED
RIGHT TURBINE: ENABLED
WEAPONS SYSTEMS: DISABLED
LIGHTING SYSTEMS/SEARCHLIGHT: ENABLED
PERISCOPE: ENABLED
MICROPHONES: ENABLED
I kept the weapons systems off for this expedition; we were only down here for reconnaissance purposes today, nothing more.
The rest of this preparation involved numerous checklists and procedures; after I was satisfied with the results, I took the vessel and sent it down into the unfathomable, uncharted depths.
Downwards we traveled, and when the abyss was in sight I paused the craft, viewing the very area I was going to explore.
It was of a most gargantuan stature, stretching for miles innumerable; a yawning fissure that lacked beginning or end, instead filled with shadow and benthic life unknown.
The walls of such a furrow lacked detail, bare and leading down into depths unexplored, and to its sides, the area was surrounded by plains most sullen, devoid of any semblance of color or life.
Fearing idleness, I sent the craft down into the unknown.
For many an age, I controlled the motions of the machine, sending it further and further downwards into the abyss, glimpsing a vista no man before - or after - had seen with their own eyes.
At first, the vessel was guarded by sun's light; clearly visible to any man's naked eye.
Yet at we traveled further and further downwards, the light that shone and guided the way was obfuscated by the very water itself, growing dimmer and dimmer with each passing moment until at last, the vessel reached the threshold of the twilight beneath. I hovered the vessel if but for a moment; sending the searchlight far and wide, slashing away at the darkness beheld by my eyes alone.
Finding nothing of concern, to the bottom, we continued.
The light of above gave way to vast carpets of sheer nothingness that filled my vision, an empty, featureless void incapable of being filled by any ordinary man.
For some time, I was unsure whether we were going anywhere; perhaps I was not making any progress in these depths, and forces unknown were keeping my curiosity at bay.
A nonsensical notion - what could be down here save for those vestiges of life too wretched to make it above this land?
Only the dead lurked here - alongside whatever was thrown away from view, meant to remain hidden.
At least until today - today, I would be the first to map eyes on this uncharted land.
Descending, I kept, driving the vehicle further and further down until at last, the lone searchlight illuminated the bottom of this trench. Surprisingly enough, the bottom was not the barren vista I and many others had expected; down here, there seemed to be sporadic patches of what appeared to be vegetation or some other substance fixed upon the floor; a torn epidermis of ragged life that undulated in tune with the currents.
Aquatic life slumbered down here, but not any I recognized, only a vast assortment of creatures most heinous and eldritch, with all manner of forms; gelatinous beacons illuminating the dark, ophidian-esque icthyes unlike those that dwelt above swam past; slender bodies assorted with instruments fit only to harm unwary prey.
None took interest in my vessel, though a few did attempt to ascertain just what it was that intruded upon their realm; all left after their weapons failed to even penetrate the hide of my craft.
Endless silence flooded the microphones, the only noise being the thrumming of the twin motors as we pushed forwards, darkness parting before us as we continued on.
Quiet reigned supreme here, silence shrouding all... save a for a faint noise that was easy to miss for the untrained observer.
Faint it was, thought I was able to discern a melody to that sound; a song that appealed to the senses and bewitched me with each passing moment.
A moment's pause was all it took for me to almost felt pity for this damnable creature, this siren ringing out across the abyss, forever singing and forever unheard. It was then I decided to investigate the source of this noise, and find out just what it was that had attracted my attention.
I stopped the submarine and hung still for a moment, hung in that desolate emptiness, before veering left and travelling towards the noise.
Both propellers chugged and wheezed as I traveled to the source of my curiosity, the tune growing ever louder and ever so bewitching, rising and rising in its own crescendo, my heart dreaming of tearing a hole in my chest, falling into a rhythm of frightening alacrity as I strode ever closer.
Shaken from my daydream by a violent juddering, and I came to a horrifying conclusion - we were no longer in control! Attempting to regain control of the vessel, I pushed the motors to their limit, but to no avail; the they were disabled, sputtering their last as we were taken by forces unknown.
Alarms rung out across the vessel, monitors flashed with garish red, and the co-captain stumbled inwards, asking of me:
"What's going on? What have you done?"
"I do not know what is happening - we appear to have lost control!" I replied.
"I can see that. Where are we being taken?"
"We... are being taken to our doom." I said solemnly, as the submarine was dragged closer and closer to the source of that bewitching, enthralling voice.
Now, as all control of my vessel was lost, it was then I heard a scraping noise throughout the hull of the submarine, and I realized were not being dragged by the current; something out there was taking hold of our course!
"Impossible..." I muttered to myself.
Nothing large or intelligent enough to cart our vessel away as if were a mere toy could not possibly exist down here - but as I spoke my words and pandemonium broke out inside, something, or somethings stirred outside in that eternal twilight.
Shadows flickered and the scraping subsided, and when I looked through the periscope, I at last saw the culprit responsible for our deviation.
The creature bore a most hideous countenance; birthed perhaps between a union of creatures indescribable.
Vestiges of a hindquarter fluke led to an abdomen most segmented; made up of several carapaces which interlocked and separated from each other as the creature drew breath.
Upon its chest, slender, crustacean-esque legs lay contracted, held close to the creature's heart, presumably; at their forefront, two longer, blood-rust limbs remained extended, their tips forming jagged instruments of death - perhaps these were were the course of that interminable scraping earlier?
Shaking all needless thoughts from my mind, I gazed upon the beast's face, and my God!
A true abomination, it was; unrecognizable as animal or anything more civilized, instead opting for the visage of horrors best left to the imagination. Inside the mouth, rows of demonic teeth led down into this thing's throat, which shuddered with the same haunting melody I had only heard minutes ago.
It was then I realized that no fair maiden, no bewitching siren had made these ethereal cries for help; it was a trap to lure foolish men like me to their doom.
Mouth stretched in an expression of alien ecstasy, the creature sang the same twisted song that had lured me here, in a manner akin to the rats of the Piper - only this time, the creature spoke, and its words were most chilling, more so than our immediate surroundings:
"His house, you have disturbed. Rise, our Lord Krin' tal will."
Shocked, I was, not only due to the creature speaking but due to the introduction of this "Krin'tal".
Who - or what was it?
The master of these hideous minions?
As I pondered these and many more options, the creatures and its kin froze, only to swim away in their uncouth fashion, swallowed by the dark as something greater, something else moved about within the edges of the searchlight.
Frozen with fear, I controlled the searchlight, once more scanning the area for whatever it was that had scared off my aggressors, all to no avail. Sighing with relief, I slouched back - only to be knocked forward as the vessel was rocked by a most calamitous impact.
Groaning now as metal buckled and ruptured, my very submarine surged downwards a most indeterminable speed, pushed downwards by a far greater threat than those hideous beasts outside.
Blood now dripping from my head, I stumbled backwards, only for my world to tumble into black as the submarine smacked into the ocean floor.
Water lapped by my sides as I awoke to a groaning vessel, her sides buckling and thrumming with increased pressure. Slowly, I got up, inspecting my body and self in case I had suffered any grievous injury.
Finding nothing of concern, I stood, body trembling with pain all over.
"Is anyone there?" I shouted, only to receive no reply.
It would appear I was the only one aboard now - hovering between confusion and melancholy, I was knocked to the floor by a most vehement force.
Riveting the entirety of my mind, the force handled my conscious with a vigor situated between delicate caressing and forceful bravado -until at last, its booming voice echoed in my head.
"Idnh terr kahlos Krin'tal nigran!" (You have disturbed Krin'tal most lamentably!)
"Sahnerrah pos tin'kreh nidah. (A fool to come here, for all before you is darkness.)
Tej quar med domin, solok mar telok." (This shall be my domain, served not for your kind.)
"Uda ro'the, tu qhet en salin!" (Leave now, your quest in vain!)
As the voice boomed in my head, I could see the periscope in sight.
The eldritch beast ceased communication, leaving my mind and restoring control of my faculties to myself alone. Praying that it was not damaged, inching towards it bit by bit, I at last held a steadfast grip upon its outward handles, and looked through to inspect the outside.
Once, I may have only believed in the monsters of the night, but today, I know that they are a certainty, lurking in corners of our world that should never be inspected by mortal eyes.
Krin'tal, as he named himself, was perhaps the embodiment of the ophidian form, possessing a body rippled with aging, taupe twines of muscle, thicker than pillars and stronger than the most staunch alloys.
Bio-luminescent lights shone atop mountains of rippled muscle, situated just below dorsal lances, separated by mucilaginous membrane, dwarfing even his very cohorts.
Diaphanous, translucent fins gave him the means of propulsion, and as I set my eyes upon his face, I was overcome with with a flash of pain incredibly blinding, searing my body once more, taking a hammer upon my already wounded mind and shattering my mind into pieces minute.
His aspect lacked description, featureless and sleek, leading down into a cavernous passage that hid darkness and blades most cuspid, ivory daggers glinting in the dark, my mind struggled to comprehend the sight before it. I ripped myself from the periscope, both hands clutching cranium firmly.
Screaming both inside and out, I crumpled to the floor, attempting to describe just what it was I had lain eyes on; the words eluded my grasp, and so did my health.
Falling, falling back into the black I had awoken from, I rest, safely at peace at the very bottom.
Or, so I thought.
As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I could garner the impression that my ruined craft was being lifted, out of the trench and back to the world above. Impossible, surely, but I definitely could feel a certain elevation; salvation had come at last!
All the horrible sensations, the appalling sights - all a figment of a troubled mind!
Yet the last thing I remember, as overwhelming joy gave way to brooding fear and my body collapsed into hallowed dream-lands, was the following phrase being spoken in my mind, bearing the heaviness of old, yet the comfort of dreams;
"Back to slumber for mighty Krin'tal ; no peace will visit you."
I can still remember him every now and again. Every now and again, when the light grows dim and the moon shines through the iron-clad bars, I remember his voice and plead to be let out, beg for an escape from this place.
Scornful derision is my only response, and once more I am left to the confines of my vastly opened mind.
The Lord Of Dark, the Abyssal Fiend - known by many names, he dominates my mind in the twilight hours of morn and the bitter cold of night.
He approaches once more - please, leave me be!
Source of monster image: http://yefumm.deviantart.com/art/Ever-wonder-332300731
The rest of this preparation involved numerous checklists and procedures; after I was satisfied with the results, I took the vessel and sent it down into the unfathomable, uncharted depths.
Downwards we traveled, and when the abyss was in sight I paused the craft, viewing the very area I was going to explore.
It was of a most gargantuan stature, stretching for miles innumerable; a yawning fissure that lacked beginning or end, instead filled with shadow and benthic life unknown.
The walls of such a furrow lacked detail, bare and leading down into depths unexplored, and to its sides, the area was surrounded by plains most sullen, devoid of any semblance of color or life.
Fearing idleness, I sent the craft down into the unknown.
For many an age, I controlled the motions of the machine, sending it further and further downwards into the abyss, glimpsing a vista no man before - or after - had seen with their own eyes.
At first, the vessel was guarded by sun's light; clearly visible to any man's naked eye.
Yet at we traveled further and further downwards, the light that shone and guided the way was obfuscated by the very water itself, growing dimmer and dimmer with each passing moment until at last, the vessel reached the threshold of the twilight beneath. I hovered the vessel if but for a moment; sending the searchlight far and wide, slashing away at the darkness beheld by my eyes alone.
Finding nothing of concern, to the bottom, we continued.
The light of above gave way to vast carpets of sheer nothingness that filled my vision, an empty, featureless void incapable of being filled by any ordinary man.
For some time, I was unsure whether we were going anywhere; perhaps I was not making any progress in these depths, and forces unknown were keeping my curiosity at bay.
A nonsensical notion - what could be down here save for those vestiges of life too wretched to make it above this land?
Only the dead lurked here - alongside whatever was thrown away from view, meant to remain hidden.
At least until today - today, I would be the first to map eyes on this uncharted land.
Descending, I kept, driving the vehicle further and further down until at last, the lone searchlight illuminated the bottom of this trench. Surprisingly enough, the bottom was not the barren vista I and many others had expected; down here, there seemed to be sporadic patches of what appeared to be vegetation or some other substance fixed upon the floor; a torn epidermis of ragged life that undulated in tune with the currents.
Aquatic life slumbered down here, but not any I recognized, only a vast assortment of creatures most heinous and eldritch, with all manner of forms; gelatinous beacons illuminating the dark, ophidian-esque icthyes unlike those that dwelt above swam past; slender bodies assorted with instruments fit only to harm unwary prey.
None took interest in my vessel, though a few did attempt to ascertain just what it was that intruded upon their realm; all left after their weapons failed to even penetrate the hide of my craft.
Endless silence flooded the microphones, the only noise being the thrumming of the twin motors as we pushed forwards, darkness parting before us as we continued on.
Quiet reigned supreme here, silence shrouding all... save a for a faint noise that was easy to miss for the untrained observer.
Faint it was, thought I was able to discern a melody to that sound; a song that appealed to the senses and bewitched me with each passing moment.
A moment's pause was all it took for me to almost felt pity for this damnable creature, this siren ringing out across the abyss, forever singing and forever unheard. It was then I decided to investigate the source of this noise, and find out just what it was that had attracted my attention.
I stopped the submarine and hung still for a moment, hung in that desolate emptiness, before veering left and travelling towards the noise.
Both propellers chugged and wheezed as I traveled to the source of my curiosity, the tune growing ever louder and ever so bewitching, rising and rising in its own crescendo, my heart dreaming of tearing a hole in my chest, falling into a rhythm of frightening alacrity as I strode ever closer.
Shaken from my daydream by a violent juddering, and I came to a horrifying conclusion - we were no longer in control! Attempting to regain control of the vessel, I pushed the motors to their limit, but to no avail; the they were disabled, sputtering their last as we were taken by forces unknown.
Alarms rung out across the vessel, monitors flashed with garish red, and the co-captain stumbled inwards, asking of me:
"What's going on? What have you done?"
"I do not know what is happening - we appear to have lost control!" I replied.
"I can see that. Where are we being taken?"
"We... are being taken to our doom." I said solemnly, as the submarine was dragged closer and closer to the source of that bewitching, enthralling voice.
Now, as all control of my vessel was lost, it was then I heard a scraping noise throughout the hull of the submarine, and I realized were not being dragged by the current; something out there was taking hold of our course!
"Impossible..." I muttered to myself.
Nothing large or intelligent enough to cart our vessel away as if were a mere toy could not possibly exist down here - but as I spoke my words and pandemonium broke out inside, something, or somethings stirred outside in that eternal twilight.
Shadows flickered and the scraping subsided, and when I looked through the periscope, I at last saw the culprit responsible for our deviation.
The creature bore a most hideous countenance; birthed perhaps between a union of creatures indescribable.
Vestiges of a hindquarter fluke led to an abdomen most segmented; made up of several carapaces which interlocked and separated from each other as the creature drew breath.
Upon its chest, slender, crustacean-esque legs lay contracted, held close to the creature's heart, presumably; at their forefront, two longer, blood-rust limbs remained extended, their tips forming jagged instruments of death - perhaps these were were the course of that interminable scraping earlier?
Shaking all needless thoughts from my mind, I gazed upon the beast's face, and my God!
A true abomination, it was; unrecognizable as animal or anything more civilized, instead opting for the visage of horrors best left to the imagination. Inside the mouth, rows of demonic teeth led down into this thing's throat, which shuddered with the same haunting melody I had only heard minutes ago.
It was then I realized that no fair maiden, no bewitching siren had made these ethereal cries for help; it was a trap to lure foolish men like me to their doom.
Mouth stretched in an expression of alien ecstasy, the creature sang the same twisted song that had lured me here, in a manner akin to the rats of the Piper - only this time, the creature spoke, and its words were most chilling, more so than our immediate surroundings:
"His house, you have disturbed. Rise, our Lord Krin' tal will."
Shocked, I was, not only due to the creature speaking but due to the introduction of this "Krin'tal".
Who - or what was it?
The master of these hideous minions?
As I pondered these and many more options, the creatures and its kin froze, only to swim away in their uncouth fashion, swallowed by the dark as something greater, something else moved about within the edges of the searchlight.
Frozen with fear, I controlled the searchlight, once more scanning the area for whatever it was that had scared off my aggressors, all to no avail. Sighing with relief, I slouched back - only to be knocked forward as the vessel was rocked by a most calamitous impact.
Groaning now as metal buckled and ruptured, my very submarine surged downwards a most indeterminable speed, pushed downwards by a far greater threat than those hideous beasts outside.
Blood now dripping from my head, I stumbled backwards, only for my world to tumble into black as the submarine smacked into the ocean floor.
Water lapped by my sides as I awoke to a groaning vessel, her sides buckling and thrumming with increased pressure. Slowly, I got up, inspecting my body and self in case I had suffered any grievous injury.
Finding nothing of concern, I stood, body trembling with pain all over.
"Is anyone there?" I shouted, only to receive no reply.
It would appear I was the only one aboard now - hovering between confusion and melancholy, I was knocked to the floor by a most vehement force.
Riveting the entirety of my mind, the force handled my conscious with a vigor situated between delicate caressing and forceful bravado -until at last, its booming voice echoed in my head.
"Idnh terr kahlos Krin'tal nigran!" (You have disturbed Krin'tal most lamentably!)
"Sahnerrah pos tin'kreh nidah. (A fool to come here, for all before you is darkness.)
Tej quar med domin, solok mar telok." (This shall be my domain, served not for your kind.)
"Uda ro'the, tu qhet en salin!" (Leave now, your quest in vain!)
As the voice boomed in my head, I could see the periscope in sight.
The eldritch beast ceased communication, leaving my mind and restoring control of my faculties to myself alone. Praying that it was not damaged, inching towards it bit by bit, I at last held a steadfast grip upon its outward handles, and looked through to inspect the outside.
Once, I may have only believed in the monsters of the night, but today, I know that they are a certainty, lurking in corners of our world that should never be inspected by mortal eyes.
Krin'tal, as he named himself, was perhaps the embodiment of the ophidian form, possessing a body rippled with aging, taupe twines of muscle, thicker than pillars and stronger than the most staunch alloys.
Bio-luminescent lights shone atop mountains of rippled muscle, situated just below dorsal lances, separated by mucilaginous membrane, dwarfing even his very cohorts.
Diaphanous, translucent fins gave him the means of propulsion, and as I set my eyes upon his face, I was overcome with with a flash of pain incredibly blinding, searing my body once more, taking a hammer upon my already wounded mind and shattering my mind into pieces minute.
His aspect lacked description, featureless and sleek, leading down into a cavernous passage that hid darkness and blades most cuspid, ivory daggers glinting in the dark, my mind struggled to comprehend the sight before it. I ripped myself from the periscope, both hands clutching cranium firmly.
Screaming both inside and out, I crumpled to the floor, attempting to describe just what it was I had lain eyes on; the words eluded my grasp, and so did my health.
Falling, falling back into the black I had awoken from, I rest, safely at peace at the very bottom.
Or, so I thought.
As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I could garner the impression that my ruined craft was being lifted, out of the trench and back to the world above. Impossible, surely, but I definitely could feel a certain elevation; salvation had come at last!
All the horrible sensations, the appalling sights - all a figment of a troubled mind!
Yet the last thing I remember, as overwhelming joy gave way to brooding fear and my body collapsed into hallowed dream-lands, was the following phrase being spoken in my mind, bearing the heaviness of old, yet the comfort of dreams;
"Back to slumber for mighty Krin'tal ; no peace will visit you."
I can still remember him every now and again. Every now and again, when the light grows dim and the moon shines through the iron-clad bars, I remember his voice and plead to be let out, beg for an escape from this place.
Scornful derision is my only response, and once more I am left to the confines of my vastly opened mind.
The Lord Of Dark, the Abyssal Fiend - known by many names, he dominates my mind in the twilight hours of morn and the bitter cold of night.
He approaches once more - please, leave me be!
Source of monster image: http://yefumm.deviantart.com/art/Ever-wonder-332300731
No comments:
Post a Comment