by
John Oles
A little mouse scrambled over dusty stones in search of food. He had been through this area many times and he knew that there was nothing left but there was always hope. When he found nothing, he crawled further down the dark, ancient corridor that was his home. He paused at a junction between two corridors, his nose aiming first one way then another. He usually went right at this point, knowing the halls and chambers beyond well but he also knew that there had been no regular food there for many a long week. He found his paws taking him down the left path instead, for curiosity's sake as well as the quest for food.
Almost immediately, the mouse perked up his nose and sniffed heavily. A new, enticing smell came reluctantly to his nostrils but the moment he smelled it, the mouse began scurrying quickly down the passageway as fast as his little legs would take him. It had been a long time since he had last smelled meat but it was a smell no self-respecting rodent ever forgot.
The mouse followed the scent through a variety of curving, twisting corridors. He was slightly puzzled when he came to a stretch of hall covered in iron spikes that protruded from the floor but the blood on the tips of these spikes was old and decayed. The skeletons lying upon the floor also were bare of edible flesh and the clothing they wore was made of metal, useless and unnourishing to the little mouse, who ran onward after the smell.
After the spikes in the floor, the layout of the corridors only grew more confusing to the questing rodent. At one point, he was almost stumped completely by a huge stone block that had fallen from the ceiling, blocking off the corridor but the mouse found a space between the stone and the wall and, stepping over the crushed bones, he continued on his way. A blackened mark on the floor smell very much like the smell the mouse followed but nothing remained and he passed on.
After a long trek through the confusing halls, the mouse finally came to what had to be the very deepest part of the crypt. The floor here was covered with a layer of decaying bones so thick that the mouse had to climb over them to get to the stairs and begin the long, arduous ascent to where he knew the source of the smell waited for him. He scrambled over the hundreds upon hundreds of human skeletons that littered the stairs until he came to the top where the line of bones ended, leaving bare stone.
Standing over the little mouse was a massive, stone sarcophagus. The sides were covered in what had once been intricate carvings but had been worn by time into rough lines and swirls. Just in front of the mouse was a large shape covered in dust, a long metal object like those carried by the skeletons below but more than twice as large as any the mouse had seen in the hands of the human dead. He remembered to stay away from the long, wide end that he had learned were sharp from years of climbing over swords. He could just see the figure of a body lying across the top of the massive stone coffin and it was from there that the smell of meat came. The mouse latched his claws into the carved stonework and began climbing. Reaching the lip of the sarcophagus lid, the rodent looked up at the figure of what it had smelled from so far away.
A man sized figure garbed in rusted metal armor lay across the top of the coffin. The bleached skull lay just in front of the mouse, the mouth open wide in a silent scream. The mouse crawled up onto the skull in search of tender flesh but recoiled as the sharp edge of a long, pointed fang scraped his side. Looking closer, the mouse saw two of the elongated teeth protruding from the upper jaw and opted against entering the mouth again. Instead, he gathered his legs beneath him and leapt up onto the breastplate, almost bashing his nose against a sturdy length of wood that stood up from where it had pierced the steel chest piece.
The mouse was perplexed for but a moment before going around the wooden stake to sniff at another hole in the armor. It was long and thin, the same dimensions as the weapons carried by the humans. Stabbing his nose into the hole, the mouse discovered to his dismay that the armor was over two inches thick, the hole running right through it into the fragrant meat below. Turning away from the hole, the mouse scratched at the rusted metal but only hurt his claws so he set about searching for other ways inside.
It was then that he noticed the stake more clearly. Near the very top, a symbol had been carved into the wood that glowed slightly. While the stake itself seemed to be as aged as the surrounding crypt, the symbol carved into it seemed newly made. The mouse had never seen magic before but he sensed something from the symbol that made him decidedly uncomfortable. He carefully approached the stake, frequently pausing to sniff the air before reaching up with one paw to scratch timidly at the glowing carving. Nothing happened and the mouse leaned in farther, scratching a little harder. When still nothing happened, the mouse leaned in one last time to give one great scratch before turning away.
As his claws passed over the symbol for the last time, a single chip of wood came loose from the symbol and fell to the floor of the crypt.
The sound of armored feet thundered up the great staircase and poured into the dank corridors of the Necropolis. The sounds of pitched battle without had only just ceased and now the victorious humans flooded the halls of the unholy fortress that once had held them in the grip of fear at the very mention of its name. Still, despite the great numbers that stepped over the threshold, each and every man who entered could not suppress a quick shiver that ran the length of his spine.
"I think I see something." one man shouted. As every head turned towards the speaker, there was a muffled thud from the other direction. A pair of soldiers had vanished from near the door, disappeared without a trace. As the humans tentatively raised their weapons, a noise echoed down the twisting corridors and hallways of the Necropolis. A deep-throated voice raised in hideous laughter. As the laugh rose to a fever pitch, the great gates of the crypt slammed shut and the screams began.
When reinforcements succeeded in reopening the main gate, there was not a trace of the advance team in the entrance hall. Gouged sections of the walls and a single abandoned helmet were all that remained near the mighty doors. As the second wave moved further, they soon found the men they had lost, each soldier having been torn limb from limb. Not a drop of blood stained the walls or floor. Fear seized the humans and they fled the crypt but were halted on the plain before it. A hushed whisper ran through the host and a ripple of men approached the great gates.
From the throng of people stepped the Mortal King. A sky blue cloak was wrapped around his tall, athletic frame, a suit of shining golden armor almost glowing in the darkness of the night. A burnished golden mask in the shape of the rising sun covered the face and his radiant gauntlet held the hilt of a long sword.
"Brothers." he roared, lifting his sword into the air. "I know that you are afraid. Before you lies the single greatest obstacle to our freedom, the Demon Emperor himself. But look back upon what you have accomplished. You have risen up from your chains, you have shaken off the iron fist of tyranny and you have shown these so-called 'Immortals' the falsehood of their name. After all you have done, all you have suffered, the years of war that have led us to this point, will we turn our backs on the master that began it? Will go back quietly into the night and await the return of the days of bondage? Will we falter now or shall we see that the scourge of the Immortals is forever eradicated from the world?!"
A resounding cheer rose from the mass of humans and, with the Mortal King at their head, they swept into the Necropolis in a tide of righteous fury. Through the corridors they ran, filling every hallway, every chamber and passageway. One man rose shrieking into the darkness of the ceiling right before his comrades' eyes and, before there could even be a reaction, another vanished from the rear of the group with a wet crushing sound. Steel spikes shot from the floor, crippling men into falling to their faces where they impaled themselves. Bursts of flame shot from the walls and stone blocks fell from the darkness overhead. Men died by the thousands but still more came, spurred on by the echoing voice of the Mortal King.
Finally, past dozens of insidious traps, the wave of humanity found their way into the very depths of the Necropolis and stumbled into the last chamber: the tomb of Revenant, Demon Emperor of the Immortals. A row of long stairs ran up to the grand sarcophagus and there, crouched in the shadow of his resting place, was the eldest of the tyrant race, the greatest and the last. His suit of black steel armor two inches thick was covered in spikes and barbed hooks, its sheer mass padding the emperor's frame to twice its regular size. In one massive gauntlet was a sword eight feet long with a blade three hands wide at the hilt and tapering to a wicked point. The only place not covered by plates of metal was the head, which was left bare, long snowy white hair flowing down over the black armor like a frozen waterfall.
As the humans clustered at the base of the stairs, they cowered away as the figure above them straightened, a second form dangling from its mouth like a broken puppet. Shaking his head, Revenant tore the throat from the dead man and tossed his corpse to the men below, revealing his milk white almost elfin face stained with the blood of his kills.
"Cattle." he growled, tossing back his hair from his face, his fanged mouth open wide in a feral hiss. "You dare encroach upon the inner sanctum of your master? You dare face me here with weapons in your hand?" The enormous sword rose from Revenant's side as he lifted it one handed and swept the point around the chamber. "You shall not leave this crypt alive. This insult shall not go unpunished."
"We do not fear you, monster." shouted a voice from the crowd. "Your power is broken."
Revenant's fingers flickered out and the voice choked and gasped as a spike from the black gauntlet struck him in the throat. He dropped to his back, choking on his own blood and died with his eyes wide open.
"What of the rest of you?" Revenant asked, a diabolical smile spreading across his face, rivulets of fresh blood flowing from the corners of his too-wide mouth. "Come, cattle. Come and meet your master. Come and I will show you death."
All was silent in the crypt of Revenant. Not a sound stirred the air throughout the entire Necropolis, the sound of screams and the ripping of flesh having ceased long ago. Now, the only noise that could be heard was the steady dripping sound that came from where the humans had assaulted their final enemy.
The gigantic blade of Revenant's sword was stained red to the hilt, as was the massive gauntlet that held it. The spikes and barbs that covered the massive armor plates each dripped gore and the snowy white hair that flowed over it all was dyed crimson in places. Revenant scowled from where he stood at the head of the stair down at the piles of slaughtered humans that covered the floor, five deep in places and carpeting the ground right up the stairs. Their blood ran from him like a river, covering his armor, his face and dripping from the points of his fangs.
It had been a pointless waste of manpower, Revenant thought, leaning back against his coffin. These creatures had served him for years and their deaths now wrought nothing but food for rats and insects. They would now serve no better purpose than as messengers to their fellows, speaking of the futility of rebellion against their betters.
"A waste." muttered the Demon Emperor, exhaling a plume of crimson steam.
"I see you tire, your eminence."
In an instant, Revenant's eyes snapped down to fix upon the figure standing half in the doorway to the crypt. Where the torchlight fell on him, his body gleamed with golden light and as he stepped fully into the room, Revenant saw that his face was covered by a golden mask shaped like the rising sun and a long sword was held in one golden gauntlet. Silver fangs flashed in Revenant's smile as he faced the instigator of the human resistance.
"Mortal King." he growled, his voice sinking to an almost animalistic growl. “I see you lead as all humans do. Inspire from the front before falling behind to watch your men fight and die for you.” The tall, glowing figure stepped forward, over the dead bodies of his men, his sword hanging loosely from his hand.
"Demon Emperor Revenant." said the Mortal King, his voice echoing slightly from behind his mask. "I see eons of sitting on a throne have not atrophied your skills as a warrior. Your defeat of my forces was pure poetry."
"You speak elegantly for cattle." said Revenant, straightening from before his sarcophagus. "But still your naiveté shows through. The Immortals do not tire, foolish man. That is a human weakness."
In response, the Mortal King raised his sword and swept it contemptuously through the cloud of red steam that Revenant continued to exhale.
"A dead thing such as yourself has no need for respiration. As such, you have no means of regulating your internal temperature as you do not sweat or breath. That means the longer you fight, the hotter you get from the friction of your muscles rubbing together. I'd imagine it's close to boiling inside that armor, maybe even hot enough to..." Again, he passed his sword through the red cloud and examined the blade. "Evaporate the blood inside you. Tell me, what does it feel like to have your insides burning, your fluids boiling?"
Revenant's grin had vanished and he now looked down at the Mortal King with utter fury. The enormous sword swung down from the heavily armored shoulder to aim directly at the golden mask.
"Where did you learn such things, human?" the Immortal demanded. "How did a slave learn to speak as you do? How did an inferior being come to know so much of his masters?"
"Oh, that is not all I know of you, vampire." Revenant flinched at the sound of the old name of his kind but the Mortal King was far from finished. "I know more than any other human. I know your kind once lived in fear of us, that you were once creatures of the night, stalking in the shadows afraid that humans would know of you and destroy you. I know everything you have kept from your slaves, the slaves that have risen up and destroyed you. I know that humans are stronger than the so-called Immortals and I know that I shall be the one to end you here, vampire."
Revenant's fangs flashed in a bestial snarl as more blood vapor poured from his mouth and nose. The Mortal King stepped forward again, his footing sure upon the bodies of the dead humans and his sword held before him in a perfect fighting stance.
"Do you really think you have a chance against me, human?" Revenant growled, his sword slowly rising. "I long ago lost count of the humans I have slain and you think you alone can defeat me?"
"I do not think it, Revenant." said the Mortal King. "I know it."
It happened so fast that even the almighty Revenant had no time to react. His limbs slowed from the effort expended slaughtering the soldiers and distracted by the pain of his burning insides, the Demon Emperor did not even see the Mortal King move until the golden mask was within an inch of his face, the light reflecting from it burning into the Immortal's eyes. A golden fist slammed into revenant’s chin, lifting his massive frame into the air. And nearly the same moment, something struck the emperor in the chest and he gasped as he was flung bodily backwards by the force of the blow. Pain lanced through his body and he slammed into the top of his sarcophagus, the sound of screaming metal matching his own shout of surprise and pain.
As quickly as it had happened, it was over and Revenant raised his head from where he lay on his back to stare down at his chest. The Mortal King's sword had pierced the two inch thick armor chest plate and had gone all the way through Revenant's body to nail him solidly to the lid of his own coffin. Staring up at the golden figure before him, Revenant felt his jaw go limp in shock. The human had moved faster than even Revenant could follow and attacked with a thrust so powerful that it had sliced through Revenant's impenetrable armor like so much paper. Blood, liquid this time, trickled from between Revenant's lips as his fang-filled grin turned up towards the Mortal King.
"Impressive, cattle. But if you know so much you should know that this is not enough to kill me."
"I never intended it to."
Revenant watched as the Mortal King reached beneath his cape and withdrew a vial of clear liquid, which he poured over the emperor's face. Instantly, smoke curled up from where the liquid struck and Revenant screamed as pain burned into his flesh with every drop of the fluid that struck him. The skin and muscle peeled back from bone as the deadly liquid did its work and Revenant went limp, lying across his coffin lid unable to move
"Holy water." said Revenant through a haze of pain and weakness. "Where..."
"It was not easy to obtain, I assure you." said the Mortal King's voice but Revenant could no longer focus as the water robbed him of any strength he had left. "But, much as my sword has its job of holding you, this weapon serves its own purpose of weakening you. I think it was worth everything I went through to acquire it, don't you?"
The Demon Emperor's head rose slightly, the flesh of his face slowly pulling back together. A golden light broke in on his slowly healing eyes and he looked up to see the Mortal King standing over him, a long, dull colored object in his hand.
"The knowledge to defeat you was hard won, Revenant, but you are right. Holy water, a sword through your belly, even the sunlight you banished from this world ages ago would no longer fully kill you. Since you led the vampires against the humans in the nights long ago, you have become the most powerful of your kind a thousand times over. Take that for what it is worth and be proud as you die."
Revenant had time for one last scream as he recognized the thing in the Mortal King's hand. A wooden stake engraved with a symbol that Revenant knew all too well. As his final scream ripped from his throat, the stake plunged down, the wood striking right through the armor and into Revenant's heart. The symbol at the head of the stake burst into blazing red light as Revenant's scream echoed around the entire Necropolis and a rushing wind filled the chamber. The ground shook as the titanic power of the Immortal emperor was diffused by the Rune of Ending that burned over Revenant's body.
Finally, the shaking and the roar died away. The body of revenant lay still and all was finally silent through the crypt of the Demon Emperor. The Mortal King looked down on the dead body of his enemy and sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging beneath his golden armor. Withdrawing his sword from Revenant's chest and sheathing it, the Mortal King raised his hands to his face and removed the golden mask to better see the fall of the tyrant.
"Farewell, your eminence." said the gold clad figure as he tucked his helmet under his arm and turned away, stepping over the corpses of his dead soldiers and disappearing back up the corridors of the Necropolis.
The mouse watched the single splinter fall from the stake. The single glowing line running across it burned brightly for a split second before going out altogether along with the rest of the symbol upon the stake. As the glow faded, the mouse felt the strange, uncomfortable sensation increase greatly before vanishing leaving an echoing silence in its wake. In that space, the walls of the chamber began to rumble as though a mighty earthquake had shaken the world.
Without thinking, the mouse leapt from the chest of the corpse just as the ghastly skull began to scream.
An unearthly howl erupted from the gaping, fanged mouth of the skull. A spasm of energy ran down the length of the body, shaking it from head to toe. Suddenly, the right gauntlet of the armored form struck like a serpent, lashing out from where it lay to grip the wooden stake between its steel clad fingers. The rumbling and shaking grew worse as the mouse fled the chamber as fast as he could run. No amount of food was worth dying for.
As the dead fingers clutched at the wooden stake, the bones of the arms and head began to reform. Flesh crept back over the whiteness of the bleached remains, first muscle and sinew before sheathing in skin. Ropes of muscle flew together along the right arm and bulged into life as the arm strained against the stake embedded in the enormous breastplate. Slowly, the stake began to move and the earthquake and scream grew louder and more violent. Flesh covered the skull and face and the shout took on an animalistic tone, screaming to the ceiling overhead as stone crashed down from on high as the entire mausoleum shook with the force of will focused behind the hand gripping the length of wood as, with a tremendous roar, it ripped it free.
Power flowed forth from the gaping wound. The scream was silenced as the chamber's shaking grew to a fever pitch before a great crash of falling stone settled everything and energy flowed back into the regenerating body. The rusted steel groaned and split as the figure within it sat up suddenly, the reforming arms clutching the newly reanimated head.
"Mortal King!" roared the man rising into the air from the force of his power that had so long lain dormant. "Death to all humans! Pain! Torture! Extinction for all your filthy kind!" The power that enveloped him poured into his wounds as his body reformed back into that of a tall, thin man. His eyes glowed crimson and his fingernails grew long and sharpened. "You shall not have the emperor, Mortal King!" he shouted to the empty air. "Revenant will have his revenge!"
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