09-15-2016, 11:41 PM
It never ceases to amaze me the absolute ability mankind has to inflict suffering upon its kin. We’ve always been like that, and we most likely will remain that way until the damned heat death of the universe. Hell if you tear back the skeins of time far enough I’ll bet you find a cavemen torturing one another with sticks and rocks. With all our technological advancements and moral developments you’d think we would put such barbarism in our past. The truth is more unsettling. We only become more sophisticated in our methods. The Empire is proof of that. You would be surprised at how proficient our “peace-loving” Empire is at torturing dissidents. Mankind’s capacity for cruelty is what makes the Underverse so frightening. It is populated by what mankind fears, by what mankind has chosen to lock away until eternity. How sinister could our nightmares be? How malicious?
Dedan spoke to me of our destination. The Necropolita of Dis, he spoke of it as the only true city within the Underverse. I did not know how true that was, but I wouldn’t have been surprised either way. He took every opportunity to remind me of my coming demise. According to him the denizens of Dis did not care for humans. “Too bad” I’d tell him, I had no plans on being torn apart within the city. No, Dedan told of rumors - really more scraps than rumors, but it was the best I had - that there was indeed a way to escape the Underverse. Curry enough favor with one of the lords and they would send you topside. Easier said than done I imagined. We were still a ways out, according to him we were still in the heart of the Salt Flats. There was little imagination used to name this place, it was flat asides from large hunks of crystal poking through the crusty earth.
It was in that wretched place that we found our first real trial. Even in such harsh country life was to be found, or rather a pittance of life. Even in hell there were stray mutts looking for scraps and they found us to be rather appetizing. Their scrawny bodies were a yellow sand color, with rided protrusions of crystals along their backs. Metallic howls, that resonated with the surrounding minerals announced their presence. Dedan whimpered. The dessicated hounds bounded along the flats and formed a loose ring around us. Scavengers. Too many to count. I must admit that using Dedan as a distraction was a thought that crossed my mind. He was little more than skin and bones and liable to give the dogs indigestion, I doubted they’d be satiated with him. Dedan growled and said, “release me human, there is no sense in both of us dying.”
“I’d rather you die with me,” I told him, “besides I’ve no intention of dying here.”
It was the cruelty of mankind that saved me. During times of war we tend to create our greatest tools of suffering. The atom bomb, napalm, anthrax just to name a few. Hanging from my belt were several green orbs, the fruits of such wicked technology. Once the safety mechanism was removed and the primer activated the shell of these orbs would turn quite brittle. Stuffed to the brim with a synthetic acid, designed to chew through even the thickest of armor, these little baseballs packed a helluva punch. Referred to as “orc’s breath” by the poor plods in Camelot that often found themselves on the receiving end of these grenades. Two of these lovely contraptions served to thin out the horde. Nothing deserved to be pelted with these things. I caught three mutts with the first one and four with the other; their ragged bodies twisted and writhed as the acid gnawed through them. Within seconds all that remained of those unfortunate beasts were puddles of agony and fur.
They were either too ravenous or simply too stupid to know when to retreat. Either way there was still a handle that I had to deal with. They yipped and snarled and began to close their circle. Baying fangs snipped at my back and when I turned to deal with them they retreated. I fired a carpet of flak towards the nearest one. The metal shards tore it into a smattering of bloody chunks. One took hold of Dedan’s leg and he howled and screamed for help. With a satisfying snap I unsheathed my retractable spear. I skewered the poor beast and pulled it from Dedan’s flesh, it managed to keep a mouthful. The battle was a slog of attrition and careful shot placement. For every one that was slain another seemed to take its place. When all was said and done we were left with a sizeable pile of dead dog and several bite marks. Dedan caught the worst of it, as I used him as a shield against them. It was only logical, after all his infernal flesh regenerated much faster than mine.
Dedan spoke to me of our destination. The Necropolita of Dis, he spoke of it as the only true city within the Underverse. I did not know how true that was, but I wouldn’t have been surprised either way. He took every opportunity to remind me of my coming demise. According to him the denizens of Dis did not care for humans. “Too bad” I’d tell him, I had no plans on being torn apart within the city. No, Dedan told of rumors - really more scraps than rumors, but it was the best I had - that there was indeed a way to escape the Underverse. Curry enough favor with one of the lords and they would send you topside. Easier said than done I imagined. We were still a ways out, according to him we were still in the heart of the Salt Flats. There was little imagination used to name this place, it was flat asides from large hunks of crystal poking through the crusty earth.
It was in that wretched place that we found our first real trial. Even in such harsh country life was to be found, or rather a pittance of life. Even in hell there were stray mutts looking for scraps and they found us to be rather appetizing. Their scrawny bodies were a yellow sand color, with rided protrusions of crystals along their backs. Metallic howls, that resonated with the surrounding minerals announced their presence. Dedan whimpered. The dessicated hounds bounded along the flats and formed a loose ring around us. Scavengers. Too many to count. I must admit that using Dedan as a distraction was a thought that crossed my mind. He was little more than skin and bones and liable to give the dogs indigestion, I doubted they’d be satiated with him. Dedan growled and said, “release me human, there is no sense in both of us dying.”
“I’d rather you die with me,” I told him, “besides I’ve no intention of dying here.”
It was the cruelty of mankind that saved me. During times of war we tend to create our greatest tools of suffering. The atom bomb, napalm, anthrax just to name a few. Hanging from my belt were several green orbs, the fruits of such wicked technology. Once the safety mechanism was removed and the primer activated the shell of these orbs would turn quite brittle. Stuffed to the brim with a synthetic acid, designed to chew through even the thickest of armor, these little baseballs packed a helluva punch. Referred to as “orc’s breath” by the poor plods in Camelot that often found themselves on the receiving end of these grenades. Two of these lovely contraptions served to thin out the horde. Nothing deserved to be pelted with these things. I caught three mutts with the first one and four with the other; their ragged bodies twisted and writhed as the acid gnawed through them. Within seconds all that remained of those unfortunate beasts were puddles of agony and fur.
They were either too ravenous or simply too stupid to know when to retreat. Either way there was still a handle that I had to deal with. They yipped and snarled and began to close their circle. Baying fangs snipped at my back and when I turned to deal with them they retreated. I fired a carpet of flak towards the nearest one. The metal shards tore it into a smattering of bloody chunks. One took hold of Dedan’s leg and he howled and screamed for help. With a satisfying snap I unsheathed my retractable spear. I skewered the poor beast and pulled it from Dedan’s flesh, it managed to keep a mouthful. The battle was a slog of attrition and careful shot placement. For every one that was slain another seemed to take its place. When all was said and done we were left with a sizeable pile of dead dog and several bite marks. Dedan caught the worst of it, as I used him as a shield against them. It was only logical, after all his infernal flesh regenerated much faster than mine.