CHAPTER 10: In The Air Tonight…
Tomb Of Wind Part 2
Why did I come in this fucking hole in the mountain?
I should have stayed with Arthur. This place is going to be my tomb as well.
After running back to the second corridor, I somehow ended up on the path that leads to the first empty room with three paths.
The middle path showed my frowny face carved into the wall but it looked off. Like the first mark I made, the eyes and head were fading somehow, but the second mark was just how I left it.
I can’t worry about this now.
I have to figure out how the fuck I got back here and how I can get to the end of this labyrinth.
I took the same path on the right, entering the same room with four paths. I marked the first path to the left then took the next one.
I only walked for a moment.
Singing lyrics to some of my old favorites, using the songs as a sort of time tracking mechanism. In the middle of the third verse of ‘Forgot About Dre’ I was back in the first room. I checked the mark on the wall, the head and eyes were completely gone now, but a half circle still remained.
Maybe it was the anxiety of this situation or perhaps the feeling and thoughts of impending doom growing but I picked up my speed a bit.
Coming to the corridor in record time I took the next path, keeping my pace through five songs, currently singing about the color of your energy, before slowing down due to one wall being replaced with a cliff ledge.
I peeked over and held out my torch but there was no bottom to the never ending cliff.
I forced myself to continue as the ceiling and floor started closing in. I strained to hug the wall as I moved in a squatting position, the path soon bringing me to a hole that I had to crawl into.
At least no more cliff.
Favorite character in Cheers? Norm, because he always has pleasure of being with Cliff.
A smile teased my lips as I remembered the joke to calm the stressful situation.
Ugh, I miss those cartoons man, shit.
The cave just kept getting tighter, claustrophobia crushed my lungs and put my heart in a race but I kept crawling forward, on all fours now. I kept thinking how badly I wanted to be out of this place as I was now prone dragging myself along.
I pulled and kicked my feet on anything they came in contact with, forcing myself through the tight crevasse.
The area appeared to open up, a few more kicks and tugs and I was finally back to my hands and knees.
I reached the end of the path and stood.
I walked a few feet then realized where I was...
“FUCK! How do I get out of this shit hole!” In front of me were 3 open paths. I turned around to look for the hole I crawled out of but nothing was there. Just smooth sandstone walls from the ground to the ceiling.
I set off again, after a moment returning to the shit room with 4 paths yet again, and took the last path to the right.
“This has to fucking be it.” I was talking out loud to try to reduce the panic shivering through every inch of my body.
Before I even walked 10 steps I was back to the beginning again.
“No no no. NO!” I paced the room, My torch beginning to fade, I sat down and removed my final torch, waiting for the last second before the current one went out to light the new one.
I left the torch and walked to the wall where I first made my marks. They were completely gone now, smooth sandstone all around.
“This is some magic bullshit! There has to be a way to travel the halls. Obviously someone built this place and I already ran into a few dip shit dead folk. They had to have a way to traverse this without getting lost and walking in circles. Unless they were magically raised when I triggered the trap. Arrgh Shheeit!” I looked everywhere, running my hands around the walls as high as I could, bringing them all the way down to the floor. Then stepped tip toe back and forth to make sure I touched every square inch I could reach.
I found nothing to help.
Any hope that I may have had was long gone.
Panic gripped me and I fell to my ass.
There has to be something I’m missing.
Before dropping to the floor, I thought I felt something.
I hadn’t been able to feel anything in hours, maybe days? Not since I hit that first dead end where I indulged on tasteless corn.
I’d been aimlessly walking in circles or being transported by tricky magical horseshit.
Other than dread and regret, I hadn’t felt a goddamn thing.
Until now anyways...
I jumped back to my feet and stood in the center of the room, waiting.
Nothing happened.
I was glaring around the room waiting for something, anything to happen. I was so focused on my surroundings that I almost missed the slight breeze graze my left forearm.
I slapped my arm, and felt nothing.
“Shit!” I dove to my torch on the ground, quickly moving it to the new torch before the flame went out.
I held the torch up and waited.
It made no movement.
No breeze.
So I am losing it. Right.
I paced back and forth thinking, keeping an eye on my torch. It didn’t move at all, but I felt the breeze again while standing with the paths in front of me. Still on my left arm. I lowered the torch to my left arm, no matter what I did, the flame didn’t blow with the air.
“Fuck it, the guts-a rumbling.” I followed the left path down.
It feels like I’m going in a giant Nascar circle.
“ANOTHER LEFT TURN!” I hollered, the sound not seeming to travel at all.
3 songs in, another slight breeze. This time across my right cheek.
I turned but there was just a wall. I continued down the hall a bit, suddenly returning to the first room.
Again, the breeze was on my left as I stood in the middle of the room, I followed it.
This time feeling a small gust on my left arm, not even making it one chorus into my first song.
“I need a fucking watch.” I said, my voice echoing this time.
Something told me to go with it, maybe my years of gaming, my gut, or some divine force trying to help me out of here.
I turned left and walked directly into. No, through the wall.
I was suddenly on a stair case but it felt wrong, like I was trapped in an M.C. Escher sketch, walking upside down or sideways.
I followed the staircase spiraling down, or up, until I reached the bottom.
“Mother! Fucker!” I sighed through the frustration.
I was somehow in the second corridor, again.
I stood in the middle of the room and focused on the second path from the left. I felt the small puff of air on my right cheek. Before going with the next path, I turned and focused on the path furthest to the right. Another short breeze made me twitch, it felt like someone exhaling on the left side of my neck.
I took the third path.
I spiraled down into a straight away but at the end of the second loop, right before it starts to gets crowded and where I was forced to crawl like a worm, a breeze on my left again.
“Aw hell… Here we go, hopefully it wasn’t a phantom breeze,” I said.
I braced myself and walked over the ledge.
“Ha! Shit, it worked!” I said carefully walking on nothing.
The fact that I couldn’t see the path I was walking on allowed the panic seep back in.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and focusing. Then walked forward, my torch finally moving with the flow of air. I followed it straight, then slightly left, I felt the current against my arm and followed, turning left with the torch.
After another straight shot the torch blew to the left again this time with much more zest. I almost turned, but I stopped suddenly as I felt the soft gentle breeze leading me before touch my right cheek.
I turned right.
Stick to what got ya there...
After a few more steps I walked through another magic wall and I was on solid ground again.
I turned around looking at the, solid stone. I put my hand against the wall and nothing happened. It was just rock.
“That was fucking stressful.” I continued down the one way path.
I reached an empty, unfinished room. Old scaffolding lined the outskirts, the boards lost to rot.
There were openings cut into each wall with mummified corpses in each. Like the pit where I fought the Revenants, only this was a much bigger room and looked like an actual crypt.
There was plenty of dirt and dust in this room, “If any of those invisible shit heads try that here I’ll end the fight quick with this new tool,” I whispered to myself removing the dagger from my inventory.
Before I made it even 3 steps into the room a strong gust pushed me onto my ass.
On the other side of the room, a twister fell from the ceiling.
After a moment the twister died down to reveal an old friend.
[Ba – Tomb Guardian]
[Dimensional Guardian]
*System Notice- Non-integrated Life Form
I thought we went over this, not important.
This time, the Ba looked different.
His wings stood higher, more prominent, towering behind his head with a wingspan much longer than before.
The once pure obsidian feathers now ombré, transitioning half way from the same deep black into a beautiful metallic gray, almost shining white at the tip of each.
His build was much more bulky than before with muscles just as shredded as ever. Under his skin glowing white runic markings pulsated.
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Wind constantly flowed around him, the rocks and debris joined in to revolve around his body, making him a majestic sight.
I yelled out to the Ba, “You got bigger!”
He stared at me, a mask of pure intensity.
His eyes held more wisdom and understanding than the last time we met, they also seemed to shine a bit brighter as if they had a golden glow to them.
He answered, his voice sounding older and bored. More calm than before yet still grungy, almost like he was sick, “You carry the scent of a fractured world, this tomb is for the chosen, which you are not.”
I didn’t care about any of that.
I shouted back, “You got it bub, my world was destroyed days ago. I wasn’t paying attention and I walked into an invisible portal or rift, whichever you prefer. I’m definitely not some chosen dipshit. I’m just a guy who wants to get back to his dog. Tell me how and I’ll fucking leave. I’d be glad to.”
Realizing that my dagger is probably the worst type of weapon to use against him I returned it to my inventory, making sure to keep my finger on the imaginary button for when I get close enough to use it.
The Ba, or is his name Ba?
Ba wasn’t phased by my words.
He stood resolute, “Your trespass can not be forgiven, you will serve as one of the Revenant.”
Before he could finish his spiel I was off to the races, circling the room full speed to the old scaffolding.
Ba rose to the high ceiling, wings at his side, somehow flying without the required flapping.
His wings shot open revealing just how long his wingspan was.
He wore shining silver armor with light blue steel trim and details.
That breastplate looks about my size.
With the flick of a wing they came like a shotgun blast, razor sharp feathers rocketed at my position.
I cast Retaliating Wind, using it as I should have from the moment I learned the spell.
I rolled out of his line of sight behind a stack of rubble but not before a group of the razor sharp feathers struck. Two plunged into my leg, the others sliced through the side of my abdomen, sticking into the wall behind.
I yanked the two feathers and stored them in my inventory before they could disappear or turn to ash.
I grabbed one of the feathers that missed its mark. I ran to the ladder of the scaffolding, tossing the feather at birdman and hitting him in the leg.
“Got ya back fucker! Come on!” I yelled while scaling to the scaffolding to the top.
His wings zipped back down to his side as he shot at me headfirst. I dropped my torch and braced.
When he hit it was like a missile blast to the chest. I was slammed into the wall but managed to stay on the scaffolding, landing on my knees with his head pinned to my chest.
I battled through the loss of air as I was getting used to the sensation, and fought back to my feet as quickly as possible. I didn’t want a repeat of the last time I was pinned.
I pressed his head down and sprawled.
I got to his back and hopped on. With one arm around his neck choking and both legs holding the sharp wings in place, I held my other hand open and ready for my dagger.
Blood Lust appeared and I stabbed like a mad man, aiming for any joint or crack in his armor that I could see. I managed to get a few hits before he bucked me off like a wild flying bull.
I flew into the air righting myself the best I could.
I returned the dagger to my inventory and called for my trusty sledge hammer.
As I fell, I blasted the sledge down on his shoulder, denting the breast plate and cracking bone before he could float out of reach.
When I landed on the scaffolding, it finally caved.
Not what I planned to use the scaffolding for, but it worked in my favor.
He slammed his wings together, launching himself out of range and shooting a cluster of razor sharp feathers my way, less bird shot more buck shot.
They slammed the wall exactly where I would have landed if the scaffolding didn’t collapse.
I rolled out of the mess to the center of the room. Before I could get to my feet he shot at me head first once more.
I braced for impact but he flipped right before making contact, his giant talons clawed through flesh and latched on.
The overgrown pointy bird toe tore through skin, slicing from my stomach to my leg where it grasped my thigh.
I stowed the sledge and called for my dagger.
When it appeared I ripped back and forth, trying to cut the talon from his body and leave him with a stump.
The delay in summoning Blood Lust along with the hard scale-like skin covering his lower leg guarded most of the damage, leaving a small wound where his Achilles tendon would be, if he wasn’t a bird.
The back of my head slammed into the top of a stone chamber on the far wall, leaving me dazed in a heap on top of a dead skeleton holding a staff to his chest.
“I was going to make your death merciful and quick, but now I will drag it out until you BREAK!” The Ba screamed in my head as he reached into the chamber latching onto my leg to pull me out.
I left a deep cut across his wrist then stored my dagger as I traveled over his head before he slammed me to the floor like a ragdoll.
I gagged and hacked on my own blood as I rolled to my back meeting his talon with the staff I borrowed from my skeleton friend.
I twisted the staff and rolled the talon strike away before being gutted.
I swung the staff wildly around my head to get some room and power back to my feet.
Ba was retreating to avoid the blow and would have made it out of reach, but before the end of my swing I let the staff slip through my grip until my hands were at the very bottom. I clamped down.
SLAP!
I clipped him in the ear and it made the most delightful sound.
He grunted from the blow and made his retreat.
“Enough!” Ba shrieked, floating in mid air.
He started actually flapping his wings, which caused a violent build up of wind that surrounded him.
Razor feathers shot out with each flap as I ran for cover.
On my run way to safety behind fallen scaffolding I was hit hard.
I reached back, removing feathers from my shoulder and back.
The one stuck in my triceps hurt like a bitch to pull, but it was the last. I drank my last health potion after removing the feather. My health surged to 80% so I felt better, but not having another potion was worrisome.
I peeked over the rubble to see what was happening, the Ba was surrounded by a hurricane of wreckage and debris.
Broken boards, razor feathers, shattered bones, everything from the room flew around him. I could barely make out his shape.
A large pointy piece of wood came my way so I ducked back down.
Unsure of what to do I waited and looked around for anything to help.
The wind was fierce. Every few seconds a new feather, or maybe the same one, came around and caused a new wound. I covered my neck and head when the larger debris made its way around.
Damn, I need something heavy.
I called my sledge and rose to my feet. The plan was to throw it into the center of the junk and hope I hit him good enough to stop the blow, but as I stood, Ba spread his wings wide.
Everything that was circling him shot out from his center position toward the walls, and me.
I watched in horror as the sharp and heavy debris was sent my way, sure to kill me.
I triggered Retaliating Wind.
The debris fell dead to the floor inches in front of me, there wasn’t even a breeze left.
I screamed in defiance, throwing my sledge hammer at the Ba and inviting him in for a fight. He swiftly dodged and flew straight in to meet me.
I threw a punch connecting with his neck above the breast plate. He met me with a punch of his own, shattering my nose, again.
I threw combinations one after the other. Every shot dented his armor in further.
I could barely feel his blows when they landed, it felt like I was in some sort of trance.
I noticed my health was at 60% but it felt like I had the bonus of my titles in effect.
All of my punches landed with devastating power, each hook to the body denting the Ba’s armor further. The strength was intoxicating..
With every blow, Ba returned strikes of his own.
We traded blow for blow until my health bar dipped below 50% again. The Ba wasn’t seeming to slow at all.
I called my dagger. While waiting for my weapon I threw a quick 3 piece combo into his sternum. Every shot hit the same point and I felt his chest convulsing beneath the metal with the last hit.
After the last punch, as my hand drew back to blast another shot, Blood Lust appeared.
What was going to be quick jab to the neck changed into an uppercut directed at his shoulder joint.
The blade cut deep through his shoulder, almost taking his arm off.
“Graaaaaahh!!” The Ba shrieked in anger at my cheap shot.
His voice disoriented me for a moment and he flapped his wings once to fly out of range. The power of his wings created a cyclone that lifted me from the floor and tossed me across the room.
I landed in another resting place and searched around for another surprise weapon to use but found nothing.
I rolled the mummified body over, using it as a shield against the incoming feathers.
I yanked the one feather that hit my shin and stored it before doing a swift hug and roll with the mummy I was cuddled up with.
I pulled feathers from my shield and threw them as soon as my feet hit the floor.
I reached back to grab another feather from the mummy, but instead of pulling the feather from the leg, I ended up removing the entire femur.
I tossed the leg at the Ba and ran to my sledge.
Ba moved with divine purpose, and I met him.
The collision of my sledge and his wings caused ripples to flow, reminding me of skipping rocks into the pond by my fathers hunting camp as a child.
Simple times..
More razor feathers shot out forcing me to snap out of it and dodge.
Blood covered the floor and walls, for once it wasn’t all mine.
The deep cut to his shoulder and slice to his wrist drenched me in bird blood.
Ba danced away and began spinning in a circle with the grace and speed of a professional figure skater. Bending at the waist to lay his wings flat, he moved toward me like a giant circular saw aiming to cut me in half.
With my back to the wall I didn’t have many options, so I dropped to the floor under the rotating wings.
I kicked off the wall, using the blood that soaked the floor as a slip and slide.
I swung my sledge overhead to try to stop the built up momentum.
“Nahh, Sheit!”
The head along with the top ten inches of handle to my sledge hammer flew across the room and I was left holding a fiberglass stick.
There goes my main two-handed weapon.
I called for my dagger as I threw the handle at the Ba’s head and rolled as he straightened out. His wing carved a gash across my back before gouging the floor and blasting rocks into the side of my face.
He followed up with a knee to my ribs, sounding a loud crack that echoed through the chamber.
Before he could create distance, Blood Lust appeared.
I slammed my dagger into his knee, he swung both arms down striking me in the head. Behind his arms his wings rolled in an arc to shield him.
I kicked off his leg, spinning on one knee to avoid the strike.
I clasped the top of his wing with one arm and stabbed into his back. I wrenched down until his wing was hanging at his side. As I stood to my feet I checked his health bar, he only had a sliver of life left.
He tried to face me but I seized his other wing to hold him in place.
I yanked on it, pulling him off balance as he slipped on the blood covering the floor.
I slammed Blood Lust through the back of his head to the cross-guard.
He fell limp to the floor, dead.
I decided to fall as well, to catch my breath.
I remembered the tornado that swooped him up last time and crawled to his body on all fours as fast as possible.
I grabbed onto the breast plate and heaved, trying to pull it off of his lifeless corpse but before I could snag the armor a twister fell from the ceiling. The wind sent me sliding across the bloody floor into the corner.
“Ugh, motherfucker! I could have worked out those dents. Would have been a cool souvenir anyways.”