Chapter Six / Trumpet of Paradise

Arn’s clothes clung to his skin sticking with heat. He was afraid. Something else, however, had taken fear by the throat and throttled it - something primal. His mind was emptied, and his body moved.

The creatures in front of Arn stumbled over one another through the gateway, their bodies slick with violet ooze as if they had been marinating for centuries. Some moved on two legs, others more than a few. Some had two arms, others none. A majority of them screamed, and some gurgled beneath skewered teeth and mandibles. Some part Human, some part another. Crawling over one another towards Arn.

Arn jumped backwards into the air, summersaulting over the front Skeleton unit.

“Units One and Two, shield wall.” Arn commanded. He didn’t yell, it was useless with the screams echoing down the hallway – but his words hung as law for his soldiers.

The Skeletons of Unit One and Two quickly formed shield over shield in the rubble entryway, spears ready to attack the approaching wall of flesh. The Dark Skeletons who command the units, took formation behind the shield wall preparing to fill in the gaps should they arise. Arn watched their initiative, the difference between the Skeletons and Dark Skeletons.

This is our chance to test the waters. Arn thought to himself.

Within moments the two walls smashed together, flesh upon wood and iron. The skeletons took on the initial wave, wavered under the pressure, then forced the pressure back before spearing through the flesh in front of them. Blood secreted upon the floor, filling in the gaps between the cobble stone. Thuds quietly pronounced themselves beneath the wails as bodies went limp or merely pulled themselves back together.

Arn watched the shield wall buckle in several places, but the Dark Skeletons reinforced by jamming their swords into the flesh waiting on the other side. Is this all they can do? Arn wondered. These creatures had no apparent abilities, they were sluggish and used only what was on their person: claws, teeth, their entire body. The ooze seemed to have no immediate effect on either his troops or the creatures. All they have is sheer numbers as a strength.

The Skeletons proved to be the better in a direct confrontation, especially the Dark Skeletons who were more versatile in their approach.

Suddenly Arn felt uneasy. Something was stirring behind the gathering mound of bodies that littered the floor; the creatures still pouring in from the gateway. Deep in the black of the flesh hallway – something approached. Yet, just as Arn seemed to sense the presence, it suddenly halted, then doubled – tripled its pace. Faster than anything humanly possible.

“Part.” Arn commanded.

The Skeletons parted at the center, the shield wall still in place at the sides. Arn raised his sword and slashed at the wave of creatures, sending their bodies toppling in the direction of the gateway; blood rained onto the floor but avoided Arn and his Skeletons. More of the creatures continued to pour from the gateway, but Arn began to pick out their individual silhouettes against the dark. Arn’s eyes grew wide as he realized why he was able to pick them out – the dark becoming brighter.

Arn immediately raised his left hand and with Authority thought: Shield.

Blinding white filled the gateway, the screams drowned out by the deafening blast of white. Energy wreathed and filled the room, slamming against the invisible barrier Arn had erected in front of his formation. Only a moment passed before the white dissipated. The room reeked of burned flesh and evaporating blood.

The wails of approaching creatures quickly returned. How many could there be? Arn questioned.

Just as the first of the oncoming surge made their way through the gateway, Arn felt the sensation of an approaching blast. The blast washed over the tide of creatures, clearing the entire flesh hallway of creatures in its approach, and again slammed against Arn’s barrier. Again, the blast dissipated. As it did, another wave of creatures flooded down the flesh hallway.

Even after taking completely annihilating blasts, they’re endless. Arn thought.

As Arn searched down the hallway with his senses – he could feel a larger presence approaching. Perhaps the originator of the blast. Arn concluded.

Arn closed his eyes, already anticipating the next blast to clear the wave of creatures before they reached him, and pushed his senses to their limit. Arn, unsure if this ability was already in his possession or if his senses were expanding to match his demands, was able to see the originator of the blast dimly in the hallway ahead. A large flesh tube pulsed with energy, nearly covering the entire hallway with its presence, and attached itself to the surrounding walls with bones wrapped in flesh tendons. A giant flesh cannon capable of pulverizing anything in front of it, even the fodder sent out to screen for it. Its barrel was a maw made of flesh and teeth that separated into four prongs when ready to fire – expanding the opening to propel the blast wider to fill the hallway. Out of the top of the flesh something else stirred – a giant skeleton, humanoid in structure, parted the flesh; its bones stuck with ligaments and tendons of pulsing violet flesh. The skeleton then twisted backwards and reached into the floor below and retrieved a stone slab. Arn was unable to make out what significance the slab had, but the skeleton loaded the slab into the back of the flesh cannon and the cannon pulsed with energy. The giant skeleton retreated into the bowels of the cannon and the cannon jolted as it fired energy down the hall.

Arn opened his eyes and again shielded against the blast. When the white of the energy turned into darkness, Arn felt strange. A yearning lurched up from his chest, unwarranted and pursuant of an urge: the cannon possessed something Arn desired. The cannon moved closer after every firing, perhaps attempting to shorten the distance between it and its intended target. Soon it would be in the gateway.

“All units forward, line formation, five units across.” Arn commanded.

The front Skeleton units broke formation and returned to their marching formation, and then marched forward around Arn. All units of skeletons formed a parallel line that took up the width of the room. The line met with the swarm of bodies that toppled through the gateway and all units engaged. The skeletons kept a tight formation, letting their comrade beside them cover their advance. The Dark Skeletons advanced behind each of their respective units, ordering silently to their units when weak points were exposed in the line.

“The battle appears to be going well, my Lord.” A voice said from behind Arn.

Gelicarus approached, watching the fighting unfold with a smile.

“Gel? I thought I told you wait on the wagon.”

Gelicarus bowed: “My apologies, my Lord. I wanted to witness your first battle in person.”

Before Arn could answer, however, the room shook violently; dust falling from the ceiling and onto pools of blood. Arn quickly looked at the gateway, and out of the black the cannon hung from the walls just on the other side. A bright white light brimmed in the cannon’s barrel, flesh prongs separating the front. Arn dashed out in front of the line of Skeletons and raised his hand. The cannon fired and energy rippled against the invisible barrier. The barrier extended out and up, covering the front line and protecting everything behind.

Arn struggled against the blast, and for a moment nearly buckled under its pressure, but through the blast something caught his eye. The energy coursed around a large black orb in the center of the cannon. Without hesitating, Arn lifted his sword arm and positioned it parallel just below his eyes. Arn thought: Pierce.

An invisible wave shot through the energy and cracked the orb, causing the energy to suddenly shoot back inside the barrel and implode the cannon from the inside. Blood and guts rained from the air, and Arn maintained the barrier to avoid getting drenched in it. The carcass of the cannon hung in the gateway, its skin dripping with blood, and the large skeleton drooping off the side. The orb nestled itself in the center, now visible from the blast. Arn’s attack left a small hole and crack on its lower center.  Arn felt the hordes of creatures approaching once again from the hallway, but without warning they halted their advance.

“Congratulations on your victory, my Lord.” Gelicarus loudly said from behind the skeleton line.

Arn stared at the orb, his eyes fixated upon its black shell.

“It’s not over yet.” Arn said hearing the excitement in his voice.

The crack expanded on the black orb and with it the hole.

“All units fall back to the rubble opening and hold column formation. Gel, go with them.” Arn commanded.

The Skeletons marched back to the opening with Gelicarus silently in tow.

The black orb cracked open, its shell falling in pieces to the ground like an egg, and violet ooze spilled out onto the floor below. Curled into a ball in the remains of the orb, a being in the shape of a humanoid stirred. It unfurled its stiff limbs, pulling on flesh ligaments that attached it to the orb. As it pulled itself from the cocoon of the orb, it spasmed as bones cracked with an echo. Wings of bone and flesh unfurled from its back, tinged in violet. The wings floated the creature forward, its body still shaping in front of Arn.

The creature’s skin was layer upon layer like a shell of flesh made to act as armor. Its hands and feet are like a human’s but made into claws. Its body in the form of a human female’s, its head devoid of any features, and a sharp tail of bone swinging upon its back. The creature turned and withdrew from the flesh of the orb a halberd made of flesh and bone, slick with violet ooze that fell upon the floor. The head parted slightly at the center and a normal human blue eye appeared through the opening. It looked at Arn, and the flesh upon its head moved – forming into a circle around and attached to its head. It raised the halberd in its hands above its head and swung down.

Arn felt the hairs on his neck stand up, realizing what would come next and swinging: Reach. The invisible slashes collided in the air, and an air blast shook the room. The creature swung again, and Arn countered. It swung several more times and Arn again countered several more times, the room shaking with every collision and lingering debris filled the air.

The debris cleared, and the creature’s eye remained fixated upon Arn. Arn, however, felt a strange dissonance between the creature and its eye. As if the body was moving around the eye, not directed by it. The creature arched back, preparing to propel itself forward at Arn when suddenly the eye darted upwards. Then the body shuttered and convulsed. The skin on its neck made several openings and a scream filled the room. The creature grabbed its head, its screams melting the skin on its head to form a temporary distorted mouth. Then the creature propelled itself backwards and down the flesh hallway.

With the creature’s retreat, so too did the horde of monsters withdraw with it. Arn sheathed his sword. Gelicarus walked through the pools of blood, flesh, and bone to him.

“Gel, there is so much work to be done.” Arn’s voice quivered with excitement. “Have the skeletons load as many materials as they can on the wagon, we’ll have to prepare a dozen trips for all of this.”

Gelicarus bowed, his fair black hair tilting with his head: “At once. It gladdens me to see you this way, my Lord. It’s my first time seeing you so excited since we awoke.” Gelicarus turned and walked back to the Skeletons.

Arn stared at the corpse of the cannon, its flesh dripping with violet ooze. Arn cleared his throat, gulping saliva from his mouth. It looked delicious. He could barely contain himself.

I feel sick