Chapter 4: Where God's Reside
Chapter 4: Where God's Reside
Andrew O'Kelley
andrewokelley.com
I struggled as I tried to brute force my way free of the vines, and then tried to tear them away with my hands, but no matter how much energy I exerted, the restraints that bound me couldn't be torn loose. I was trapped.
Bitter curses filled the air as almost everyone else struggled against their restraints, just like I did. While a few like Atticus stared ahead with eyes filled by rage that glinted with a determined edge, untethered by the same restraints that bound the rest of us.
These are magical restraints, remarked Fel in a whisper that only I could hear. The Dark God has an aura of fear and an extraordinary ability to trap those who flee, an ability called Grand Pogrom. It causes whatever medium is available to seize those who try to run. In this case, the vines and roots below the courtyard.
The dark figure moved its hand upwards with a gloved hand towards where its face should have been and grabbed ahold of the twisting shadows that covered my face. With a single pull, off came a cloak of darkness revealing the form hidden underneath. A tall and slender man with greying hair and a sickly appearance about him.
"Good, the last of you have finally arrived. Welcome to the world of Netherworld. I am Falanor, the Dread God of Dark Creation and the current master of this realm. It is I who have summoned you to this world, my world. You and the scores of other humans before you that I have taken for my own amusement, playthings to be my victims of fate. Pawns in a game to be played. Soon, I will give to one among you the curse of Lycanthropy. In the coming days or coming hours, I have not yet decided, one of you will turn you into a monster."
The Dark God stopped speaking for a moment as if allowing everyone who was listening a moment to consider his words before continuing. Though my words seemed impossible, I fully believed him every word spoken. He had no reason not to, and It would be stupid of me to doubt what he's saying considering where I am.
Once Falanor finished building the suspense, "For those among you who will remain human listen closely. The one who will be cursed as a monster will not be immediately revealed and will not always maintain the form of a monster. You must find clues for yourself on their identity. To whoever becomes a Werewolf, I tell you this, should you kill all of the others, I will return you safely to your realm with all the money and power you could ever dream. For those who are not infected, I tell you this if you should hunt down the Werewolf and kill him, I will grant to whoever strikes the killing blow wealth beyond measure and a return to your world. None of you will return to your world until this game has reached a conclusion."
When the Dark God's words finished, a darkness began to creep over the entire castle, not just the garden area. I trembled with gooseflesh as an aura of overwhelming evil permeated the area, carried out in waves on the Dark God's words. It was pretty apparent to me that only a handful of the others were able to get it together. Most everyone else trembled with fear, all renewing the struggle to run away and break through the restraints that bound them in place.
I'm going to die, killed off for the amusement of some god. I told myself, feeling a brief sense of hopelessness as my mind struggled to wrap itself around just how exactly I would ever manage to survive in this strange and dangerous new world I had found myself in.
Almost as if the Dark God was reading everyone's mind, or at least my mind, he spoke again, my voice booming and echoing off the castle battlements. "I am a cruel god, though I am not a capricious one. I have not left you without any means by which to end this game of mine. Upon each of you humans, I have bestowed a system by which you may quickly gain strength and abilities. Even now, it is bound to you, the enchantment of a bonded wisp that lingers upon your person, the Sol guide. Use this to build up an army to hunt for the monsters among you. Use this to find ways to defend yourself against them. Build up your forces, your swordsmen, your knights, your archers, lay waste to the countryside, lay waste to each other, survive, and you will have your reward."
"To the monsters among you, I say, Beware. Every night when the curse takes effect, you shall take on your bestial form. Forced to hunt, kill, and spread your curse. But come the light of day, the monster will fade, and you will return to your vulnerable human self. By all means, do what you must survive, do what you must to keep the secret of your identity, and most of all, do put on a good show."
!Alert!
The Werewolf Game of Netherland Has Begun
Conditions: Among you, one has been selected to become a monster, find their identity, and kill them, lest you be killed yourself. The game will end only when either the Wolf is dead, or the rest of you are.
*****
I was hit with a sense of complete horror and shock as I watched as a young man in a tracksuit who had been hiding out in the fringe mists of the garden spoke up. "What's even the point of all of this? Why are you doing this? Why me? I had things I was doing with my life. I don't care if your some kind of god. Let me go."
My heart dropped as I saw the Dark God's face turn upwards in a smile, a cruel smile without warmth or compassion, and I knew in that moment the teen had made a mistake saying anything. "Because I can. Because I am an existence beyond you. I need no other reason, and I owe no explanation. I am, after all, a god."
"So tell me, young one, Johnathon Gorden, isn't it? The Dark God pressed with a voice tinged with desire, "Tell me, I command you, answer me this, do you wish to listen and learn the ways of my game, or do you want me to just let you go? Tell me; this is your choice. All of you answer me."
Everyone shifted uneasily, but when nobody answered, not even Johnathon. My Wisp decided it was time to step in.
Say you want to learn the rules, say it now! The Wisp yelled out in my mind at me with a sense of urgency that demanded complete obedience.
"I'd like to learn the ways of the game. If I'm going to survive this, it only makes sense to learn everything you're willing to divulge, any advantage. After all, it is my life, right?" I called out as everyone except Atticus backed away from me, fearful that I had doomed myself. When the Dark God didn't smite me, everyone else quickly chimed in agreement w everyone else except the man in the tracksuit.
"Well done, Christopher, it seems almost everyone here agrees with you. Everybody except for the man named Johnathon Gordon," The Dark God announced turning towards the man demanding explanation.
"If you won't let me go home, I'd rather just get started, and I'll figure it out as I go, I've always been good in a competition." The man said with a sneer towards the Dread God, and immediately I felt the need to recoil as all eyes looked away from the brash teen knowing he had killed himself.
"Fool!" The Dark God Falanor mused as the clouds overhead started to turn dark and cracked with malevolent energy. The churning force causing red lightning to strike nearby, and a few of the statues in the courtyard broke from the impact of the raw power. I couldn't help but shake with fear as he watched one of the castle battlements collapse in on itself where some of the red lightning had struck it. "I have moved heaven and earth to steal you away for my game. My game, my amusement, and you would dare to insult me by trying to circumvent learning the rules of my game and insult my graciousness as a host? Give me one reason to not strike you dead now."
The Dark God paused, giving the Johnathon plenty of time to respond, waiting for an answer, but the boy had no words to voice. As I watched, Johnathon started to quake with fear in his tracksuit, uncertain of what to say or what to do. I stopped breathing, not wanting to miss anything, and it appeared to be that fear kept Johnathon from responding, and fear kept anyone else from speaking up on my behalf.
Mere seconds later, the Dark God grew tired of waiting for a response from the man and within a voice bordering on a grow pronounced, "Be a dead fool then. A dead prideful fool. Show me then your strength show me your power. Show me the reason for that boastful arrogance by which you so casually insult me by not responding to my questions. Show me how'll you will survive or die here."