Anomalous

I remember hearing stories of hell. I remember allegories of fire, hideous monsters and demons, the savagery of cold-blooded murder torture, and only the desire for survival despite overwhelming pain. While these are all aspects of hell, they are simple and shallow depictions of simple and shallow feelings. Fear of the unknown, ideas of the breaking of self-worth or strength or courage, and the simple and universal desire to avoid pain and death. None of these depict the true horrors of hell. An eternity of pain and hordes of creatures with multiple heads, talons, wings, and fire in their lungs, and all of the most horrible things that they could do to you can't capture the hell of betrayal. I do not mean the mere betrayal of one comrade to another, but one much deeper. The betrayal of existence itself against your existence. Some believe that the universe is solely an extension of the self. I can tell them with confidence that if that were the case, then the things that Paul, myself, and others experience through this tale would not only bring anyone who believed that kind of bullshit to their knees in complete obliteration and depravity, but it would also help them realize the truth of a much less benevolent reality.

. . .

An anomaly can take many forms. A rock in a geographic site that doesn't belong in color or texture with the others can be an anomaly, an odd bone in a skeleton can be an anomaly, and then an anomaly can also be a strange Polaroid depicting the apex of a large white tower crowned with a large emerald gemstone. Behind the tower was an enormous island floating in the sky. The three of us leaned in closer and the picture inexplicably expanded to fill our vision, but it did not stop there. It continued expanding as we were swept into the scene and sped skyward faster than a diving eagle, up the side of the descending stalactites of the floating island until we broke the surface and found ourselves overlooking a beautiful kingdom in the sky. There were no walls around the city. That must have been a significant architectural choice as this city's borders needed no walls, floating through the firmament and all. Piers stretched out from the smoother edges of the island. Various sailing ships were docked in ports along the heavenly bay. Many different species spread out like ants across the perimeter, and even more, as the view went inward. I saw humans, elves, dwarves, and other creatures I had no name for interacting with each other in a manner that seemed agreeable from our bird's eye view. Even children carelessly ran and played along city streets.

We sped along upward against the incline leading up towards a marble white castle at the pinnacle. It felt reminiscent of the Disney logo. Away from the castle's front gates, we became parallax with the vision of a Valkyrie. Strong in body, silver in armor, and with the nobility of a prince she walked. Even in this fantastical place, I had not seen any beings that were quite like her. 

After our collective vision held a brief hesitation floating alongside her, her perspective became ours as if we had possessed her. A dwarf stood still in front of us and paused with his mouth open as if he had been surprised mid-sentence.

The dwarf had a mighty low voice that sounded confused. "Oy, there's something on your forehead!"

The Valkyrie, unaware that she was embodied with multiple consciousnesses, raised her hand to feel her brow, but there was nothing but smooth skin.

"Oh, it's a shadow!" The dwarf realized and explained while quickly turning and raising his eyes skyward. He put a hand up to shade himself from the blinding light.

Our vision followed to a place in the sky just to the side of the behemoth star that shone there. A dark spot about the size of the flat of a tac hoovered, slowly growing bigger. It all seemed surreal. One could mistake it all for the black dots that can fill the sky once in a while when one looks at the sky normally. The skeptical spectacle began to unfold, and dozens of dots littered the sky behind the leading coin of shadow. As the shadow expanded the figure of a ship became manifest. The vessel that emerged out of the shadow began to light fires along the front of the deck. The flames appeared as spots along the edges of the ominous form, but they didn't stay there. A ball of fire emerged from the ship and descended downward, and chaos reigned free. By the time the incineration arrived from the sky a few seconds later, a significant number of civilians had seen the inferno descending. 

The blazing ball of fire landed on the roof of a shop just to the left of us. The impact blew apart the foundations and wood and glass spread wide with smoke as it emanated across the road. Anyone who may have been inside would be reasonably assumed to be dead. The Valkyrie covered her face as we witnessed the back of her plated armor shielding our eyes. Another explosion erupted a mile downward and we saw a plume of smoke bellow up from the point of impact.

The Valkyrie hollered out "TAKE COVER!" in a loud and powerful feminine scream, carried by what must have been magic across the whole of the kingdom. The silence and the pause that immediately followed were palpable. Half a breath later people burst from every corner of the cityscape in every direction, seeking their loved ones, seeking shelters, and seeking something to hold onto. 

Seeking the source in the sky, we found dozens of ships having gained incredible size and speed. Hurtling toward us they descended upon the kingdom. The smaller ships sped around the central galleon heading in our direction. We unsheathed our sword from its scabbard. Determination pulsed through our veins. This was not our first battle. 

A rush of adrenaline coursed through us, and we knew that many would die. It was an unavoidable, encroaching reality. More flames, and destruction spread. 

Realizing that there was little we could do here, we raced toward the castle atop the peak of the island, our cognition born with the Valkyrie. Hurtling towards the castle frantically we tried to ignore everything that wasn't in our range of motion.

A small ash-darkened child next to an inn huddled a barrel of mead as if it was his mother. Screams echoed through the alleys. In a blur, we sidestepped and grabbed the child carrying him with us around the corner. Shattering the wooden doors barring passage to the cellar on the side of the inn, we thrust the child down into it telling him to, "stay" and to, "be brave." As we continued running upward toward the castle one of the many vessels descending like rain collided with a lower portion of the island. Over half of the ship shattered into pieces. The crew had already jumped from the deck and we're landing in meteoric crashes into the ground. I witnessed trolls. Their muscly pale figures that extended twice the height of the tallest man collided with the streets. Buckling their knees and cracking the cobblestone beneath them they looked up, smiling. Their yellow savage eyes surveyed the pandemic fear around them. Some of them carried maces thicker than a bowling ball and spikes that protruded over a foot from the core. Others carried axes with blades over 4 feet long. It was a truly disparaging sight, even before they began to take action.

After straightening themselves they asserted their dominant violence over every creature within range. Steel glinted and the whistle of wind reached my ears, singing the ballad of fallen innocents. 

We didn't have the privilege to spend time concerned about the masses even as tears assailed our cheeks. Duty compelled us.

The king, I must get to the king! We sprinted up the streets despairing over every step we took away from one bloody murder or another. More ships collided into the floating kingdom, and more violent creatures sought blood. We took mental notes of everything as we ran. This was not some simple attack from trolls. We saw goblins, giants, wyverns, warlocks clad in black, and all sorts of unimaginable beasts fall upon the people from this hellish sky. A banner was visible on multiple suits of armor that the creatures wore. The banner presented green and gold on a black background. The sigil looked something like the eye of Ra, but outlined by entangling snakes.

Moments later we arrived at the arching entryway to the palace courtyard. The gates were still raised, and we couldn't understand why, but we didn't have time to think about it. Royal knights of this fantastic realm and all kinds of monsters were doing battle throughout the pavilion against creatures from a ship that had collided into the southern wing of the castle. The guards stationed there had either been taken out or were in the midst of the conflict. More defenders rallied on the north and attacked the insidious invaders from my right side. There we were, in the middle, separated from our lord by the battalions of man and monster. 

A light glow enshrouded us. We gave a great spur of strength and leaped forward. 

It happened to all of us, but I have never personally experienced the ground leaving me so fast. It was reminiscent of a dream I once had of bouncing on a trampoline where I was launched and just kept going and going until I looked down and knew I would be nothing but a puddle upon the return by gravity's downward thrust. 

We landed gracefully on the palace doorstep. The doors themselves were wide open and the attack had spread inside. A few scattered battles ensued before me. Still glowing with the light of an angel, the speed of our sword transcended normal human limitations. By the time we had crossed the hall, we had covered ourselves in the bloody dance of steel and bone. The corpses of three orcs, a troll, and several black-cloaked humans littered our wake.

In the blink of an eye, we ran up the nearly hundred steps leading to the entry of the throne room. The large embroidered steel doors were shut, and defended by a line of a dozen usually immovable guards. Their orders had apparently been to defend the entrance at all costs. The commander recognized 'us' and with a wave of his hand, and some groaning from the guards beside him opening the huge doors, I was hurriedly allowed to pass, and the doors were pulled shut behind us. 

An ornate red and gold carpet as wide as a paved road led down the immense chamber, past looming pillars leading to the golden throne. The entirety was well-lit by natural light from the larger-than-life windows along the sides. Soldiers stood on either side; ephemeral, stoic beside the throne as the king paced before it. It was comforting to see him. He is known to once have been a great warrior. His might, courage, and strategic leadership had brought him and his men many victories against numerous enemies. Despite his greying beard, and the wrinkles on his face, it is easy to tell by his mere presence that he is still a great man. At this moment though, that greatness was battling with great stress. 

"How could I have let this happen?" The king asked himself in frustration. "How did they know he would be gone? There must be a traitor in the kingdom."

"Sire!" we shouted out to him.

He looked up and recognized us. "Ah, it's you! I'm comforted by your presence here, but there isn't much that we can do now."

"What do you mean?"

"The arch-wizard is away. Shit. If only I hadn't allowed him to embark on that foolish mission." He cursed as he advanced behind the throne and gazed upward at a large door that rested there against the furthest wall. The doorway had to be at least three times as tall and as wide as the doorway leading into the throne room.

Arching my neck I could barely see the top of it. A Caduceus formed into the door stretched from the base to the top just beneath the ceiling. Gems and other strange symbols were laid into the borders around it. The entangled snakes constantly emanated a soft golden glow, similar to the magic used earlier to transcend our body's limits.

"Is there no one else who can wield this magic?"

"Not to our knowledge. The grand wizard has been the only one to wield and control such power in modern history…In theory, it's possible. Other magic casters may be able to use it, but we do not know if any exist. Fuck…" He clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palm, releasing a trickle of blood. "All we can do is hold them off, and hope that help comes in time."

Muffled sounds of steel came from outside the throne room. "My lord! You have to escape!" 

The nearby warriors ran to brace the door.

The sovereign turned towards us, his expression was dark. "That is one thing that I can not do. This place is the last hope for our people." He drew the sword at his hip, slowly, with morbid determination. "If this is to be the hill that I die upon, so be it." He looked grim but there was a spark in his eyes that wasn't there before.

Finding resolve of our own we turned back towards the impending attack. 

BOOM! An eruption deafened us, the ground shook ferociously and we tumbled sideways. Trying to get ourselves together, we lifted our head with our hands over our ears. What the hell was that? And then we saw.

One of the flying ships had collided directly into the side of the throne room. Stone and wood and glass were thrown about the room like confetti. Blood red rays from the setting sun streamed through the newly blasted hole in the wall. This can't be happening!

The king was already on his feet and bellowing a command, "To me! To ME my warriors!". Just as we started to compose ourselves and gather around him, the doorway to the throne room burst open. A half-orc and half-giant creature crouched down to enter. The doors themselves were about two stories tall, but still not tall enough for that beast. Other enemies started to form around the monster. We had been hit with a pincer attack, and now would have to face battles on two fronts. Looking around at our comrades it was easy to tell that the color had drained from every defender's face. We had to act.

Just as we were about to move a beam of light shot through the opened hole of the wall where the ship had collided and pierced into the throne room. It was aimed directly at the magical door behind the throne. 

"NOOOO!" The king shouted in terror. 

The impact sent a pressure of air out that knocked everyone to their asses, all except for the giant who, even with his massive body and dense muscles, was still forced to take a knee to withstand it. For a moment the doors held firm, glowing. A second later a crack appeared in one of the snakes embedded into the wood, and a slow hiss that sounded like a serpent escaped the expanding crack. The beam burst a hole through the door and then continued into whatever lay beyond it. Shattering glass, followed by a sound like stormy rain was audible.

 The king, on his knees, looked down at his hands and began sobbing. We had never seen him so much as shed a tear before. We couldn't understand what was happening. It was too much, too fast. The silence that followed contrasted the mayhem that had just occurred so heavily that it felt like we had been disembodied, again. Only the wailing of the broken king echoed.

We weren't sure if we were hallucinating. Golden dust floated across our vision. At first, it was one speck. Then it was a second, chasing the first as though they were friends playing tag. Then another. They pulsed with golden light. I looked to the direction they were coming from. The crack in the doorway was leaking these particles and they permeated the air around us, getting thicker and thicker. What is this? 

Drawn in by the beauty of the fairy dust 'we' reached a hand out towards one of the specks. It dodged our fingers at first. Staring at it, we felt something welling up inside of us. An alien heat rose from our heart and stomach. The particle drew ever closer to our fingers, and then we connected. At that instant, all of the golden particles near and far began swimming around us. All the dust that was floating in the room and beyond the doorway rushed towards us and made a massive golden whirlpool.

We knew instinctively what we had to do. It was as if 'we' were possessed. Lifting our hands toward the passage into the throne room we screamed something in a language we couldn't understand. Light shot forth from our palms and blasted the opposing giant and all the creatures with it outward leaving the allied soldiers unaffected. The monster's screams faded into the distance before an agonizing crunch could be heard echoing. We stood up and walked towards the rubble where the ship had broken through the castle wall.

We gazed out upon the island. What was normally a breathtakingly beautiful view was marred with the gores of battle. Hordes of monsters and men fought to the death before us along every street in the kingdom. We gathered the magical dust about our hands. Our fingers held tightly out as we spun our wrists and spoke more of the unknown tongue. A thick wall of gold slowly became suspended before us and when it became too thick to see anything beyond, we were satisfied, and we extended our arms outward. A tidal wave of brilliant light descended upon the island. It flowed like water around the royal army and the civilians, but every enemy that it encountered was engulfed by the tidal rapids and flung miles away until their bodies must have gone past the outermost edges of the floating kingdom. The power and the light shrouded us until we could see nothing but the bizarre glow. Then it all faded to black.