Re: The Relentless Slaughter [Round 2: S'kkoi]
08-04-2011, 02:47 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by whoosh!.
Ke awoke to find an unexpected glow to her surroundings. While surprising, its rather comforting presence offered the Remembrancer a little sanity to review her situation with.
The vastness of the sea stretched above her, but she felt only mounting claustrophobia with the pressure of all that water smothering Ke and sapping her strength. Tentatively Ke attempted to scuttle across the submerged rock and through the watery gloom, but short of sinking her hooks into the ground and pulling she seemed worryingly incapable of movement.
As this new revelation sank in, a little flicker of panic rose in her mind. The spider rushed to smother it with soothing thoughts, but the atmosphere of unease already present served to inflame and encourage that tiny spark.
Ke attacked to ground with renewed energy, flailing and clawing at it in her feeble attempts to simply move. She made some progress, and yet the pitiful nature of it stung almost as badly as if she had not moved at all.
She loathed and feared this with equal measure. Chitin trembling, Ke burned with the desire to have it all back: her pointless and boring life, worth so much now for the incredible freedom she had squandered. Here she had only a single story, unfinished, and one that was liable to have her killed alone and with no one to remember her in turn.
Ke sagged. Worthless. All of it.
All she wanted, all she needed so desperately in this dark place was to fly. Perhaps then she could pretend to be free.
Ke couldn't know for sure if it would work.
That didn't stop her inhaling the water.
In one beautiful moment her entire body contracted in a miraculous way, and as it straightened out she swept forward like an unfurling fan. Eight wide eyes stared out at the expanse before her, seeing an open sky where there had previously been a prison.
It was no different to flying, and so delightfully easy. A second time Ke slipped forward. Her hairlike tentacles trailed behind her like an exquisite train to some beautiful gown, and in that moment she noted without much amazement that the bioluminescence was her own. Absentmindedly trying to avoid the lurking fear she swam aimlessly, sometimes shying away from the eery stone structures that protruded from the seabed. Although her appearance was amiable enough, it was this fear that kept Ke tensed and uneasy.
But then she saw the spider, and forgot all about that.
At first she refused to believe it was real. The arachnid was tiny and distant, and yet was apparently impervious to the tugging currents of the ocean. It darted forward without pause, but even that was not the most unusual thing about it. The spider glowed with a searing white light. In contrast her own glow was barely separable from the gloom. Entranced, Ke floated closer until she was able to brush it with one of her legs.
A thrill went through her, and she could taste the open sky. Then she had no doubts, none at all, and dredging up the ancient memory she spoke to the spider in a language as old as the multiverse.
“Greetings, Brother.” Ke extended a pale leg.
The creature responded immediately, sweeping in a wide arc that led it to the tip of that leg. It scuttled up and laughed.
“I am no brother of yours, godling. If anything we are enemies, for I am of Anansi. You are none other than a creation of one of his rivals, dear Nyame of the Sky,” it replied in a melodious voice, one that was not so much heard as simply known. “Although it appears that something else has tainted your appearance.”
Ke blinked. Her heart was racing just at the name of the spider-god.
”A-Anansi? Truly? Can-” Ke hesitated. Being more corporeal than ethereal blinded her to most of the knowledge beings such as this creation knew instinctively, and she did not wish to embarrass herself in front of this aspect of Anansi (however insignificant). “Is it possible to speak with him? For as long as I have known of his feats I have wished to meet him.”
Once more the spider laughed and swung through the water.
”Certainly. I did not travel far from him to come here, wherever this place may be. He may enjoy meeting an aspect of dear Nyame.”
With that the spider was reversing its journey, beckoning for Ke to follow with an uncharacteristic chirp. She burst forward eagerly, but suddenly stopped.
Out in the darkness a body was suspended. The changes that had come upon since Ke had seen it last were significant, but still the identity of the person was obvious.
“Dorin?”
Ke awoke to find an unexpected glow to her surroundings. While surprising, its rather comforting presence offered the Remembrancer a little sanity to review her situation with.
The vastness of the sea stretched above her, but she felt only mounting claustrophobia with the pressure of all that water smothering Ke and sapping her strength. Tentatively Ke attempted to scuttle across the submerged rock and through the watery gloom, but short of sinking her hooks into the ground and pulling she seemed worryingly incapable of movement.
As this new revelation sank in, a little flicker of panic rose in her mind. The spider rushed to smother it with soothing thoughts, but the atmosphere of unease already present served to inflame and encourage that tiny spark.
Ke attacked to ground with renewed energy, flailing and clawing at it in her feeble attempts to simply move. She made some progress, and yet the pitiful nature of it stung almost as badly as if she had not moved at all.
She loathed and feared this with equal measure. Chitin trembling, Ke burned with the desire to have it all back: her pointless and boring life, worth so much now for the incredible freedom she had squandered. Here she had only a single story, unfinished, and one that was liable to have her killed alone and with no one to remember her in turn.
Ke sagged. Worthless. All of it.
All she wanted, all she needed so desperately in this dark place was to fly. Perhaps then she could pretend to be free.
Ke couldn't know for sure if it would work.
That didn't stop her inhaling the water.
In one beautiful moment her entire body contracted in a miraculous way, and as it straightened out she swept forward like an unfurling fan. Eight wide eyes stared out at the expanse before her, seeing an open sky where there had previously been a prison.
It was no different to flying, and so delightfully easy. A second time Ke slipped forward. Her hairlike tentacles trailed behind her like an exquisite train to some beautiful gown, and in that moment she noted without much amazement that the bioluminescence was her own. Absentmindedly trying to avoid the lurking fear she swam aimlessly, sometimes shying away from the eery stone structures that protruded from the seabed. Although her appearance was amiable enough, it was this fear that kept Ke tensed and uneasy.
But then she saw the spider, and forgot all about that.
At first she refused to believe it was real. The arachnid was tiny and distant, and yet was apparently impervious to the tugging currents of the ocean. It darted forward without pause, but even that was not the most unusual thing about it. The spider glowed with a searing white light. In contrast her own glow was barely separable from the gloom. Entranced, Ke floated closer until she was able to brush it with one of her legs.
A thrill went through her, and she could taste the open sky. Then she had no doubts, none at all, and dredging up the ancient memory she spoke to the spider in a language as old as the multiverse.
“Greetings, Brother.” Ke extended a pale leg.
The creature responded immediately, sweeping in a wide arc that led it to the tip of that leg. It scuttled up and laughed.
“I am no brother of yours, godling. If anything we are enemies, for I am of Anansi. You are none other than a creation of one of his rivals, dear Nyame of the Sky,” it replied in a melodious voice, one that was not so much heard as simply known. “Although it appears that something else has tainted your appearance.”
Ke blinked. Her heart was racing just at the name of the spider-god.
”A-Anansi? Truly? Can-” Ke hesitated. Being more corporeal than ethereal blinded her to most of the knowledge beings such as this creation knew instinctively, and she did not wish to embarrass herself in front of this aspect of Anansi (however insignificant). “Is it possible to speak with him? For as long as I have known of his feats I have wished to meet him.”
Once more the spider laughed and swung through the water.
”Certainly. I did not travel far from him to come here, wherever this place may be. He may enjoy meeting an aspect of dear Nyame.”
With that the spider was reversing its journey, beckoning for Ke to follow with an uncharacteristic chirp. She burst forward eagerly, but suddenly stopped.
Out in the darkness a body was suspended. The changes that had come upon since Ke had seen it last were significant, but still the identity of the person was obvious.
“Dorin?”