U.S.S.A HellField

Chapter 20 At the door

Damien's breath was shallow but at least he was breathing still. Something was happening to him, his body started shrinking. Now it had changed back...back to normal. Damien was no longer bleeding from his wound, but that didn't mean he wasn't injured. "Damien, wake up, please wake up,"  I said, lightly slapping the faceplate. Artemis was standing opposite of me, looking down silently at Damien. - "Are you able to stand?"  Artemis asked me, showing no emotion in their voice. - "Yeah, want to help me carry him up?"  They looked down at him again, then shook their head. - "He's too heavy for me, you'll have to do it."  Usually, I'd be annoyed but they were right, he weighed far too much for even the strongest of normal humans to carry. Fortunately for me, I'm not a normal human anymore. I picked him up and put his arm around my shoulder and lifted him with my legs. Seems I had more strength in me than I originally thought.     

Walking toward the exit, I felt a cold chill down my spine. Out of a black shadow, he materialized, as he had before. - "Leaving so soon? You three were the first visitors I've had in a decade, and I don't even get so much as a hello."  Umbra'kesh's voice creaked and finished with one of his grotesque smiles. Artemis pulled out their rifle and pointed it at him. - "You were supposed to be dead, Damien killed you, I saw the Umbra crash into the planet with my own eyes!" Artemis shouted in anger and confusion. - "Yes, how are you here, did you follow us?"  I asked. He strolled toward Damien and me, focusing his many eyes specifically on me. Artemis raised their rifle at him again. He stopped to look at me as if to study me. - "You're not quite as I had envisioned you would turn out, you've retained so much of your humanity, curious. Most priestesses take on more...inhuman traits, but not you, your transformation turned out different....almost perfect."  He said in a lower, less guttural tone. He looked at Damien next, then chuckled. "And to answer your question. He nearly did kill me, all due in part to that armor, and his human tricks. I went through a portal first, as I said, I've been here for the better part of a decade." 

I looked him in the eyes, then asked him another question. - "What the hell did you do to him to turn into that creature back there?"  I demanded angrily. - "The umbral beast, as she was often called by those she had erased from history. The previous wearer of the armor who had become corrupted from too much exposure over the centuries to the very force that keeps you alive, the power that was granted to me that made me a god."  Umbra'Kesh finished with extra emphasis. - "I'm still confused. Are you helping us or is this another one of your tricks?"  I asked skeptically. - "I am merely guiding you toward a desired path and said path will be filled with much pain and suffering but it will be for the best. What I showed was the inner strength you have the power to help him unleash upon your foes."  He said gesturing theatrically. I hadn't noticed just how odd and kinda silly he was, despite how menacing he is, until now.

- "Alice we have to get out of here now, there will most likely be more guards on the way, and every second around him is one too long."  Artemis said waving over to me while staring daggers at him.. - "Yes, listen to the little one. Go and regain your strength, I will be here rebuilding what once was until you've recovered enough to face me."  He said with one last mischievous smile, then disappeared into the shadow of the now slowly darkening room. Artemis and I rushed to get out of the darkening temple. The shadows had begun consuming the interior, threatening to consume us too. Damien was starting to come too, which was amazing because I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep dragging him. He looked back, and without a word, let go of me and hobbled as fast as he could with us to the exit.

Once we made it out of the temple, the entrance was blocked off by a wall of shadow. Damien went over to one of the broken pillars and toppled over. - "Damien!"  I ran over to him to help him up. His breathing was heavy and irregular, I wasn't sure what to do. "Are you alright? Are you still in there?"  I asked him, concerned. - "I...I don't know, what happened?"  He asked with a thousand-yard stare. I wasn't quite sure how to tell him, perhaps it would be better to wait until he's had some rest. - "Dammit! What the hell Chizick? You were supposed to help us get off this hellhole, not screw us."  Artemis not so quietly said to themselves. I sat Damien down then walked over to Artemis, - "So that was your escape plan?  Leading us to that monster who murdered everyone on the Umbra and tortured us endlessly?"  I pointed at the temple, less out of anger but more in exasperation at what we had encountered in there. - "He was cryptic as usual, but he's never lied to me. I don't know why he led us to Umbra'kesh, he told me when I was to find you two, that I was to take you here. I assumed there would be a portal. I guess I was just naive to believe him."