Coterie of Darkness

Chapter 5: Trespassers

Marian started to cough slightly the further she ventured down the stairs, the walls cracked with a strange light filling them. Her footsteps made little sound as she stepped carefully and quietly along the stone, the only sound being her quiet breathing and small coughs. The further she went the hotter she felt, the heat felt unnatural and otherworldly as it clung to the air making it harder to breathe.

It hadn't been long since she started walking down the hallway, but the air already felt thick and smokey. The markings on her body grew brighter as it got darker, it was too dark she almost missed a huge crack in the wall, big enough to walk in. Marian inspected the crack further, just touching the walls she could tell how hot it had truly gotten, and this is where the heat was coming from.

Her gauntlets were shrunken so she could fit easier in the heated gap, it slowly getting thinner the more she went in. Heat burned against her body as it grew, the pale skin darkened into a hot red where it was uncovered, some of her clothes even started to burn creating holes for the heat to get to her skin.

A bright light began to peak through at the end of the tunnel, pulsing slightly. Dull screams could be heard at the other end, Marian moved accordingly, eager to find her friends. Grunting and metal clashing chimed in with the screams, a painful kind of song created in the small space at the end of the tunnel. Marian managed to push her way into the room and landing on her hands, a pool of blood coated her hands as she looked around. The walls cracked and filled with the hot glow, blood oozed all over the floor and painted the walls, two large pegs hung on the wall opposite of Marian and a makeshift stone table in the centre of the room. The demon's eyes grew at the sight of the situation, two big looking ogres covered in blood with grins on their faces stood over the table with axes in their hands, hacking away at Lukes body. Luke's eyes sat on the table next to his head that was already cut open, his mind open to the rest of the room, his chest slices open and organs out in the open, one of the ogres grabbing at them to shove in his mouth. Jenny was hung at the wall, nailed in by the pegs, the legs were no longer there and the skin on her face looked like it was basically ripped off. Just like Luke, her torso was cut open and missing her insides, a few ribs looked to be missing as well.

Marian almost threw up right then and there, her eyes and skin started to glow a bright purple as she stood to her feet, her emotions clouded her mind as spikes shot through her body. Bright purple and night black spikes grew from her legs tearing at her clothes and shoes as her feet covered themselves in the black scales and spikes that continued to spread up the back of her calves, her hands back to their gauntlet form as her arms did the same as her legs. Her shirt torn at the back as more grew down her spine, a long black tail forming with 2 more purple spikes grew and glowing at each side at the end of the tail. The skin on her head also tore open slightly as black horns about six inches each sprouted from the sides of her head, purple glowing at the tips. Purple markings grew and began to glow brighter as they spread along her body, her vision got blurry before she attacked.

Blind rage shook through her body as she lunged at the ogre who pulled out Luke's insides, the ogres only just noticing her presence enough to react. The smaller ogre crashed to the ground with a loud thud, cracking the ground further and making the heat in the room grow, numbing the demon further. The bigger and darker ogre raised its axe to swing at Marian, a white glow enchanting its weapon as it slammed down. Marian just missed the hit, the axe falling onto the smaller ogre instead, making it grunt and scream in pain. The ogre ripped the axe from its stomach and growled at its partner, both grunting at one another before composing themselves and readying their weapons to fight the demon intruder.

Marian dodged each swing in the small room, scratching and slashing at the ogres when she would with the claws of her gauntlets, and hitting them soon after at every open wound. Another swing was made at the demon, cutting its way into her arms and getting stuck in their hardened shell. She smashed her arm against the wall, breaking the handle of the axe and taking the axe head and throwing it back at the ogre.

With all the commotion going on in the room, the walls began to crack more, a slight hum ripping the room apart. One of the ogres slammed into another wall, effectively shattering it apart, the white glow and heat becoming overpowering. Behind the wall looked like another room, but not one of the world that they were currently in, it was huge and made of wood and stone. Other monsters and creatures like the ogres filled the room, cyclops and minotaur, elves, dwarves and gnomes. There were people who looked to be covered in fur and some in scales, some even with feathered wings. The ogres managed to hit Marian with a big enough hit to knock her back to the other wall before they ran into the other room, a bright burning light blinded Marian in the small room once they passed through.

When Marian managed to compose herself and look up, the room and the ogres were gone, their only trace being her friend's corpses and one of their axes with a shattered handle. The white light that filled the cracks of the room slowly dimmed and the room cooled, a fresh draft finally starting to come through the deep tunnel. Marian stood, her marking still glowing presently but the spikes and scales slowly seeping back into her body, the tail and horns being the only things showing. She looked throughout the small room that was now only dimly lit by her own light, the gentle purple sheen coating over the corpses of her friends. Guilt filled her heart as she wishes she arrived sooner, hoping she could have had a chance to save them.

It would be disgraceful to leave their bodies here, but she couldn't bear bringing back her companions in such a state. With shaking hands she picked up Luke's hand from the floor and pulled off the ring attached to his right ring finger, and did the same to Jenny's, who she pulled off the wall and laid her body next to Luke's.

She whispered under her breath as she hovered one hand over the two bodies, a small incantation summoning a burst of purple flames from the hand, burning her friends bodies and putting the ashes in a couple small jars she found in a wooden box that was on the floor. Marian took one last long breath and looked over the room, she picked up the jars and axe head and left.

The journey back to their home felt long as she took every step, slow and heavy. What would she say? Could she even say anything?

The small jars rattled against one another in her pocket as she walked, the axe head feeling heavy in her suddenly weak hands. Marian stood in front of the graffitied wall conflicted, unlike the last time she was here when she was smiling with Emmitt and the others. She took a deep breath as she lifted her hand to the factory wall, it began to ripple as she took a step forwards, walking past the barrier and into the lit dimension.

The safe place she had founded was dull and in suspense compared to its usual bright and rowdy self. Where people usually dance and celebrate like there is no tomorrow, sat all the usual faces looking scared and timid. Emmitt was the first one to notice Marian, he stood up anxiously and rushed towards Marian and grabbed her arms, shaking them violently.

"What happened?!" His voice echoed in the quiet room, other people starting to register what was happening. Some stood up and faced the two, others couldn't even look up. Connor walked over from the stairs standing a little behind Emmit, a sad look on his face.

Marian could do it. She couldn't look into her friends eyes, she couldn't even speak. She put the axe head on a table nearby and stuffed her hands in her pockets. Emmitt stood back slightly as his eyes fixated on Marian's hands, his eyes shaking and changing to look back at her face, and back at her hands again as they pulled out her pockets.

The two small jars clinked together as she pulled them out and lifted them to the boy's chest, his body shaking harder and tears brimming Marian's eyes. Emmitt's voice shook but no words came out, his hands found their way to his chest where his boss's hands were still holding the small jars. He grabbed onto the jars as her arm moved to place the taller boy's head on her shoulder, Connor followed and put a hand on Emmits left shoulder and one on Marians in a sort of hug.

As he pulled the jars away from his chest, tears pooled from his eyes and his knees buckled, his body falling to the ground as he screamed. The whole room was filled with only his screams, everyone who wasn't standing had stood up and formed a diamond shape with their fingers, quiet mourning whispered filled the room while Emmit's voice rang out. A glow formed from everyone's fingers, a show of respect to the dead as minutes passed by slowly.

Marian knew it wouldn't be the last death to happen, she had seen something she hadn't. There's more creatures than just the ones that were already in their dimension, a whole other dimension filled with them, and she had to find a way to sever the connection between them before any more deaths could be accounted for.