Helix

Trade your Soul

24 AD

"That's it, you worthless flying shit, come and get me."

Helix's taunt was followed by an ear-splitting roar. As the shadow beasts mouth opened wide, Helix could see three rows of razor-sharp teeth and to his horror a glowing mass of flame, rising quickly up its throat.

Time blurred as Helix leaped to the right, rolling to avoid the heat storm that descended where he had been standing a moment prior. Keeping a close eye on the beast, Helix ran for the high ground.

Since Ares had changed him, Helix had known he had become much faster, but now he discovered just how fast. The underworld blurred as he ran from the fell beast. Still as fast as he was, the flying hellion was only just behind him. Flame erupted overhead, to his right and then to his left as Helix darted, ducked and swerved to avoid the inferno.

Focused as he was Helix failed to notice the cliff edge until it was too late. Crying out he plummeted into a chasm so dark and deep he could not see the bottom. His body shifted unbiddenly, the sharp pain was over almost before Helix realized what had happened. Still falling he looked up as bright gouts of flame cascaded ahead of the flying monster.

Heat licked at his pelt, sulfur filled his nostrils and eyes causing Helix to cough but to his surprise, the flames overshot him as the beast turned, flapping its massive wings and rising away. His joy at being alive was cut short as he hit something firm but buoyant. Bouncing wildly Helix tried to grab the strange ground. His paws slid without purchase. After a few such bounces, he finally came to a stop panting heavily.

Taking a deep breath he looked around. Even his sharp wolfs eyes could see only a few feet in any direction. With a heavy sigh, he looked up. There was no visible light. In fact, he realized there was no light and no sounds save his own. Swallowing his panic he forced himself to think.

The scent of mildew and mushrooms surrounded him. Sniffing the air Helix decided to follow his last remaining sense. After all, didn't dogs follow their noses?

After some random walking Helix found a faint scent of ash and sulfur. To his great relief, he also discovered that he was not actually on the ground. The strange, bouncy, surface turned out to be the top of a very large fungus. When he finally did make it to the ground Helix was pleased to find that the scent of flame led up a steep path carved into the cliff wall. He was not sure cliff was the right term. It was clearly the side of the chasm but the surface was smooth as polished glass. Each step was carefully chosen as he continued to follow his nose.

While he had no way to tell time, Helix was fairly certain the climb had taken the better part of a day. When he stepped back onto the surface he breathed a sigh of relief. Searching the sky he listened carefully, not hearing or seeing the creature. He wanted nothing more than to lay down and nap. His muscles hurt and exhaustion threatened to overtake him. Shaking his whole body in a very wolf-like manner, he set off up the road toward the fire lit sky.

Step after step, hour after long hour Helix walked. His steps began to slow as he realized that although he had not stopped walking, the distant glow was growing no closer. In fact, nothing had changed. Disorientation hit Helix in a rush as he looked behind him and saw the same stone he'd grabbed to pull himself out of the dark valley.

"Damn it." Exhausted, Helix sat panting slightly.

"It, is such a non-descript word. 'It' could be anything. But, you for certain are damned. Can't say anything about 'it' though."

Helix head snapped toward the voice as he came to his feet. What he saw made him bare his teeth in revulsion. While the voice had been female in nature the creature it belonged to was so unusual that he could not tell anything of its gender. It stood on six short legs shaped something like backward cat feet,  its body was a hairless milky white, a long serpentine tail coiled behind, but the head of the beast was the worst, humanoid after a fashion, with a mouth split both horizontal and vertical with two bright orange chips for eyes.