Down Under

[The Sin Eater]

Ranger Mission: Down Under
'Comb Mountains have been a natural barrier between Empire’s Radasanthia barony and the Rangers’ Concordia. With the only passage through the mountains heavily guarded by the Empire, the Rangers need to seek alternative routes through the mountains. There is a rumor that almost a millennia ago, in the time of Demon Wars, the dwarves dug their tunnels deep beneath the Comb Mountains. Your mission is to scout out these passages and discover whether or not they are passable for a larger number of soldiers. But be aware; there’s a good possibility that a number of creatures made their lairs during the centuries the tunnels were without upkeep.'

After two days of thorough searching, Thomas William Braelrain had finally found what he wanted: a crevice large enough to allow large numbers of soldiers pass through. He had been hired as a freelancer by the Corone Rangers to find a suitable passage way through the Comb Mountains. Since all the usual paths through and over the mountains were guarded by the so-called evil Empire, this was there only option. The Rangers and the Empire had some quarrel; the latter thought the former to be corrupt or whatnot, and the former just didn't want to loose its reign. Or wait, shouldn't that be the other way around? Anyhow, Thomas had no little interest in politics and civil wars.
He had already been planning to go the mountains to investigate the rumors of demon infestation. Demons were is his main and most of the time only interest and the rest of the world could go to hell when he was hunting one. Well, if the world would literally be going to hell then he might get involved, but that was 'bout it. Nevertheless, when he had heard the the Rangers were looking for a freelancer he hadn't wasted the opportunity to earn some extra cash and perhaps even gain a better reputation. He needed to explore the Comb Mountains anyway, so it wouldn't distract him from his main task to search for demonic influences.

So there he was, standing at the entrance of a dark shaft which hopefully led deep into and out of the mountains, allowing the Ranger's little boy club to get to the other side. Tom decided not to waste any more time and just go in and hope for the best. Luckily he had thought of bringing enough torches with him to last to the end of his little expedition. If not, then he was sure he would find some along the way. He had done some background research on the mountains and it appeared to be an ancient Dwarven dig site, so there would probably still be some equipment laying about.

As he lit a torch and entered the gloomy cave he noticed a flow of air.
'Lucky me,' he thought, 'if there's an air stream then that means I've entered a larger network of tunnels.'.
Without giving his eyes any time to adjust to the darkness Tom quickly paced deeper into the subterrane. The atmosphere was somewhat damp and he could hear the slow, constant dripping of water. Moist was a good sign as it might mean there were underground rivers, perhaps a branch of the Niema river. If that was the case then his job for the Rangers would be an easy one as he could just follow its course and probably end up on the other side of the mountains. In additino, an underground river was probably the most effective way of transporting goods or troops through a large mountain. There was also less chance of getting lost as even a branching river had a lot less options then the countless shafts the Dwarves had probably dug. That reminded Tom of something: he had to draw a map. After he placed his torch on the ground supported by some rocks, he grabbed an empty piece of paper from his backpack and draw an 'S' and a slightly curved line which symbolized the start of the cavern and the shaft he was in.

As he reached down to pick up his torch he noticed something distressing. He hadn't seen it before because his eyes hadn't adjusted yet, but now he could clearly see numerous white horns scattered on the ground. He instantly recognized their slightly curved shape, they were not of any harmless ungulate specie but of demon origin! Though perhaps not of the actual demon lords, these horns were without any doubt from Orcs, Goblins or any other equally evil creature. As always, Tom had brought his Necronomicon with him but while it might help him identify the specific creature, he decided not to waste time to do so.
'These are probably old,' he reasoned, 'perhaps remainders of the Demon Wars.'

Just to be sure he grabbed two spiky horns and put them in his backpack. As his eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness he could now clearly see the shape of the cavern. As far as he could tell, the cave went on for quite a while and didn't seem to branch as of yet. It was a slightly curved passage way so he couldn't see the entrance anymore. Other then the scattered horns he couldn't notice anything out of the ordinary, just a lot of rock and a few cave mushrooms.

As such, he just started walking again. After about half an hour of walking, he finally reached the end of the cavern. Luckily, there appeared to be a small shaft on the right wall which hopefully led to another passage way. After marking the end of the cave on his map he crawled into the tiny opening. The shaft was so small he had to crawl on his hands and knees.

The ground was quite watery and he could feel water dripping in his neck.
'I must be getting closer to a river or well or something,' he thought, 'hopefully it's a fresh source of wa-'.
BAM! He had busted his head into something. As he brought up his torch to see what he had bumped into he suddenly saw the face of a horrendous monster.

“Yihaaah!” it screeched in a painfully high pitched voice.
“Waaaah!” he screamed back, scared shitless by its sudden presence.

In a reflex he tried to get up but his head could only go as far as the ceiling, resulting in another painful scream. The pain reflex caused his head now to go forward, right into the beast's head. The following headbutt made a dull sound. Smashing his face into an opponent's one was something he was quite used to, but the dark creature in front of him apparently wasn't and looked dazed. Without hesitation Tom grabbed its ugly head and smashed it into the wall. He thought he heard the sound of a cracking skill but just to be sure he smacked it a couple more times until he could feel it didn't resist anymore.

As he let go of the beast's skull it dropped to the ground and was without doubt as dead as it could be. His could feel his heart race as a madman and with a trembling hand he raised his torch over the creature's remains.
“Oh frack,” he said out loud, “this ain't no beast.”

It indeed wasn't. It appeared to be either a midget or child but clearly humanoid. It had an oversized head with little hair on it – and no horns either. Its tiny torso was covered in tattoos and a few scars, probably simply the result of its underground life. He figured that the small addendum between its legs meant that the thing was actually a boy, or a tiny man.

“Well, isn't this great,” he murmured as he recognized one of the boy/man's tattoos, “there are demons here for sure, that's the sign of a demon from the lower circles of hell.”

As his adrenaline level started to reduce he began to feel a rather nasty headache which would probably get a lot worse, but what would one expect after hitting one's head three times in a few moments. He checked for blood but luckily there wasn't any.
'Crap, why didn't I take some painkillers with me?'
He did have several types of herbs and some bandages on him, but they were of no use against headaches.

[The Sin Eater]

He crawled over the body to the end of the small, but short shaft. Just to be sure he carried the torch in his left and his short sword in his right. He wouldn't let himself be taken by surprise again like that. As he came out of the passage way he saw he had entered a house sized cave with about eight different hallways. Having no clue to help him find the best way, he choose the most descending path, hoping it would lead the furthest into the mountain. His torch started to flicker, suggesting that there was an air stream; a good sign.

After a few minutes the path turned into a spiraling descending stairway. Tom figured he had reached the area were the Dwarves had been digging. The steps were short and slippery so he had to move carefully to not avoid falling. The stairs seemed to go on forever but right before he got too dizzy to continue he had reached the end. Carefully, Thomas watched around to the corner so he wouldn't crash into another one of those little buggers. He was glad he did, because he spotted three of them talking to each other in a large, brightly lit chamber. They were bigger then the one he had encountered earlier but they still only barely reached his waist.
He wondered why almost all the caves were high enough to fit at least three of them on top of each other. Dwarves weren’t as big either so it couldn't have been their doing. Anyhow, that wasn't really important.

'Just three of them... hm, I'm pretty sure I can take them on,' he thought, 'they don't seem to have any weapons on them.'
He placed his torch out of sight on one of the steps and slowly turned around the corner. The little humans slash goblins or whatever they were, were to busy yelling at each other to notice him. As silent as he could, he moved closer to them so he would have the advantage of surprise. However, the hadn't payed enough attention to where he placed his feet and he accidentally kicked against a mining axe.
'Crap!'

The three little men turned around to him and started screaming in their extremely annoying voice. Two of them ran straight at him, aggressively showing their teeth but without any weapons. The third one had ran out of sight. Tom quickly took his knuckle duster and firmly grabbed it with his left hand; his short sword was still in his right one.

The smallest of the two had reached him first and took a surprisingly big leap, ready to bury its little claws in his face. Instinctively, he sidestepped and swung his short sword at the incoming foe. Accompanied with a loud scream the poor guy almost had his right arm completely cut off. In the mean while, the second midget had gone for his leg and took a good bite out of it.
Tom shouted out of pain and tried to throw the bastard off by violently kicking his leg around, but the ugly thing had a firm grip on him. As he struggled to get the biter off him, he noticed that the other guy had picked up a mining pick – the one which had betrayed his presence – with his only remaining good arm. With the axe held high above his head it stormed towards him, ready to hit Tom in his groin or some other nasty place. Before the little one could do so Tom swung his right leg towards the incoming foe. As a result, the pick meant for Thomas connected with the biting midget on his leg and buried itself deep in its torso.
Surprised by the sudden turn of events, the little one ran off screaming hell and terror. Not interested in letting another one escape, Tom firmly grabbed the now dead biter and with a might swing he flung it towards the fleeing midget. He had scored a solid hit and the runner lay unconscious on the floor. Without hesitation he plunged his short sword into the things surprisingly soft skull, instantly killing it.

“This midget throwing thing is quite fun! They should make a sport out of it.”
As he figured he was done fighting for the moment he was about to sheath his sword, but he was in for another surprise.

“Raagh! Dats da hueman Bo, dats hin!”
Apparently, the third of the troop had ran off had returned with assistance. As Tom turned around he expected to see more of the little buggers, but there was only the one. Behind him however, towered a massive ogre-like beast. It was about the height as Thomas, but also just as wide. Incredible fat and covered with hair, the ogre sure looked ugly. On his relative small head were two horns, resembling the ones Tom had found near the entrance. The ogre, apparently called 'Bo', carried a giant wooden cudgel in his right hand and a large mining pick in his other.

“WUUAAAH!” the ogre screamed, “me are Bo, you is dead!”

'Oh oh...'

[The Sin Eater]

Thomas wasn't easily scared and lacked a healthy respect for his own well being, but at the moment he was not really interested in being crushed by a gigantic abomination. On the other hand, he also was not someone would be just back out of a fight without trying, so he decided to take the gamble.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, mister Bo,” he replied, though the sarcasm was probably wasted on the ogre, “my name is Thomas. I wish to correct on you the rather important issue that I am, in fact, still alive and kicking.”

Apparently, the ogre had no interest in the discussing the details of Tom's current physical condition and started running towards him. Well, running was a bit of an overstatement because his stupidly short legs weren’t exactly capable of transporting the huge ball they somehow supported - Tom couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous sight. He calmly sheathed his short sword and used both hands to pick up the same little monster he had thrown before. While the ogre was trying to close the distance as fast as he could, Tom took his time to decide where he should aim and then slung the light midget towards the beast's feat.

“Catch!” he said, and laughed again as his powerful but clumsy opponent tripped and crashed to the floor with a mighty bang.
“You ought to change your diet, dear Bo.”

The ogre growled and – assisted by his pet midget – got back on his feet again.
“You think you smart, but you soon DIE!”

“Yeah sure, but you should hurry because I might have died of old age before you will have reached me.”
He smirked at his smart comment but that quickly changed when he suddenly saw an airborne midget flying straight at him. Completely taken by surprise he had no chance to react and the yelling little bugger hit him straight in the face and together they crashed to the ground. The little man was just as surprised that he had been used as a missile and was too slow to avoid Tom's hand. Despite its yelled disapproval he was quickly flying again, back towards his evil master. Sadly, the ogre was prepared this time and cached him mid-air with his massive club.

As the remains of the midget splattered all over the place, Tom noticed that the ogre hadn't stopped his advance and had almost cornered him. In front of him was the ogre and to the right and behind him where walls so his only possible escape route was on his left. He quickly sprinted to try to reach the gap in time but he had underestimated the length of the opponent's reach. With an impressive swing with his long weapon Bo hit him straight in the stomach, the force behind the impact send Tom flying and his vision shortly turned black. As his sight returned he noticed he was back in the corner again with the ogre intimidating close.

In an attempt to take him by surprise, Tom did not try to get away from the ogre but instead rushed straight at him. Using his advantage in speed to compensate for his relative lack of strength he rapidly stabbed the ugly monster three times in his massive belly before he had a chance to react. For a moment they both paused; Tom was dumbfounded by the lack of blood and screaming his sharp short sword usually triggered, Bo merely glanced at the three tiny wounds and grinned.

'Oh frag,' he thought as the giant grabbed him by his neck and lifted him in the air, 'I'm so dead.' He violently kicked the ogre and used his sword in an attempt to cut his way out of th e death grip, but it was of no use. Within a moment his neck would be crushed and Thomas William Braelrain would be done for.

[The Sin Eater]

The world in front of Tom started to spin, black and dark purple spots filled his vision and a moment later Tom completely passed out. A crude kick in his groin brought him back to the conscious world and he could see Bo towering over him. Before he had any time to wonder why he was still alive the ugly monster spoke to him.

"Bo keeps stupid humaan live, humaan now thank Bo and work for Bo."

Despite his physical condition and his defeat Tom couldn't help but to respond with bitter sarcasm; it was how he spoke most of the time, especially in more serious situations.

"Why, thank you, Bo. However, I'm afraid I have to decline your offer, I already have a job. Oh my, look at the time! I really have to go now."

He attempted to get up but another kick in the groin put him back in his place, both literary and figurative.

"Shut ye'r mouth, stupid humaan. Bo kill you anytime but you humaan throw pesky gremlin good and you are not slow. You kill Bo master, you kill demon or Bo kill you."

Now this was an interesting situation. Not only did the ranger's mission to explore these mountains fit exactly in his own agenda, Bo's order to kill a demon was exactly what he had wanted from the start. Besides being dead, he would be stupid to not take full use of the opportunity to get the ogre's help to destroy a demon lord.

While trying to ignore the pain of his many wounds, Tom smiled and replied: "Killing a demon you say? That sounds like a fun thing to do. It's your lucky day! I am specialized in killing demons."

Not even listening to his attempt to be witty the ogre had already walked away and apparently expected Thomas to do follow him. Having little alternatives, he got up with a growl and silently followed his newest employer. Bo's slow movement gave the former priest some time to mend his wounds by applying some of his herbs and bandages. The ogre had smashed him up real good and his leg was still bleeding a little from the gremlin's bite. Though it did hurt like hell, the pain was also a good thing. Tom himself had an unwanted demon master too, a long time ago he had been tricked into swearing an oath which binded his soul to the demon. His demonic lord reveled in sins and gore and because of their link, so did Tom. The more numerous and vile his sins and wounds, the stronger and more pain resistant he became.

For nearly half an hour the both of them just walked in silent, in the mean while Tom tried to update his map as detailed as possible so he would be able to find his way back if things would really go haywire. Bo rounded up any of the gremlins they encountered and gathered himself a little army for his plan to overthrow his demonic master. Tom wondered how clever the ogre actually was and how much thought he had put into this, was Bo able to take an educated guess about their chances to defeat the demon? He didn't really have a choice though since if he wasn't able to defeat the slave, then he certainly would not be able to destroy the master.

This could become quite interesting.

[The Sin Eater]

The ogre had rounded up quite an army. Besides Bo and Tom there were about twenty something gremlins. The little men greatly feared their giant slaver and did not speak at all in hits presence. As such they walked quietly through the caves and Tom could only hear the sound of their footsteps and their echoes.

Much to Tom's joy, the passage ways had become increasingly larger; there was easily enough room for the Ranger squadrons to travel through. It was well illuminated by regularly placed torches and the ground and walls were surprisingly straight. Tom figured that these were the main tunnels used by the Dwarves and hopefully were connected to both sides of the Comb Mountains. However, he first had to get out of here alive before he could report his findings to the Corone Rangers.

Shortly after Thomas had again updated his map to include the larger pathways, Bo stopped before a large double door. It had a few Dwarven symbols on it and considering its age it appeared to be in a surprisingly good state. The ogre turned around to his little gremlin army who gathered around him, most of them trembling of fear.

"You li'le shitheads go in door and kill big boss, big boss ain't no big boss anymore, Bo is big boss now. You all go in or Bo kill you all!"

When the gremlins hesitated more then he liked, the ogre grabbed the closest one and used it to smash the door open. Apparently motived by his appeal to their wish to live, they rushed through the violently opened gates. Tom wasn't close enough to the doors to see what was going on inside, but he could hear the terrified screams of the gremlins. For a moment he pitied the little buggers, but he knew he would have killed them all himself if had gotten the chance.

"You humaan come with Bo! Kill demon boss, go go go!"

Following Bo, Tom walked through the doors and readied himself for combat; he unsheathed his short sword and hold it with his right hand and his knuckle duster with his left. The hall he had entered was gigantic; Thomas couldn't even see the ceiling which was supported by numerous massive pillars. The lack of sufficient torches made it hard to see whether or not there was actually an end to the rows of columns. Unlike the rocky caves he had seen before, the hall's floor was made of some kind of dark but slightly reflecting marble. Scattered on the ground were numerous small and a few larger skeletons, as well as mining picks, a few glowing gems and the butchered remains of some of the gremlins.

Other then some unrecognizable echoes and the distant yelling of the few gremlins who hadn't been slaughtered yet, it was surprisingly quiet. Tom didn't see any sign of the demon, though there was no doubt that he was here somewhere. Right after he had turned around to the ogre to ask what the demon looked like, Bo roared and looked at something right behind Thomas. Before he had the time to turn around he could feel vile energy lift him in the air and choke his throat.

'Not again,' he thought, 'why does everyone want to smother me?'

[The Sin Eater]

Tom floated defenselessly just above the ground. He faced the wrong way so he could not see what was going but he hadn't heard anything resembling a fight. For a moment he wondered if Bo had been fooling him the whole time and had only wanted to get him to his master, if that was the case then he had seriously misjudged the ogre's intellect. A moment before the lack of air depraved him of his consciousness he could feel the the dark energy loosen its grip on Thomas his throat. He was turned around to face his enemy.

"You," he shouted, as he recognized the demon, "you piece of shit, put me down and I'll rip your heart out!". Bo's evil master was not just any demon, it was the same one who had deceived Tom to swear an oath to bind his soul to him, the same vile creature who had taken away his self respect, every thought of hope. Just the sight of his nemesis made a raging hatred rampaged through his body and filled his every vein with adrenaline. Just as when he had first seen him, the demon appeared as a beautiful winged angel, complete with golden locks, soft blue eyes and an aura of divinity - but underneath the disguise there was a vile hell spawn.

"Now now Tom," the supposed angel replied in a sarcastic voice, "why all the hatred, aren't you happy to see your friend and tutor again?".

The former priest spat the on the ground in reply and wished he could wipe the smirk of the demon's face.

"You should calm down Thomas, all that rage is bad for your health. As you may or may not have noticed, my ungrateful servant Bo is floating right next to you. Since we both resend the incoherent babbling coming from his mouth I have taken away his ability to speak. You on the other hand, have the opportunity to answer a question of mine, if you would indulge me. The situation is the following, one of you must die and it is up you to decide whom. If you do not choose then the both of you will die. So, my dear friend, which of you will die?"

Taken by surprise, Tom shortly hesitated but his survival instincts took over and he quickly responded.

"Bo dies."

Though he didn't regret his answer, he had surprised himself with it. Had he been fooling himself the whole time by thinking that he didn't care about himself? Had the huge risks he had taken and his suicidal fighting style been just a lie to deceive himself and did he in fact not wish to die? He silently cursed the demon for his mischievous question.

"My oh my, I hadn't expected that fast an answer! But your wish is my command and Bo shall die."

The demon lifted his arm and pointed to the ogre floating next to Tom. A violent explosion later the remains of Bo laid scattered on the floor and Tom's right side was covered in the ogre's stinking blood. Shortly after he could feel the demon's magic leave his body and he fell to the floor.

"I must apologize for my inappropriate behavior," the demon continued, "though we have known each other for years and I've known your name from the beginning, I have never properly introduced myself to you. I am known by many names, some call me Aataqah, others address me as Aleppé or even Jallakuntilliokan, but I find such names unnecessarily complicated and as such prefer the name Limbus."

Why the demon lord had returned to him his freedom he did not know, but it wasn't like he cared. Still blinded by his rage, Tom firmly grabbed his short sword and stormed towards his nemesis. The angelic figure did not attempt to move but merely smiled serenely and patiently waited for Tom to come closer. Without any hesitation the former inquisitor plunged his sword through the demon's thin white dress right into his heart. He withdrew his weapon and stabbed him over and over again until he had to stop to catch his breath.

Limbus' blood covered corpse lay still on the red tanned floor, there was no doubt about his death. Shivers ran through Tom's body, he dropped his sword and knelt next to his nemesis' remains. Just before the slowly expanding pool of blood covered the slightly reflecting marble he could see the terror in his eyes and the dark blood of the ogre and demon on his face. Tears crawled from his eyes and blended with his enemies body fluids.

'Is it over, is it finally over?'

[The Sin Eater]

'Of course it isn't.

He knew that it wasn't over, of course it wasn't. He had killed Limbus his physical body, so what? For years he had longed for this moment, to be able to completely rage and utterly destroy the evil he was forced to serve. But what was the point, what would it matter? Even if he had actually killed the demon it would not change a thing about the world; what has happened has happened and what has to come will come. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, he fully realized that there was no redemption, no hope. Who would wipe the blood off him? With what water could he purify himself? Which festival of atonement, which sacred goal did he have to invent to console himself? There mere thought of it made him cry like a baby, he trembled over his whole body and cursed the day he was born.

"My friend."

The all to familiar voice echoed through the gigantic halls, bouncing of the pillars only so he could hear the words over and over again. Even as he couldn't physically hear it anymore the voice kept echoing through his mind, barging through every sealed door and penetrating every hidden chamber. He collapsed, not literally but emotionally. Even though he knew that he would be able to resist the darkness it was all vain.

"Limbus."

He whispered so softly he didn't know if he had spoken or thought the damned word of his surrender. He realized he hadn't just failed; failing was common and could be overcome, failing meant there was hope of succeeding. There was loosing nor winning, they are mere constructs of irrational minds in an irrational world.

"Why are you crying?"

He could feel his master's warm hand on his shoulder but did not bother to look how which physical form Limbus had taken on. Instinctively he reached out and clutched the genial hand. His tears stopped flowing and a strange sense of serenity seeped into his trembling heart. He felt a child and Limbus his father. A wave of awareness hit him like a bucket of water as he realized that he was holding hands with a demon. Was this what he wanted, was this his choice?

"NO! I will NOT give in, I am NOT an evil person!"

Suddenly filled with a new energy, Tom jumped up and turned around to face the demon, his demon. But there was no one with him. Frightened but firm he looked in every direction for his so-called master, but found only himself in a pool of blood. Furious at the demon's refusal to face him he kicked Limbus his angelic body and screamed.

"Where are you, where have you gone?"

Suddenly, Tom found himself in a completely empty place, void of any lights, objects or direction. He felt a falling sensation but the lack of anchor point made it impossible to tell if he actually moved.

"You ask me where I have gone?" he could hear Limbus say. "I will tell you. You say you are not an evil person yet you have murdered me. How many lives have you taken? Even just this day you have slain five people. Every day you murder your highly esteemed morals, you asphyxiate every ambition, you betray your faith just because you are to lazy to act accordingly. And now you ask me where I have gone? You are the one who is falling away but not towards, straying as through an infinite nothing. Are not perpetually tumbling? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? You daily miscarriage hope and give birth to that what you loath, you bury your dreams and turn your back on the aspirations you so desire. That which was the holiest and mightiest of all that your world has yet possessed has bled to death by your doing."