Forsaken
by Ermaxtla
However, somewhere within the pulverized machinery of flesh and sinew, a barely visible spark of energy remained coursing at the center of the great furnace. The warrior clung to this last grain of strength, using his final moments as a mortal man to wallow in self-deprecation.
I have failed you master
Even in its current state, what remained of his tormented mind repeated moments of the fight again and again. He saw the strength drifting from him, leaving him before he had even needed it. As if someone had deliberately been watching and waiting to pull it from him at the first chance they got… He was left defenseless, forced to revert to his mortal skills, unable to show his adversary the meaning of true power. And he repeated his failure to himself, while outstretching his plea of defeat into the darkness.
I have failed you, as much as I have failed myself… I am not worthy to pass on to the full-fledged status you promised me.
He had only let his mind go for a split-second of silence before he felt the all-too familiar draw of oblivion. Felt it creep into the medical chamber, encasing him in a sort of nimbus that opened his mind to the Void of Nemesis. And in that respite peace, the malignant echo of the demon god Xauron, though far and distant, wrought its words upon him.
‘Inferno…’
Master!
The warrior’s senses stirred, a burst of electricity streaking up from a smashed circuit breaker. And as before, even amid the tumultuous roar of fury inside the arena, the first thing to enter his mind is the stabbing question…
Why?… Your power was drawn from me at the onset of the battle! Why did you leave me helpless against that pitiful excuse for a fighter?
‘You were attacking, as before, with your own personal intentions foremost at heart… Clouding your mind with empty rage.’
The voice permeating Inferno’s psyche spoke in a sobering tone, though beneath it was a stern reprimand that only a disciple could distinguish. It pricked Inferno from inside, causing his aggression to gather heat once again.
But…! My Lord, the Lin Kuei! I have struggled for years to wipe them from the face of this planet, and still they continue—
‘The past, Inferno… You must learn to leave your past behind… Give up this foolish vendetta… Remember, you have more pressing matters to attend to… Have you forgotten who is slave, and who is master?’
…No my Lord… Never. I bow to your judgment.
These last thoughts Inferno may very well have harkened in vain. At that moment, a sudden wave of cold reality seemed to wash over Inferno’s surroundings, causing all mental contact with the Void to cease abruptly. -A barrier of some kind had unexpectedly fallen between him and the reach of Nemesis.
He was lying in his empty, solitary state again. Crippled beyond human tolerance, and very much on the brink of mortal death. But he was far from alone.
“Well, you have put your foot in it this time,” said a somber voice.
Calmly emerging from the stark curtain of shadows near the main door’s archway, Ermaxtla Cóhuatl stared down at the demonic warrior on the table with an expression as vacant as oblivion itself. Inferno felt every one of his senses stir at the sound of his surprise visitor, for without even having to see he knew who it was that spoke to him.
“Help me.”
Cóhuatl frowned at the gurgling hiss that came from Inferno’s seemingly inert body, though he wasn’t at all surprised to find him still alive.
“Restore me, sorcerer,” the bloody carcass reiterated. “My quest will not end now. Not here among these pathetic worms.”
“It looks like it already has,” Cóhuatl blankly intoned.
Inferno’s remains stirred; blood lashed out from his wounds towards Cóhuatl. “Damn you! I will hunt you down and roast your heart on a spit if you leave me here to discorporate!”
“Ah yes.” The sorcerer turned his lizard’s eyes on the wretched remains of a once mortal man. “Tell me, Inferno,” he chided. “Why would you wish to be restored? Hm?”
A red eye in the battered skull slid sideways to glare at him.
“There. You see?” Cóhuatl outstretched his arms in a very non-committal manner. “What could you possibly need me for? Your body is reconfiguring already.”
“I will no longer be human,” the heap growled, its lone eye never blinking or moving. “Even the Almighty Xauron in his infinite wisdom could only imitate human form to a certain degree.”
The grimy voice made Cóhuatl flinch. “Yes, well… I’m sure your new form won’t ever be able to compare to the fiery Lin Kuei assassin we all have come to appreciate over the years.” The dripping remains of Inferno’s body quivered audibly. “Sorry,” Cóhuatl smiled. “Ex-Lin Kuei assassin. My apologies.” His voice still trickled with sarcasm.
“Perhaps you shall be the first to see my next incarnation,” the bubbling voice sneered through its teeth, which Cóhuatl noticed were starting to clench.
“Perhaps,” he shrugged. “You’ve always been able to surprise us mere mortals at every opportunity, after all.”
The red eye disappeared from view, lazily rolling back inwards. “I should have skinned you alive the first time you ever mocked me.”
“Would it have really made a difference? You and I both know that death for me is but another doorway to pass through… As it is for you.” The sorcerer’s voice had become very serious now, taking on a certain indignation in its tone. “My destiny is to keep your own diabolical leaders and others like them from destroying all that we on Earth have strived to accomplish.”
“Oh yes… Your own cross to bear for all eternity. I’d forgotten completely.” The pile of flesh on the table no longer twitched or quavered. But even Cóhuatl could sense the gradual shifting of the atoms throughout the crushed body, its imperceptible metamorphosis occurring before his very eyes. “Someday, old fool, you will come to accept just how pointless this little charade of yours truly is.” No longer straining, the voice of Inferno addressed Cóhuatl for the final time. “One last chance, Serpent… Restore my physical form.”
There was the briefest pause, before Cóhuatl bent his head down towards the bloodied human cranium under his nose. “I will do nothing,” he paused to peer deep into the vacant eye-socket, “for a servant of Chaos.”
The inward-turned eye closed lingeringly. “Fine. Leave me then. I wish to shed my form in peace.”
Slowly Cóhuatl drew himself back upright. “Good-bye, Inferno.” He made as if to turn away and leave the room. But he halted to add, “I wish you luck. May your chosen path offer you some comfort at its end.”
“Only one thing is certain of my path, Serpent,” the voice warned bitterly. “The Lin Kuei must die.”
“Then rejoice,” Cóhuatl grinned. “In your new demonic form, no Lin Kuei warrior will stand a chance against you.” With that, he turned fully around and walked out of the medical chamber. He slowed briefly at the door, adding loudly, “Unless of course, your master chooses to teach you another lesson in humility.”
A short, barely noticeable huff escaped the shattered nose on Inferno’s face as the sorcerer left. He lay on the table as motionless as before, feeling the bones within his body prickling slowly as the transfiguration continued. He would have liked very much to have spit a stream of molten liquid at the Serpent Lord’s face. But for now, he unclenched his jaws and relaxed, contending himself with his own private thoughts.
I will abide by your words, Master… You have shown me what matters above all else… I have no need to remain here among warriors without purpose…
Steam began to pour from his lifeless body as it started to liquefy, to make way for a deadly new xenodemonic form.
Cóhuatl is such a blind fool… Cursed with the immortality of his ancestors… He exists to prolong that which he has no control over. -That which is inevitable… I on the other hand?… I dominate. I am one with the everlasting entropy of Chaos…
Slowly, tentatively, the peeling remains of the warrior’s face contorted into a hideous self-abated smile. -The last gesture Inferno would make as a human.
I destroy… Therefore, I endure… And as he himself once said, no one can fight the future.
The uproar from the medical chamber that evening was silenced by Venom, who joined Scorch and Typhoon to inspect the charred, steaming table where the deceased combatant Inferno had been placed earlier. Cóhuatl was also summoned to the infirmary having been the last to see the warrior.
“How on Earth could this happen?”
Venom’s frustrated query left Typhoon rather disturned, possibly since the exact same thought was on her mind.
“No one saw him after he was dropped off after the match.” It was all she could offer the puzzled Clan Leader. “We’ve already searched this entire wing of the fortress.”
Venom swept a hand over the peeling metallic table. The look in his eyes was beyond reasoning. “I want his body found.”
“With all due respect, sir,” Cóhuatl opined. “I have seen what Inferno is capable of as a fighter. In death, he may have still had a talent for survival we knew nothing about.”
“Perhaps,” Typhoon chimed in, peering at the table in deep thought. “Is it possible that he… somehow… incinerated himself?”
Scorch’s mind instantly clicked with hers. “Maybe as some form of fail-safe precaution.”
There was a second of silence before Venom turned to face his resident sorcerer. “Cóhuatzin, are you certain of what you saw?” His eyes were probing.
“As I said before, I came to pay my respects, and I noticed some kind of steam rising from the corpse,” Cóhuatl explained. “I assumed it was still smarting from the battle.” The look Venom was giving him was far from convinced.
Typhoon regarded the table with a sidelong stare before she spoke. “Strange. I sense no magical residue or presence here. Only a hollow kind of… void, about this whole room.” Her eyes roamed along the ceilings of the chamber. “Something unnatural has definitely occurred here… And yet, no trace of Inferno at all, physically or spiritually.”
Venom pondered her words carefully, not once overlooking Inferno’s strange behavior at the training match…
“Scorch? I want you and Typhoon to conduct a thorough scan of the fortress.” He pretended not to notice the wavering look both medical volunteers exchanged. “Move swiftly, but cautiously. I want nothing left unchecked. Cóhuatzin will help you.” Venom regarded the sorcerer again. “You have my permission to use your powers in your search, just as long as you avoid any unnecessary attention.”
He made as if to leave the room before turning to give one last reminder. “Report anything you find directly to me. And keep it quiet. Good luck to you.”
Then he was gone, striding hurriedly back towards the Great Hall. His three appointed investigators watched until he was well out of earshot before Cóhuatl turned to Scorch and Typhoon. An exhausted haze was in his eyes.
“The two of you don’t have to help clean up this mess,” he said. “Leave it to me.”
Typhoon blinked rapidly with surprise. She put a hand out, thinking Cóhuatl was only trying to be polite. “Wait, surely you’re not blaming yourself for what--”
He cut her off quickly, gently taking her hand in his own and lowering it. “Go on you two. Get some sleep. This won’t take me long.”
Scorch seemed pleased to oblige.
“To find a missing corpse?” he intoned. “Walk in the park for you, right wizard?”
Cóhuatl smiled. “If only it were, Scorch… If only it were.” Typhoon still hesitated near the corridor that led into the eastern wing of the fortress where her chamber was situated.
“Are you sure we can’t help in any way?” she asked.
“Positive. But for the sake of keeping up appearances,” Cóhuatl grinned back at her, “I’ll let the both of you know what I’ve found tomorrow before reporting to Venom. That way, we’ve all got our stories straight.”
“Very well. Good night then, gentlemen.”
With a courteous bow to Typhoon, Cóhuatl and Scorch turned and went off in the direction of the Citadel where they too would part company for the night.
“With any luck,” Cóhuatl sighed, “there won’t be anything to report at all. I’d hate to tell Venom that yet another threat is on the loose prowling around out there.”
“It’s just one more anonymous assassin,” Scorch shrugged indifferently. “Even if he did somehow survive, what harm could he do that can’t be dealt with?”
Cóhuatl shook his head. “You don’t know Inferno. He’s a menace. -Not just to the Earth, but to all realms. Quite notorious, actually, for wiping out an entire city with his bare hands once. I remember passing through the ruins wondering what kind of disaster had struck.”
His words didn’t much impress Scorch, though he doubted that was even the young sorcerer’s intention. They did however fill him with an uncomfortable sense of angst.
“Sometimes, I don’t know what’s worse: That his master continues to value him as an exceedingly potent ally, or the fact that such a monster like Inferno even has a higher allegiance.”
Scorch nodded absently. As the two warriors approached the stairs of the Citadel, he began to think Venom was right about Ermaxtla.— When he wanted to, the guy could be a serious wet blanket.