NationStates Jolt Archive

The Halls had become overcrowded with stiffs since Dreadfire's return, and almost everyday it got worse. For every sinner purged from the Earth, more space was consumed. The bodies of the dead are displayed to not only serve as a reminder, but is it believed that if the body is punished until it turns to dust, the soul may be redeemed. But it had gotten to a point where they had to make more room for the new arrivals, so for months they began digging. Gradually spiraling downward, the new corridors were carefully carved out of the stone and Earth at a painstaking pace. Only a few workers could be down there at a time, for not only was the stench of corpses sickening, the threat of a cave-in was present. It was the night shift, the most boring shift of them all. Only 3 workers were down in the Halls, chipping through stone and clay inch by inch.

Another bullshit night spent in this hellhole...

Another worker looked up from his shoveling, and muttered Shut the hell up, nobody wants to hear you bitch, bitch.

The workers grumbled at eachother and returned to their work. Another half hour of noise came and passed, and the drilling machine was shut down yet again to clear a jammed rock. Fuckin' thing can't go 10 minutes without jamming...

The same disgruntled worker complained. Yet again, a surly reply followed. Quite whining like a bitch and unjam it already!

The worker tried several tiems to clear the jam, but to no avail. It must have been a large stone, because the drill head just would not spin no matter how hard the worker jabbed at the stone. His coworker had already lost his patience twice, and in a huff he pushed the man out of the way and tried clearing the rock.

Hey, I have this under control! In an explosion of anger, he threw a shovel at the freshly drilled hole. That's right, break even more shit genius!

A crumbling sounds was heard, and the men looked at the hole they were digging in the wall....it was collapsing. Cave-in!!!! shouted the third worker, who up until now was silent. The dirt and clay crumbled and fell, but not much damage was done. Phew....I certainly didn't want to die in this place....

They peered at the hole they were digging, and in the darkness they thought they could see something. Their curiousity got the best of them, and they grabbed their flashlights and proceeded to the hole. They moved closer, shining thier flashlights on the spot of the collapse, and in front of them was a section of what looked like a set of stone doors. What the hell... muttered one of the men. In an instant they all got the same idea, to clear the site and investigate this find. They used their shovels and pickaxes instead of the drill machine, for they did not want to damage a possibly historic find. About an hour passed, and the site has hastily cleared. Towering before them was indeed a large set of stone doors with ancient writing on them. The three men starred in amazement at this odd find. Was it a back door to the Tomb of the Mutilated? Was it another section of the torture facility that was lost up until now?

*

The One Who Shall Remain Unnamed hovered above the three men watching them work. Having been spat up from the Tomb itself, The One regularly spent his time floating above the entrance, keeping it safe. As the three men moved closer and tried to open the door, The One materialized. He kicked a stone to stirr the silence, for if he spoke it surely would scare the men to death. They spun around in a flash, and saw The One coming toward them. The three men recognized him from TV, when he would stand next to Dreadfire during all his important speeches. Thety said not a word, but instead parted and allowed him to advance on the door. What is it? One of the men whispered. The One peered at the door, and read the writing scrawled across it. Abandon all hope, ye who enter the Vault of Souls. The One said slowly, deciphering the ancient tounges of the Freeks that were long forgotten. The One moved closer and grabbed ahold of one of the handles, and grunting loud he broke the seal of the door. A great rush of cold chilled the three men to their bones, and they immediatly covered up. The One was not mortal, so he was not affected by the arctic blast. He motioned for the men to stay there, and taking up a flashlight he entered, leaving the door open. For the first 50 feet or so, there was not much to see, let alone any light. It was not until the light from the Halls grew dim that The One saw his first sight inside the Vault.

A blueish light broke the darkness, and The One moved closer to what looked like a foyer. He noticed things on the walls, and he turned the flashlight towards them. Blue capsules aligned the walls, and The One moved closer and peered into it's mysterious midnight glow. He recognized what he saw, for he had seen them before.....thousands of dead souls, entombed in ice. The One was in awe of what he was seeing, and as he extended his unworldly hand to touch the object, the flashlight went dead. His eyes adjusted to the light in an instant, and an errie blue glow began filling the room. He noticed a white vapor coming from his mouth, and he began shaking. His body was cold, and the air temperature dropped to triple negative numbers. The One dropped to his knees, icicles forming all about him. White flakes covered his hat and coat, and The One began back peddling. He moved double quick back to the entrance, and the three men rushed towards him as he exited. He was still white with frost and shaking.

How can I feel cold? I do not exist in flesh and blood... The One chattered. As one of the men took a step towards to the door to investigate, The One mustered his energy and shouted NO! You mustn't go in there! For if the winds of the deep chill one such as I, a dweller of the Underworld, it would surely turn a mortal into pure ice. There is only one that could last inside there..

A bellowing noise echoed off the walls, and the 4 ditched their items and ran down the corridors. The One looked behind him, and he saw a ghastly figure in the doorway of the Vault.

http://invisionfree.com/forums/WMNK_Coalition/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=3489

Damien had finally fallen asleep, for it had been days since his head touched a pillow. He lay motionless in his bed with his mind at ease, dreaming the usual dream. It had not been more than an hour since his slumber starred, and The One burst through the doors and ran to Damien's bedside. The One could not demalerialize, for he was still chilled all the way through. He attempted to rustle Damien from his bed, but the warlord still slept. The One shook him harder, and out of nowhere Damien thrust an 8 inch knife into the gut of The One, the same knife he kept under his pillow every night.

Oh, it's you. Damien said as he removed the undirtied knife. He noticed something was wrong simply by looking at The One, for his eyes were large, and his body quivered.

What is it? speak up man! Damien rose from bed, fully alert now. The One spoke with a chatter in his voice, and he tried to explain what happened as best he could. Damien, there is a great disturbance in the Halls. The miners dug too deep, and we've unearthed something strange.....something even I have no memory of. Inside was something not of this realm, or possibly the next realm. Inside dwell a great cold....a great bluster.....

Damien's expression was grim. Obviously something is wrong if it has dampered your spirits. One such as yourself only shows one emotion: no emotion.

The One began warming up, and gradually removed his hands from his long coat. I think you need to see this wodner with your own eyes Lord Dreadfire, for surely one as fiery as you should not grow cold in such a place.

Damien threw on his usual attire and prepared to make for the Halls. Another night's sleep lost... he thought.

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ooc: Love it so far.

The night air was warm as Damien exited the Great Hall and made for his car. The One followed closely behind, for he still was chilled and could not dematerialize. As soon as the doors were shut, the driver took off in a hurry. The Halls were not too far away, and at the speed the driver was going, they arrived in almost no time. I must warn you Damien, there is something amiss down there.....there is a dweller the likes of which I have never experienced. The One said with his voice still shaking.

The car had arrived at it's destination, and the driver stopped the vehicle and quickly exited to open Damien's door. As the driver grabbed the handle, the door shot open and caused him to stumble backwards. Damien had let himself out, and he stood with a puzzled look on his face as he watched fog seep out from the cracks in the stone doors and roll down the stairs. As he exhaled, he noticed his breath was visable.....but the temperature was in the high 60's.

OOC: Bump until I can type a longer post.

Damien began walking towards the stairs, but then he paused. He looked behind him and noticed The One had dematerialized. Coward. He thought as he climibed the few dozen stairs. He opened the large stone doors and made his way through the foyer area. He noticed ice patterns on the walls and ceiling, and he stopped for a second and drew a deep breath. Several mintues later, after making his way downstairs to the actual Halls of the Dead, Damien noticed that although the entire room was now sheathed in ice, the thousands of corpses that lined the walls were not. This perplexed him, and he ventured on.

After passing the main torture room, he noticed a sharp drop in temperature, and the hairs on his arms stood on end. A slight breeze blew up from the hole in the wall that was about 100 yards down. He bit his lips and reassured himself that there was nothing living nor dead that could overcome him.

Whatever dwells in MY Halls had better beware, for no cold can suffocate the Dread Fires. I fear neither man nor beast, living or dead.

And with that, Damien gathered himself and made way for the hole.

OOC: Updates pending.