Nordlys: The Northern Lights Orgy Club

48

Stahri's vision goes black, his head spinning in a dizzying swirl. Completely disoriented, he spreads his arms to try and feel something, anything, that might give him a reference point for where he is. The scrape of stone against his knuckles is painful, but his relief is profound. Up is up again, and down is down.

He leans towards the stone, pressing himself against it, and inhales deeply, searching for clues from scent. Nothing but dust. No trace of the creatures that he was surrounded by, mere moments ago.

He blinks his eyes rapidly, attempting to adjust his vision to the complete darkness. Soon a dim grey outline of a rock wall is discernible, with a small dark smudge of blood from his scraped knuckles. He follows the wall, running his hands along it, until the wall, and the ground, end abruptly.

Stahri lays down on his belly to investigate, peering over the edge. His range of vision is limited, the ground below him disappearing into blackness. He carefully follows the edge of the cliff until he finds wall again. He follows that wall with the same care and concentration, stopping at the scent of blood. Looking down he sees the smudge. He has come full circle, in a very small circle.

"What is this place?" Stahri mutters aloud, frustrated.

"How do you like my oubliette?" the voice of King Cryptid echoes in his mind with a ghostly quality.

"Why am I here? I asked to be taken to the Battle God!" Stahri asks loudly, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Yes..." King Cryptid replies.

Stahri freezes in place, cautiously scenting the wind. Still nothing. He can't even smell King Cryptid. He takes a moment, trying to think of a better question to ask.

"How do I... find him?" Stahri attempts.

"You cannot find him" King Cryptid answers.

"Why not?" Stahri asks.

"A Deal is a Deal. He asked for a place where none could find him" King Cryptid explains.

"What about the Deal you made with me?" Stahri demands to know.

"What deal?" asks the King flippantly.

"The Deal we JUST made!" Stahri's voice rises out of his control.

"I never agreed to your proposed deal" King Cryptid points out.

"You DID!" Stahri declares, his hands curling into fists. "You listed out all the terms I gave, asked if that was the Deal I proposed, and I said 'Yes', and then you said 'very well'!"

"That was for clarification, not acceptance" King Cryptid informs him.

Stahri can feel the rage building inside him, uncontrollable, the likes of which he has not dealt with since before his Awakening. His body will change soon, if he cannot calm down.

"Don't you wish to see your daughter?" Stahri changes tactics. "Only I can bring her to you!"

"She will come to me on her own, when she is ready" King Cryptid responds with a glimmer of amusement.

"How can you be so sure?" Stahri asks him.

"She is young... very young. Only just beginning to discover her magick. She is having fun now, but one day she will grow bored. She will return to the land of her birth, looking for answers. My creature will bring her to me, as that was the sole purpose for which I created him" King Cryptid explains.

"That can't be right!" Stahri protests. "The Mothman was sighted in 1967! That was over 50 years ago!"

"I admit he was a bit overzealous at first. He could find no one on the surface capable of communicating with him, no matter how hard he tried" King Cryptid muses.