ELDRITCH NIGHT (Rough Draft)

Chapter 49: Charge of the Dark Brigade

My head was still ringing when I pulled myself onto a narrow, rocky beach. My health and stamina were full, though my mana was still less than half. Perhaps losing all that mana at once was the cause of the pain, or some injuries just weren't serious enough for the system to register. I laughed at the thought, if I had felt like this before the world had gone to hell I probably would have taken the day off. The most strenuous activity I would have engaged in was heating up Cup Noodles and streaming cartoons – now I was preparing myself to face an army of eldritch abominations.

It wasn't far now. I was already at the edge of the vortex of energy. I could feel it in the air as it passed over my skin. Anything involving eldritch energy always felt off; it was tinted with dark emotions and the feeling of truth hidden just beyond perception. The energy of the vortex had something else to it. It was somehow... less clean.

It stank of grime and felt like oil on my skin. It seemed to coat everything it touched in a layer of filth. It felt like death and decay, if the concepts were expressed as emotion. It was as if the idea of death, the metaphor, had somehow manifested in reality.

The force of the vortex pulled at me like a raging river as it threatened to catch me in its current. This was made worse by the reaction it had on the eldritch energy I stored within myself. It was like half the molecules in my body were all being pulled in the same direction, and if I didn't move with them I would be torn apart.

I was able to create a thin shell of black and red energy around myself, allowing the pull of the vortex to pass over me. The feeling of discomfort lessened but didn't disappear entirely.

The barrier was almost completely translucent, but everything I saw was tinted slightly red. I had never considered myself an optimist, but I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle when it occurred to me that I was looking at the world through rose colored glasses.

What is wrong with me? It was as if every little thing — every random observation, or internal comment was hilariously funny. The world looked as if it were burning and smothered in ash. I just laughed.

Far to the east a pillar of light ignited the sky beneath a dark and growing cloud. Together they drowned out the sun, creating a perpetual day beneath a firmament of rolling black. It was like a gleaming pillar was holding up a canopy to shade a dying world.

If that was what the heavens had become, perhaps Hell was the better option.

The only ones with the strength and knowledge to set things right were fighting for their lives and the lives of everyone I knew. Even New Charleston would be engulfed if the vortex continued to grow.

It was absurd that I was here charging forward like some mythical Calvary to save the day. There was no three-foot alien or bearded sage to hand me a magic sword or give me advice that would only make sense in the final moments. No one had chosen me for some grand quest or had even expressed confidence in my abilities, to be honest.

Hell, even the annoying parasite that lived in my mind was missing.

I was just one man. Perhaps I couldn't make a difference. I would still charge forward. I was determined to see this through. If I was going out I wanted it to be without regrets. That meant finding answers. It meant saving my team, my own little corner of the world —even if I had to let the rest of it burn.

I looked up to where the top of the disturbance was, the point where the energy was gathering. I could sense the energy, but my mundane vision was blocked by a tall ledge crowned with gnarled bushes and sparse yellowed grass. Whatever was on the other side of that ledge was gathering enough energy to flatten everything around it. It might even be capable of undoing some of the crazier changes to the local geography.