Legend Land: Tale of the Nameless God

Chapter 23.3: Showtime!

(Song contains explicit lyrics)

Part 3

Words: 1514

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"I'm going to kill you Xochi," I gasp out, rolling onto my back at the top.

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I barely make the jump over the pit of crackling flames and slide past a rolling log embedded with sharp spikes. I slump against a stack of crates and drop to the ground, clutching at several scratches in my side. My injured ankle throbs; another unwelcome distraction in trying to survive. I gingerly make my way to my feet and limp on down the hallway. Soft screams and whispers lilt up from the abyss on either side of the narrow platform.

"It's all for effect," I mutter to myself and shake my head. The siren song of suffering echoes in the impossibly large void, and I hug myself tighter, body shaking. "Now I'm starting to see why Icarus hates magic." All of this was made for the entertainment of others? Or is Xochi acting out his sick fantasies?

"I'm going to kill him," I mutter between clenched teeth. Spit drips from my lower lip, smacking onto the ground while I limp on. "I killed the pig, and I'll kill him." My fingernails dig into my arms and I'm shaking harder, my breath coming out in soft clouds. "I'll kill all of them, everyone responsible. Then I'll be a nice person," I promise myself. I wipe cold sweat from the burnt skin on my forehead and leave behind smears of blood. My entire body jerks to an abrupt halt, my eyes rooted to the floor in front of me.

A bruised pale hand, translucent blue veins pulsing underneath the thin layers of dirt and gore, creeps up along the edge of the platform. Unnaturally long fingers curl around the lip of the hallway, and a low rasping breath whispers past my ear. I remain frozen in place, ice crystals forming from the sweat on my eyelashes, unable to take my eyes away from the creature slowly climbing.

Matted dark hair, filled with grease and fibers, begins to appear above the edge of the narrow platform near my feet. The hair barely moves as a long death rattle creeps forward in the air. Mottled pale and sickly yellow shoulders raise up, the creature's long dark nails clacking against the smooth ground with every inch it climbs.

"It's not real," I mutter, forcing myself to take a step forward. "You're an Immortal, goddammit. You've seen some weird shit. What's this? It's nothing. It's nothing." Despite the confident words shivered out between chattering teeth, I can't pull my eyes away from the thing, even as I slowly limp past it.

It begins to raise its head towards me and I finally close my eyes and look away. The chill dissipates with each step I take, until warmth begins to flow back into my limbs. I let out a sigh of relief and open my eyes.

A large cavernous maw of mangled teeth opens up, the rotten stench of decay wafting out. The creature shrieks with the fury of a thousand damned souls begging for release, and I feel it's cold corpse skin slam against me. We go tumbling off the side of the platform, swirling together in the abyss.

Less than a second later, I collide, alone, with the ground. I groan and my fingers twitch against soft earth and loose pebbles, but my body remains otherwise still. I stand, and immediately collapse on my first step. My head smacks against the cave walls on my way down, and my world reels, blood dripping onto the dirt beside me. My vision swims, darkness slowly creeping in as my breath rattles out, wet with pain and blood. As my eyes close, a dark mane of knotted, greasy hair drips into view.

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"Oh, you're back," an unenthusiastic voice says from the darkness. I blink my eyes open and immediately groan. My aching muscles sink deeper into the soft couch underneath me. "I can't tell if you're in agonizing pain, or just happy to see me."