Inhuman - Chapter 2

Grym the Faceless

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Another growl echoed inside the tunnel, reminding them that the creature drew closer. Valary heard the distinct sound of the Dalax sliding steps when the echo subsided.

“I suppose we need to pause our conversation,” the stranger stated. “Give me a moment.”

Curiosity got the best of the woman, despite the pain in her throat along with the aching neck spasms. Trying to watch the events unfolding through the tears, she could make out the outline of the stranger with his back to her. She made out his tall figure covered by an unusually long coat. His white and black hair dropped over the collar midway down his back.

Just out of the light, Valary suddenly noticed a twinkle of reflection with movement. She felt the icy pit of fear. It was nothing like the first time she saw the monster’s revolting appearance when a lantern still burned inside the passage. Standing on two legs that appeared to have bark for skin, an enormous mouth, like a huge suckerfish filled with small teeth, composed the monster’s head. Four glistening black tentacles extended from the lips to bring the monster’s prey close.

Valary endured the misery when Dalax’s tentacles wrapped around her and its mouth bit into her body as the hundreds of small teeth embedded into her skin. The mucus covered tentacles probed for openings in the body to insert a paralyzing toxin while monster fed. Few normal humans survived from the amount of blood and Aether lost from a Dalax attack.

And I’ve survived for how long?

The flash which lit up the tunnel overwhelmed her, and Valary automatically looked away. A glowing fireball filled the surrounding air with a growing warmth that felt comforting throughout her cold, devastated body. The woman looked up in time to see a blurry blue fireball shoot away from the stranger. For a moment, Valary recognized the bluish outline of the Dalax before the fire consumed the monster.

As the nauseating smell of a burned corpse drifted to her, Valary listened to the boot steps drawing closer. Her eyes focused on the man’s expressionless face; highlighted by the light of an orb he held in his hand. He stopped, leaning over close, and she noticed the reason for his expression. A flesh-colored alabaster mask tightly covered the entirety of his face. The clay eyelids blinked, and she noticed the glint of violet coming from the eyes. An icy fear filled her as the stories came back to her. The unusual mask, the earthen color, and the symbol on one temple confirmed her apprehension.

“You’re an inhuman!”

He stared at her for a moment, apparently deciding on his response.

“You know the real meaning of the term?”

She looked away, then sighed and turned her head back to look at him.

“No, you can’t be. Inhumans can’t control magic,” she rasped. “Unless...that must mean that you’ve given your soul to Peyra. Only darkness awaits you when the priests discover your whereabouts. It’s the worst thing a human can do.”

He belted out a hearty, bitter laugh. The stranger pulled the mask from his face and leaned close to her. Even after all the battles Valary endured with her comrades, where she saw every form of twisted and mutilated bodies, the disfigured face stunned her. He came so close she looked away. His jawbone showed through the decayed muscle of his cheeks. The ripped flesh over most of his features made him look as foul as the other creatures inside the labyrinth.

“I believe you’re experiencing a far worse fate than me,” he sneered.
“Besides, I have no fear of priests. Now, you have a choice to make. You’ll become my slave to get your revenge against those who wronged you. Or you’ll stay to enjoy your time here.”

The man straightened and placed the mask over the missing skin and scars, where the enchanted clay immediately formed to become his face.

“Woman, make your choice! I won’t ask again.”

“No one can grow limbs back. What chance do I have once I become your slave?”

The man crouched down, his piercing eyes revealing nothing to her. His fake lips curled up with a devious smile.

“You obviously lack foresight. I can make you far more powerful than a healing witch. Perhaps you can become a mage of the netherworld. As you said, I’m a follower of Peyra. Use your brain and you’ll realize that I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.”

He paused for effect.

“First, I’ll give you a complete human body, along with blond hair and the pale blue eyes of a court goddess.”

The stranger gave her a bitter smile.

“I’ll even break my slave curse once you finish the work. But never forget the one thing most important. Whatever you do with the magic spells I give you will always follow my decisions until I’m satisfied enough to give you back your freedom.”

He placed his hand on the cage that held Valary’s body off the floor.

“Make up your mind, Infinite one! Are you a slave to me or slave to the emperor that you bowed before so many times?”

Again, tears streamed down Valary’s face as she finally relented.

“I’ll be yours to command!”

Suddenly, the bolts on the cage holding her body snapped and Valary felt her body drop. She landed face first on the cold stone and excrement, knocking the wind from her. She wriggled around in pain, unable to even turn herself even when using the stubs of her limbs.

The stranger placed his hand in the middle of her back, and she immediately screamed out in pain. Valary’s stumps thrashed around, trying to escape as the agonizing slave bond between them seared into her spine.

“Accept Grym the Faceless as your master!” He shouted over her screams.

Valary’s somehow got the words out, and when he lifted his hand, she collapsed.

“I cheated a bit to get this done,” he told her with a chuckle as she felt the agony fade. “Now, let’s get your carcass out of here.” 

Grym pulled off his cap and wrapped it around the filthy woman as she groaned. With unforeseen strength, the lean man threw her over his shoulder as Valary let out a yell. He went over to the wall and retrieved his rifle, which he slung over his other shoulder.

“The full power of your healing magic will return to your body when we leave this tunnel. Grit your teeth or pass out, but stay quiet. I don’t want to fight the monsters to leave.”

~~~

 Grym arrived at his makeshift camp inside the dark forest with a silent woman draped over his shoulder. The camp already had a canvas tent stretched over a line strung between two trees. A horse calmly stood hitched to one tree, kicking at a bucket of grain at its feet.

“Yes, Cavalier, I know you’re hungry. You’ll get more in a little while,” the man told his mount.

His soothing words surprised Valary as she felt her body lifted and lowered to the healer on the ground. The man walked over to a nearby tree and he placed his hand on the trunk. Nodding with satisfaction after using a short chant, he then went to two other trees to verify the barrier’s operation. Valary recognized the magic technique hid the camp from monsters following the aether. She had seen this before, but his mumbled words informed her he had another spell combined in as well.

“You can double as well? What is the second spell?” The words spelled out of Valary as she forced herself to look over the tent to see him on the other side.

He grunted at her and for a moment, she thought he would ignore her.

“It uses the insects in the area to warn of approaching visitors by increasingly their mating calls.” His words drifted over. “You’ll learn that you can combine as many spells as you want if they don’t cancel other incantations you’ve used. The body you will have carries these abilities.”

Still, what does he mean about giving me a body?

She lay on her back, feeling the tug of desperation at her total lack of ability to even roll over. Valary’s healing began as soon as they left the labyrinth. The sudden lack of pain throughout her body felt comforting. Still, she worried as she watched Grym. The fact an inhuman could use magic baffled her. His capability to cast a dark alchemy spell to kill monsters remained even more perplexing. While she did not recognize the spell, she understood that his ability to link hotspots around a camp using the trees and insects showed his knowledge.

Was he a dark sorcerer?

The thought of an inhuman becoming a dark sorcerer alarmed her. It was the opposite of a healer. The priestesses warned her about Peyra and she never investigated the forbidden spells of the ancients. To become one with the dark spirits led to immediate and painful death. Her world of a healer came from the magic of light given upon them by the gods themselves. When the chaos of the past fell away and the dark world no longer haunted the people, the blessings of the gods brought the New Age. An age enjoyed for over a dozen centuries, even as the use of magic faded from most of the human’s endeavors.

How could he know the ancient rites?