Incubo Magnifico based on a Musical

[Journia]

Note:

Over the christmas break I will have more pieces to add to this Story, and hopefully it will be complete by the spring. Well, good day!

 

[Journia]

I didn't have to look around the corner to know what an Aswano looked like. I had run into them too many times before. Once in the city of Neuil Venicia, there were five that were on a hunger spree. Once in Ferrin Gurlasq in the southern tip of the world, where the mountains freeze faster than the snow falls. And once in Tysqlarc. The now ghostly city of the Witches of Eartsen. I knew all too well how sinister, intelligent and dangerous these creatures are.

The Aswano looks like a snake which is striped black and white like a crazy sock, with a head which is tapered to a rounded point at the top, and bears a great wide mouth, larger in diameter to the head itself; looking at an Aswano's face, one would think they are looking at a finger with a pair of lips on it. The mouth is filled with razor sharp teeth, and the legs are six feet long from knee to hip, and three feet long from knee to foot. It's feet are built like those of a velociraptor and the raised claw on each foot moves with blurring motion. No one can escape it therefore it is inadvisable to make a move toward it, as no human can move with such speed. Hypothetically. It's tail is long and tapers to a point and is filled with numerous muscles which contort and crush things like the muscles in the stomach.

I pulled Willao to her feet and we hurried off down the hall. Another scream, followed by a high pitched, grating voice.
"I have found you Habeas!!"
"Does he know you?" Willao asked me.
I didn't reply. For all I know, he did. After all, I didn't kill any of those Aswano in Neuil Venicia. There was a crash and I turned my head for a moment and saw the Aswano had run down the hall, and was coming toward us. The swano turned toward the hall, and had to skid to a stop before turning. The Aswano can not take sharp turns as well as a human can, thankfully.

"HAAAABEEEAAAAAASSSSS I'M COOOOMIINNG FOOOOORRR YOOOOOOOUUU HHAHHAHAAAAA!!!!" The creature bellowed as the floor shook with its footfalls, pounding the floor and often knocking over lamps and statues. It was all the two of us, Willao and I, could do to keep from tripping on the readily appearing obstacles. We turned another corner and another and another, until we burst through a set of oaken double doors and entered what appeared to be a basilica. Complete with a domed roof. However the roof dome had sllactite like formtions which fell from it. These formations connected with corresponding stalagmite formations at the floor, making something of a pillar. But it was clear to see that it was water that leaked in and made these formations, there were other similar outcroppings in the basilica. This place was not a good place to hide. Willao and I stood in amazement, but I suddenly flashed back to reality.
"Willao," I shouted, we must cloase the doors." We turned to see the swano emerging from the darkness. His figure grew larger and Willao and I ran to the doors, and slammed them in his face. We turned and ran deep into the chapel. The creature burst forth from the hall and sent shrapnels of wood in all directions.
"HAAAAAAAAABEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSS!!!!!" It roared as it raised its hands in fists and shook them at the dome. It leapt forward and punched at one of the pillars. It broke apart and came tumbvling down upon the creature.

 

[Journia]

As the pillar crumbled upon our pursuer, I knew that he wasn't finished. Willao wanted to leave as the dust cleared, I held her back.
"Let me go Habeas, the thing is dead!"
"Have you ever encountered one of these things before Miss Willao?"
"It doesn't matter, all that matters is that I can escape this monstrosity."
"It is always of yourself that you have thought. Ever since I first met you, did that term in Hell you spent not teach you anything of your faults? My goodness." She broke free of my grip in one single great wrench, and dashed off in the direction of the broken up doorway. She had to pass the pile of debris in order to get to it, and I was horrified.
"My god Willao, the creature isn't dead!" I screamed with terror, horror, and anger combined. As she passed the pile of debris, it burst apart and the Aswano leapt onto the floor. But Willao had already made it to the door and got through it. But the Aswano did not want her. It wanted Habeas Corpus.

"Habeas Corpus, Vindicator of Mischael Mortesqrum and Fannihuyil Zeet. You are famous for your deeds, the deaths of numerous Aswano, and the punishment of our king, Hacharm Haczx Remedia." He said in a suave accent. He paced back and forth before the debris as he spoke. Not a single Aswano has seen you in your true form you demonic meadow muffin!" He turned in my direction, but he didn't see me hiding in the shadows.

 

[Low_Roads]

I'm a little unclear... are Aswano bipedal or quadrupedal? The raptor reference would seem to indicate the former. Whatever their structure, a potent killing machine... death at every extremity! Cheerily chatty, too, with a penchant for drawn-out vowels! It's always been my hope that an adversary you can talk to would make for a less lethal threat, but these Aswano seem designed to prove me wrong. Now this one has Habeas cornered in a spiky cathedral... an appropriate time to say one's prayers! Our "demonic meadow muffin" better get his act together... he may not have much luck left!

 

[Journia]

As he spioke, I could hear voice echoing off of the walls in the chapel. At the moment I did not realize the significance of the path of the voice. It would have made the half hour I spent in there, that much quicker.

"Corpus, I don't think you recall me well enough." He said as he began pacing once more. "I was an opponent in the stadium of Vyrei." I of course did not recall the event. "Of course, that was before I matured into a full grown Aaaaaazvaaaaaaaaaano. I was nearly killed by your magic, but as you can see, I lived to see many, many years." He turned toward the debris, "And now I have lived to see that you are hurt as much as I was. Of course, I think you will be a corpse by the time I am done with you mister corpus." The creature cackled, "Ha! do you get it human? Corpse and Corpus?" I personally thought his sense of humor was as rotten as a very very...rotten thing. That is when I realized the echo. It came from the diagonal angle toward me. I figured out a plan to get out of this. And that is when Gloria walked into the room.
"Habeas? Habeas! Where are you?!?" She didn't see the Aswano behind the pile of Debris. The creature lifted his head up and grinned a silver toothed smile at her. And you must be, miss Gloria Brisoum. It reached one arm over the pile as it crawled toward her on all four limbs, his tail whipping back and forth. Gloria stared up at the beast and gulped.
"You..you can't be..." she said backing away. "It just isn't possible...you only exist in my mind!" She backed against the wall.
"Oh, but I do exist Gloria. Just in this reality. Whatever reality you are the creator of, I am there." It clicked the curved nail on his foot on the smooth granite floor.
"Aswano!" I shouted, "I am here." I stepped out of the shadows of the pillars and stood there in the basilica, my cape draped over me like armor. "I want you to fight me, settle your score, and leave that wench out of this!" The beast turned to me, its eyes blazed fire its grin was absolutely menacing, and it had the nerve to call me a demonic meadow muffin!
"WELL THEN HABEAS, I WILL GLADLY TAKE YOUR LIFE!" It leapt into the air, over the mound of debris and landed to a skidding stop in front of me. It raised one arm, and swiped at me. I flew far into the darkness. I skidded past a number of pillars and landed before a row of huge lancet windows. They were placed so far into the basilica that the light they let in could not reach the main area. I looked out and saw a clear blue night. there were a few stars out and it was quite beautiful, but not something I was able to appreciate fully at the moment. The footsteps of the Aswano shook the floor as it maneuvered through the pillars, intent on finding me. I hid into the shadows once again to figure out what I would do. I had to think like an improv actor. I reached into my pockets and felt for something anything that would help me. I stuck my hand on something sharp, and nearly gave away my presence. I looked at what had poked me and I found them to be a number of the exploding crystals that I had taken from Agyptus's balloon. I never actually thought I'd be giving thanks to Agyptus. As I stood, the Aswano lumbered into view. "So." I said as I paced in the darkness. The creature turned with his back to me, an effect of the building of the religious structure. The creature then turned toward me, realizing the acoustics. "You think you can just appear and I'll be afraid of you? You think I will cower in fear when you appear before me? It has been along time since we last met, and we both ahve matured greatly, that is quite clear to see." The creature cocked its head to the side..
"You are brave Corpus, or is it that I am giving you too much credit?"
"Perhaps. Or perhaps it is less than is due." I crouched, and put on of the crystals on the floor. I looked up and the Aswano leapt into the air. I dashed forward just as the creature landed foot first on the crystal. It turned and began to sprint toward me, when the crystal exploded. The Aswano flew over my head and into another pillar. It rose from the debris quicker this time and leapt upon me. I pushed my hands out to brace myself for the impact. The beast picked me up and hurled me across the room.
"Worthless creature. how did you ever get famous among my people?" It began to step forward when it noticed the magenta glow upon its belly. When I had put my palms out, I had placed the crystals upon the belly of the beast. It looked down in horror and then looked at me, and I smiled before it was blocked by a magenta starburst which lit up the whole basilica, and sent the creature through the windows. Cold air whipped at me as I closed my eyes. I was exhausted.

I woke the next morning to find Gloria standing over me. She had dragged me to one of the numerous altars in the basilica. She had a worried, but happy look on her face.
"Good morning Habeas," She said as she stared at me. "did you rest well?"
"I'm sorry for calling you a wench!" I screamed, then covered my head with my hands. Upomn recieveing no smack, I peeked through one of my fingers to see what her expression was. She wasn't there.
"Habeas," she said from my other side, startlling me a bit. "I was trying to find you last night because I found pym's work room."

"So you are sure trhat this was his work room you found?" I asked Gloria as we stroled through the dark hallway.
"Yes," she said, "his automatons are quite helpful. Really." We entered a room with a desk, and two lancet windows. one at each end of the room. The desk was filled with books, record books. The kind a business man would use for his accounts.
"Oh my goodness, you have hit the jackpot!" I said as I hugged Gloria.
"Yep. And I didn't have to have any hints from anyone." She said as She looked around the room.
"What are you loking for?" I asked as I looked through the books.
"A bag to place these books in." she dug deeper into a pile, "found one." She pulled out a large leather bag. We piled the books neatly in the bag and I placed the bag on my shoulder. Gloria opened the doors and stopped dead in her tracks. Ahead stood that automaton at the gate to the pym estate.
"I can not allow you to leave with that bag, intruder."
"You know, I am tired of these obstacles." I said as I stepped forward and sent a kick to the legs of the robot, making her fall forward. I sidestepped the machine and walked out the door. Gloria followed me.

We reached the actual foyer and I observed the area, there were six automatons in the room. All staring at each other from one end of the room. I took one step into the room, and they suddenly turned toward me. There was a long pause, and then I broke the ice.
"...shit?..." The automatons resembled cyborgs to me. They had no faces, and they were silver. They were built with long, muscular metal legs and were very precise in their movements. One took a step toward me, and then burst into flasmes, followed by the other five, and they all fell to the floor.
"Well that was easy," Gloria said as she walked past them. Suddenly, one of them reached out theri hand and grabbed her ankle. I stumbled over and began stomping the robot. For a moment it wouldn't let up, but after some time, the robot released its grip. Outside we found a carriage waiting for us. Strange, but I was not going to argue. I didn't want to carry the huge bag of account books all on my own, on foot, for what could be weeks, to the front gate of the estate. There was an automaton for the carriage also. When we got in, the voice, one of an old man, asked us, "where upon this world do ye desire to reach?"
"Vlaxtau," I said.
"Very well. May God bless your souls." I was intrigued at how this man made a machine that knew how many people were in the vehicle. The horses, which were mechanical stallions, dashed off smoothly and we were soon down the road, and into the forest, of foul smelling foliage.

 

[Low_Roads]

It reached one arm over the pile as it crawled toward her on all four limbs, his tail whipping back and forth.

New information! Aswano are dual-gender: male and indeterminate.

 

[Journia]

No, it was crawling toward Gloria on all fours.

 

[Low_Roads]

I know. I was refering to the mixed pronouns.

 

[Journia]

Oh. okayu. 😀

 

[Journia]

Well, a day and a half ahd passed during the time that Gloria and I had left the main house. The carriage took a route to the gate which led us along the outskirts of the wastes. What interested me was how Pym's estate was quite warm, but once one stepped out into the wastes, it was like walking into a refrigerator. the forests were warm, albeit foul, and no draft from the wastes ever permeated it's solitude. Did I mention it was acrid?

The night had come and the carriage was still on it's path down the winding road, I looked out into the darkness and watcxhed the trees, illuminated by the lantern of the automaton's carriage. There was silence, the breath of the trees and the plants as they slept. I was so bored at this point that I would have loved to have the song of an Operamore to comfort me. I glanced at Gloria who had fallen asleep and was breathing peacefully, she looked beautiful, but she always looked beautiful. I threw the thought out of my mind, I was on a job, and I am not a lover by nature, unlike Agyptus. I went over the accounting books once more and found nothing at the moment that would help me. Then, as I was closing the book, I happened to see one name in particular which sparked a memory.

Raptors: 1,500 Glns. Delivered to Edward Script; Kamreyn.
"OH MY GOD!!" I screamed so loudly that the carriage stopped and Gloria bolted from her slumber. She loked at me for a moment. Her eyebrow raised, indicating that she wanted to know what was going on.
"Edward Script!" I said.
"Uh....huh." she said with an annoyed glare and a balled fist.
"Edward Script is getting fifteen-hundred Raptor Firearms delivered to a city called Kamreyn."
"So?" I realized she was not aware of the information I possessed.
"So...Edward Script is one of the nom de plumes of Sunni Agyptus!" It would have been a scene of revelation, had not the earth begun to shake with the force of a behemoth footstep.

 

[Low_Roads]

Sunni Agyptus, wielding fifteen hundred machine guns... Pym Manor (even with its Aswano) is starting to look like a haven! Though perhaps elements of the mansion have now been loosed to prowl, what with the echo of behemoth footfalls! Habeas' world would appear to be on the verge of violent revolution... he and Gloria better get where's they're going (Kamreyn town sounds like the next destination) and quit that coach; their history with wheeled conveyance hasn't been happy...

 

[Journia]

"Go..Go...Go!!!" I screamed at the automaton. Gloria and I had gotten out of the carriage to see what had made the earth shake. We realized it was a footstep as another of the behemoth quakes rocked us to the ground. It was then tht we heard a soft patter, which gradually progressed into a horrible rumble, and then I saw it. No, we saw it. Out of the darkness came Orniths, bipedal ostrich, dinosaurian like creatures, which were colored different colors. The point of course is not their color, but the fact that the were stampeding in our direction, and we had strayed too far from the carriage to return in time to save ourselves. They were one hundred feet away, then fifty feet, then they were upon us. I personally was terrified, because Orniths were known to consume human flesh.

I covered my head and knelt in the road and curled into a ball. I heard them rumble and the ground shook constantly, and all I couyld hear, was the thunder of a thousand orniths as they dashed around me. I opened my eyes and lkooked around. They were indeed passing me, I marvelled at the event, but curled ito a ball once more when an Ornith leapt right over me.

After the rumble ceased, I heard as shout. I looked up to see Gloria staring up wide mouthed. I followed her gaze, and when I saw what was before us, I lie to you not, my blood ran cold.
"L-L-L..." I stammered. The huge creature who stood in the wastes, wasa so massive, that its middle was in the pelvis was in the clouds, it was green and scaly, and had huge arms one of which it was raising into the clouds, preparing to slam it down upon us, the carriage, and the whole forest. Gloria dashed over to me, and grabbed me up, and dashed back to thew carriage.
"Leviathan!!!" She screamed.

 

[Master Chief]

Oh hell yeah, Journia is back on a roll!

 

[Low_Roads]

Leviathan must be mighty indeed! Not only can its back scrape the ceiling of the world... not only is it capable of scattering hordes of rampaging, ravenous ornithomimi into terrified flight... it seems fully able to plow through those mountain mists which send massive boulders tumbling with such effortless ease! Habeas may moan about the safety of the coach... considering his driving record, I still think he's better off outside!

 

[Journia]

Into the carriage we soared, and I heard the groan of flesh and bone and armor like whines, as the massive arm rose higher into the sky.
"Go..Go!" I screamed to the machine.
"Where would you like to go?"
"Mother Fucker, just take us away from here!"
"Habeas, you don't need to curse," Gloria exclaimed apalled.
"I don't need to listen to this crap!" I shouted.
"Automaton, please take us to Kamreyn." the machine's head turned to us.
"Certainly Miss Brisoum." and the carriage shot off. The roar of an explosive force cracking Ice made my blood freeze in my veins. As we ascended a hill high above the forest, I could see the massive hand, which was a claw, crash into the icy wastes, and send shards of ice into the air, and all over the forest. I felt like I was at the end of of my life, dealt to me by a persian army. I could only watch as the huge house sized shards blasted the Pym Mansion, and shredded trees and ruptured the road. And the wall of falling ricocheting shards was coming closer to us. I looked forward, and hoped that I wouldn't die in an Icy grave.

 

[Journia]

As suddenly as we were above the forest, we dipped back into the sea of wooden arms. A roar rattled the earth violently and the shattering of thick whitish-blue mounds of ice, shredding wood and bursting earth, filled my ears until nothing else was heard. Then the carriage shook, and though I heard nothing, I saw Gloria mouthing words to the automaton. And the machine nodding in compliance. I could not imagine a worser hell than that which was before me.

 

[Low_Roads]

The House of Pym falls ("... my brain reeled as I saw the mighty walls rushing asunder --there was a long tumultuous shouting sound like the voice of a thousand waters --and the deep and dank tarn at my feet closed sullenly and silently over the fragments... "), its chambers and brutish guardians ground beneath tons of ice storm, as Habeas screams obscenities at a tin taxi driver! Not very dignified... I do understand, though: the man's under extreme pressure! Weirdness unparalleled! But then, that's Incubo Magnifico's stock in trade!

 

[Journia]

Kamreyn

The darkness filled my sleep, I waded through it, and I drowned within it. I saw people I knew before, Alyce, Jewell, Deborah Mayzee, and George Bush...God he was annoying...then I saw Sunni Agyptus, tall, light yellow skinned, black hair cut just above the shoulders. He held a Raptor gun in his hand, and fired a silent blast into the darkness. After a moment, the darkness lit up in red and orange light. the world was surrounded by a scaled wall, and all over it, I could see the image of the horrible Leviathan; Sunni turned to me, and grinned, dropped the raptor gun and leapt into the air, morphed into a raven and flew off into the darkness behind me.

The earth shook, and for a moment I thought I'd fall into darkness forever. And then the rumbleing stopped. I fished in my pocket for a match, don't ask, it was a dream, I found one, and struck it, everything lit up, and I saw before me a face so ugly, and massive, that it filled my entire field of vision. It was like God's pet Grouper. It spoke to me these words, "HABEAS WAKE UP!!!!"

And I jolted awake nearly hitting Gloria's face which was right in my path. She lurched backward and just missed impact. I realized after a moment, we were outside.

"Gloria," I said looking around at the vegetation and large trees and mountainous hills enshrouded in a light, midmorning mist. "Where are we?"
"Um, the last sign I read on the map was Griault-Hedarinne forest."
I looked around and didn't see the carriage. As if she read my mind, Gloria began to explain.
"We escaped the Leviathan, and left the grounds of Pym. Soon after we made our way east, toward Kamreyn. When we got into this area, we passed through that valley over there," she said as she pointed to a break in the high mountain chain surrounding us, there was a jagged cut in it, which let in light from the shadow. "And then our the ground exploded around us, and the carriage flipped over, and then there was another explosion, and the carriage flew high into the air, and fell about a hundred feet. We hit the side of a cliff and tumbled to a stop. By that time, the automaton had been smashed, and well, here we are."

I was about to say more, when I heard a loud crunching sound. I looked around me and at first saw nothing, but then, I noticed a black mound moving toward us. As it got closer, I realized what it was, and it didn't surprise me that ity'd be here either.

As the creature stopped behind a bush, I could see it was watching us, I knelt, picked up a moderately large stone, and tossed it. Out of the bushes leapt a spider with a twelve foot leg span. It grabbed the stone and hit the ground with a crunch. Gloria grabbed me and silently dashed off with me dragging on the ground.

Cape gone, now clad in my black slacks, white shirt and suspenders, I lit a fire as the sun went down, and Gloria kept watch, having revealed to me she had brought a dagger, which had been freshly tipped in blood already. I suspected she had used it recently. It had been hours since we saw the spiders, and I doubted the night would go long without their appearance once more.

Two days had passed, in which time I had been correct that the spiders would make another appearance. They met a brutal end by Gloria's blade. This event proved her to have a sadistic side, albeit a rather seductive, evil and creative sade. Wait, did I write sade? I meant side. The next day, we made a very interesting discovery. We were literally on the outskirts of Kamreyn. We just had to get to the city itself before the rains came. And when it rains, it pours. And in a place like Kamreyn, a bowl shaped area, it can fill up to at least twelve feet higher than the average height of the mountain range surrounding the jungle. But we found a very very formidable adversary in the form of massive spider webs, and larger than life spiders. I'm talking fifty-two foot leg spans and heights as much as forty feet or more. When I saw this, all I could say was, "Fucking Shit..."

 

[Low_Roads]

See! Told you Habeas would be safer outside the cab! Yeah, I know... spiders. If we understand anything at all about spiders, it's that they can be squished! Gotta scratch my head over the townies in Kamreyn, taking up residence inside a potential aquatic declivity. Leviathan's a water monster, ya know!

 

[melanie2]

ah that's twice you controlled your dream to save the day so to speak...if only it were that easy...and why on earth does Bushhead keep appearing in this story? isn't Habeas having enough of a nightmare without that added distraction? hehe...and Habeas is a rather clumsy fellow isn't he..i loved how this started...the dark night...the fog...the mysterious murder...and then wow it went into a series of twists and turns, rather like a maze..and the reference to the Al Hambra brought back memories of my reading of Irving..

so LittleBigHead has been enjoying this also..wouldn't it have been super cool if he could have drawn artwork to match this..there were times when some of the characters had a touch of the Low Road quality..

damn you have some imagination...a very clever man indeed you are..

and you damn well better finish this or your name will be Journia that took a trippeth with the assistance of izzy's foot on his backsideth...hehe..

 

[Journia]

ah that's twice you controlled your dream to save the day so to speak...if only it were that easy...and why on earth does Bushhead keep appearing in this story? isn't Habeas having enough of a nightmare without that added distraction? hehe...and Habeas is a rather clumsy fellow isn't he..i loved how this started...the dark night...the fog...the mysterious murder...and then wow it went into a series of twists and turns, rather like a maze..and the reference to the Al Hambra brought back memories of my reading of Irving..

so LittleBigHead has been enjoying this also..wouldn't it have been super cool if he could have drawn artwork to match this..there were times when some of the characters had a touch of the Low Road quality..

damn you have some imagination...a very clever man indeed you are..

and you damn well better finish this or your name will be Journia that took a trippeth with the assistance of izzy's foot on his backsideth...hehe..

*puts on butt shield and signs up for rear term bun insurance* That would be inspiration enough.

 

[Journia]

"Ugh..this is going to get very complex," I muttered as I sat in the cavern and loked up at the stalagmites above me. "I don't want to get eaten by those spiders, but I have to stop Agyptus."
"Well," Gloria said as she paged through the one of the rocord books, "Why don't you read with me? I'm enjoying these interesting names here."
"What names?"
"Edward Script, Michale Loraint, Paskal Sangfroid, Vixcwell Armadi, Incubo Magnifico, Yihiteh Malveaux,"
I sat up straight and looked at her, "What was that last name?"
"Yihiteh Malveaux."
"Oh my goodness, coud it be that Yihiteh is still alive?"
"Who is Yihiteh?" Gloria asked, as she sat indian satyle and bent forward yo peer at me.
"I might as well tell you now. I am far older than I look,"
"I guessed that already. Just tell me the story please."
"Alright..."

Four students walked down a marble floored corridor, two girls and two boys. the girls walked together, and the boys were on each girl's side. They wore black cloaks which reached their ankles, and waved as they walked. The tallest boy had a stern, infernal expression upon his countenance, whereas the smaller of the two was more happy, and carefree. The two girls were slightly taller than the happy boy, and they both walked in a stony silence, but one could tell they were communicating with each other. They turned a orner and entered s hallway full of other students. They disappeared into the crowd, and were suddenly out of the building.
"I am a trained Sorceror Gloria," I finally said. She looked at me like it was normal. "So?"
"And I was a very good friend of Sunni Agyptus. We went to school together, at a sorceror's academy, where I didn';t do well, but made firends, who were later killed by him. Even hids own personal compatriots were not spared his blade."
"This is not much of a story Habeas."
"I guess I have to start again then." I sighed in exaustion.

 

[Low_Roads]

Parked at the brink of Kamreyn, within easy reach of office building-sized arachnids, and Habeas figures, hey! the perfect time to indulge in a little digression! Events veers away on tangents so frequently, it's a marvel that everyone onboard hasn't died from broken necks! That's a large measure of Incubo Magnifico's charm, really: like unto Daffy, it ain't crazy... it just don't give a damn! There's something terribly liberating about narrative structure that refuses to pin itself down; no telling where it goes next or how things will end up!

Wait a minute... did the story's title just flash past as a random, not-very-key roster name? Bravo, J!!! You've got the guts of a slaughterhouse!

 

[Journia]

"We were sorcerors, Jewell, Alyce and I," I said to Gloria, "I wasn't the best, and it later led me to give up Magic, but that isn't the point. The point is, we met Agyptus, or I met him, by way of Jewell and Alyce, who met him in their class. He was as Charismatic as he is now, and he was an expert at what he did, he sometimes even boggled the professor. We all became good friends, and after our school was shut down, we went our separate ways, but not for long.

Agyptus lived in Egypt, on a very large estate, it was like a ebony arabian palace. With his girlfriend Willao and his two children, Carpatheia and Menalaus. He invited us to live with him when he heard that all of our parents had been murdered, I didn't suspect it at the time, but before we came to be enemies, I came to a realiziation that he was responible for their untimely demises, all six of them. We solved mysteries around the world, for Agyptus was a detective, and he always loved a good mystery. But it was a Holmes Moriarty battle between Agyptus, and an enemy named Yihiteh, that caused him to fall into the darkness of the unknown at a swedish mountain range, for years, we knew nothign of him, for we could never find his body, and so always assumed he survived the fall. When one day I went into a bookshop."

I remember entering the bookshop and seeing an old gray haired man reading. He wore pince nez and a black cabby's hat. He was fidgety and had a high pitched voice.
"Something wrong sir?" the man asked me, "I can help you with whatever you like."
"I'm looking for a book on poetry," I told the man, "Just that I fancy reading them.
"Are you certain you'd not like a book of Lovecraft?"
"No thank you." I wondered though how he knew about lovecraft andf my interesrt in him. "No thank you."
"Well, I will have to order some poetry books, what kind do you like young sir?"
"I prefer Lord Byron and Longfellow."
"Ah yes, I will have to order them. Come back tomorrow and ask for Edvard Ian Script." The old man said.
I came back the next day and no one was inside the store at the time. So I waited in there reading, and then out of the basement comes Sunni! He didn't see me or so I thought. He walked right past me and sat in the seat, and instantly he was the old man!
"Here are your books young man,"
"Sunni!"
"que?"
"Sunni Agyptus,"
"Si Montillad," he said as he leaned forward, and his face changed into his own, "yo soy Sunni Agyptus."

"Oh my god Sunni!" Jewell and Alyce screamed as he entered the apartment. They were so happy to see him, but the happiness was short lived. Yihiteh and his companion, whose name I failed to recall, came in and attacked, then Willao came in ,and then the two of them disappeared. Then there was a rumble, and the sky darkened, and a huge blue wave of energy whipped up from the eath and took everything with it.

 

[Journia]

Then we found out that Sunni Was a villain, not only that, but he was vying for power, and he had recieved it, he was the emperor of the world, and his capital city was called New Rome, built upon the ruins of Old Rome. He resided in the palace called, Mirochlast, and in it had a machine that would rapidly change the course of history for ever.

"Ah, Montillad," Sunni said after seeing me enter the dining hall, "I have been awaiting your t=return for about...one...two thousand years?" he had fixed me with his evil gaze and was smiling as if he had a secret to hide.
"I know what you are going to do Sunni," I said, "Don't kill the human race,"
"You don't know what I am going to do Montillad, and besides," he took a sip of his amontillado, "Human beings like you and Alyce and Jewell deserve to die."

Later that evening the climax of that adventure took place at the dizzying heights of the Mirochlast penthouse, where Yihetih, Jewell, Yihiteh's companion and I were nearly beaten to death. Sunni had cast Yihiteh over the balcony and he disappeared into the clouds below, He severed his companion's head, and tossed her over the side, and hurled her head at me. Then he picked me up and tossed me into the sky, and I screamed as I fell back to the earth.

"Now, Jewell," he said sinisterly, as he spaced back and forth before her, holding his sabre in his hand, and she holding hers, "You look so sporting this evening."
"You evil bastard!" she screamed, "You killed my sister!"
"Friends come and go Jewell! Life remains for all time." he smiled as his face lit up, "UNless it's yours, which isn't going to last for long!" he dashed forward and swung his sword at her side, "she blocked it with her's and spun into his arms, the elbowed him in the ribcage.
"I think I am going to live a bit longer than you'd expect." And then they began to duel, at times, nearing the broken stone railing and coming dangerously close ot the point of falling to their deaths, though I don't know about sunni, since he survived the Richenbach...the Great bronze globe machine I alluded to earlier was a magnetic machine that was powerful enough to change the way that the magnetic poles shifted, and he intended to bring the human race back to the days of primitive existence, by causing the world to change so quickly that the weather would cause a major loss of life. I had landed on the top of the Mirochlast, where the machine was whirring, spinning so quickly that it was almost invisible. I had to get back into the mirochlast and mess up the machine, I saw the door at the end of the roof and I approached it.

Sunni slashed the Air where Jewell had just stood, and turned to be punched in the face, he spun wildly, and nearly fell over the rail. But he regained his composure and went on to disappear within his room, and return with a gatling gun.
"You did live longer than I expected my dear," Sunni said coolly, "However, I scarcely believe you'll have the ability to withstand such a force as," he began pulling the crank, "THIS!!!" As time went on Jewell began growing tired, and in the end, Agyptus was interrupted by a terrific boom which shook the gun out of his hands, and sent it careening through the rail. He looked up to the sky, and saw a green glow. He disappeared, and reappeared on the roof as I was closing the door.
The globe was spinning out of control now, its super sharp blades went faster and faster and faster, and the machine began to fume dark smoke. The green light turned to yellow, and Agyptus stood before me and he looked like he'd have killed Satan himself.
"Montillad!" he roared, "I will kill you!"
"Shut up and Fight you English Pusseh!" I shouted.
"W...What?" he clenched his teeth and charged forward, and I pulled out my pistol at the last moment and shot him in the chest. He fell back and hit the roof with a thud.
"I may not be good at magick, but I'm a hell of a good marksman..." Agyptus felt himself and then rose to his feet, and glared at me.
"No matter boy," he said like one of those really really evil british guys, "you won't stop what has begun," there was another boom, and the light turned red, "you've done nothing more than exacerbate the present situation." he grinned, as there was another boom, and the red light turned a neon blue. "You will regret your own doing my--" I interrupted him by shoving him into the spinning globe. "Augh Damnit!" he screamed, as the blade swung him around and around and the flung him far into the distance, screaming curses. Then there was the final blast, and the neon light shot everywhere, and the globe exploded, instead of being flung off initially, I was enveloped in the light and was changed, I was lighter than air, and transparent, and slwoly turnign invisible. Finally, the tower rumbled and shook, and then began to fall. Porcelain, metal beams glass of all colors and makes, fell to the darkening dust. The tower descended into a dark cloud and I covered my head instictively as bits and pieces of porcelain fell upon my being, but they went right through me, and I realized, I must have been dead. I was frightened by the whole thing and I cowered on the roof as it broke apart and fell away.

I woke to see that the dust had settled and much of the city was destroyed by the great palace. The globe was still intact, and the roof was at an awkward diagonal I slid down to the rubble and started looking for Jewell, I could only hope she was alive. But I failed to find her, she must have been killed in the fall, I assumed, and as I turned around to face the fallen structure, I heard Yihiteh's voice, and I turned to see him and Jewell, making their way along the rubble covered avenue.
"Jewell!" I shouted, but there was no response, not even a look, "JEWELL!!!" i SHOUTED AGAIN, AND STILL, NO RESPONSE. I ran over to her and yihiteh, and I tried to touvh her, only to have my hand go right through her...it struck me now that I was actually dead. I was a ghost, but it wasn't like in Harry Potter where I could be seen, this was real, I could only sit and look at the two of them as they made their way slowly off into the distance, and snow began to fall slowly, I pulled out my pocket radio and turned on the Ukranian Bell Carol, and let it play as the two made their way out.

"So Yihiteh and Jewell Survived?" Gloria asked, "And why are you here?"
"Well it's interesting, I was in the moment of the song when the bronze globe snappeed and fell from it's position, and slammed into the ground, and it shot off a great light which destroyed everything. And the next thing I know, I woke up in the snowy regions under the Traetorian bridge near Rathmus, I had been unconscious for I don't know how long. And I found that people were out looking for me, they called me Habeas Corpus,"
"and you just said, yeah, that's right, I'm Habeas Corpus....let's say that...right?"
"Precisely my dear Gloria."
"So, are you anxious to see Jewell?"
"Not particularly."
"Why?"
"I've lost the need to see her now."
"Oh, broken hearted huh?"
"No...I thought she was dead duh!"
"Don't call me Duh!"
"Duh!" I teased, Gloria grinned and sat next to me.
"You have a very interesting history Montillad Habeas Corpus," she said it like a little kid saying somethign in a serious affirmative. "I hope to work with you on other cases."
"We'll see about this." suddenly a shadow passed the fire, and Gloria looked up and leapt over it and attacked somethign with her knife. It screamed as she plunged the blade into it, and fell to the floor. I looked up and there was a five foot wide spider.
"Gloria,"
"Yes?" she said as she wiped the blood of the spider on her dress.
"You crazy girl,"
She smiled and cocked her head, "I know."