IV. Enslaved [A Snippet]

IV. Enslaved [A Snippet]

“It's…coming…” groaned the weak, weary voice of an old man lying in his bed, barely even strong enough to utter the words. There was no one to hear his plea but his abyan, his trusted spirit guides; one, an ancient Tikbalang spirit, and the other, a  Dayamdam, a Fair One, both ever vigilant and loyal to their master. 

Eerie howls started to fill the somber night air one by one, closer and closer. A foul stench came slithering through the walls, making the old man’s stomach churn, the stench of doom that was coming for him. His grip tightened on his precious anting-anting, his protective amulet, as though it were the only thing that could protect him, as though it were the only thing that could save him. Suddenly, he felt the energy around him shift, like the air and warmth and life around him ceased to exist. His body was already weak, and suddenly he felt even weaker. He felt all the strength of his being, his vitality, his life force being drained from him…Being fed on. 

 "...It is here," he mustered under his breath.

His abyan heard him groan, and they turned to him and saw his energy being siphoned away towards the window, as if his very shadow were being stolen from him. The Tikbalang leapt through the window with blinding speed, taking down the dark creature that was clinging to the outside wall, and threw it to the ground.

Two bright red seething eyes were peering from a figure cloaked in smoke and shadow, reeking a stench most foul. The creature was grotesque; its dreadful maw, filled with horrendous teeth, and its skin, putrid and fetid as if it had long been dead, or ought to have been so. Its hands ended in vicious claws, and it had such long, emaciated legs, and a thin, bony tail, like some abomination caught between man and beast.

It tried to leap back up, but the Tikbalang caught it by the neck with his massive hand and slammed it harder into the ground. The mighty Tikbalang had the loathsome creature by the throat, but it mauled at his chest with its atrocious claws, wounding him deeply. Before it could maul him again, the Fair One came zooming in through the air and flashed a blinding light, dazing the foul beast.

 The creature's slash had weakened the Tikbalang; its rotten essence like a nasty poison, sapping at his strength. The Fair One hovered between him and the abominate creature, but the beast hissed at her and swatted her away. Suddenly, a massive fist struck its ugly head with righteous fury, and then quickly came back to smack its jaw with such rage that knocked the creature on its back.

The Tikbalang let out a loud, bellowing roar and leapt over the creature, pounding its chest with its fist. The creature hissed even harder, its acrid breath hot on his face like a cloud of blight. He struck it in the face again, and then wrapped his massive hands around its neck once more, trying to wring its very spirit out of existence. It clawed at his arms, but it just made him tighten his grip even more. It clawed at his face, but he just grunted harder. But then he started to feel his strength waning; no doubt that the monster's vile, tainted energy was corrupting his own. The monster snarled at him with great malice, and pushed him away with its bony legs. 

It was the monster that leapt over the mighty Tikbalang this time, and it opened its gaping maw, siphoning his energy. He felt himself losing his strength each second, his life force, draining away. He felt the monster's energy growing stronger as it lay on his chest, and he tried to muster what strength he could to fight back, but found only despair. 

He thought of his master, laying in bed, awaiting his doom. What would become of his soul if the creature gets to him? What unspeakable horror would the creature wreak into the world when it feeds on his power? The Fair One could not take on this monster alone, not after it had consumed his own strength, he knew. His vision was starting to blur. His master trusted him to protect him, yet he lay here, useless and impotent. A failure, pathetic and pitiful. He could feel the wretched beast feeding on his despair, his anguish, yet he could do nothing to fight it, and his anguish grew even more. He was losing even the strength to keep his eyes open. Suddenly, in his haze, he saw a blinding flash of light. 

The Fair One was back in the skirmish, zooming in and out, dodging the monster's attacks, and zapping it with her light. She drove the creature off of her mighty companion, until the rabid beast grazed her wing with its vicious claw, slowing her flight. She knew she could not fight it for long, so she thought she would lead it away from this place. Seeing her vulnerable, the beast coiled its bony back, getting ready to pounce, and as it leapt, a massive hand grabbed hold of its leg. It hissed at the Tikbalang in rage, and then leapt towards him.

"Find help!" the Tikbalang blurted at his diminutive companion as he wrestled with the monster, barely able to defend himself. The Fair One let out a series of shrill sounds and squeals as she hesitated to leave her friend and her master behind.

"It's…too…late," he said, struggling to keep the monster's claws off of him.

"The monster must be stopped," he continued, slugging the wretched creature. "Go!"

He knew it was too late. He knew he could not keep up this fight, and after the creature gets him, it shall come for his master, and consume his power. He knew all there was to do now was to make sure this monster would be stopped afterwards, and he would fight until his dying breath to try to do so.

The Fair One flew as fast as she could with her broken wing. She did not want to leave her master and her friend to their doom, and it weighed on her so much to flee. She was angry, she was sad, and she was worried. Her kind does not think nor feel the same way that humans or other spirits do, but she could sense her friend's conviction, and trusted that he knew what he was asking of her, and that she must do it. As she fled the town, she heard a howl of pain, and felt the change in the air. She knew that her mighty beast of a friend was gone, and the shock even made her stop, almost falling to the ground. But she also knew she needed to find help. Fast.