Framework of the Frontier, Sain Artwell [read me a book .TXT] 📗

more creatures adapted to living off scraps of magic. Many many more. Too many. Despite the hallway being shaped like a large circle, they never walked past the same spot. There were some wobbly space magics afoot.

After what should’ve been roughly full roundabouts, Rulu spotted a golem. They stalked it, waited for it to stop, and when it opened a hallway, ambushed it. Easy peasy.

All it took was some Rulu mental magics and a couple of good whacks of the ol’ hammer. William didn’t even need a second blessing this time.

“Hey, look.” Ember pointed at the dark hallway.

Rulu’s eyes widened and lips parted in silent gasp.

“You know I can’t see sh—” But he did see. In the darkness ahead rose faintly illuminated silhouettes, though the brightness of the flame buried them beneath its glare. “That’s not a way out. Is it?” William asked.

“No.” Rulu shook her head. “It is… difficult to describe.”

“Put the light out. It’s bright enough for you,” Ember said.

William turned a knob to pull the wick in. As his eyes grew accustomed to the pale colorless light, William saw why Rulu had struggled to explain the room. The short hallway they stood on ended at a balcony.

Beyond it spread a straight up penrosian view of a cubic space maybe half a mile wide. White mists, which clung to the alleys and streets of the twisting city, illuminated the space. Rounded pillars and arches of unsettlingly familiar, yet altogether ancient and indescribable design, supported stairs and walkways, which bent and twisted over and under each other in impossible angles. Every available surface, below, above, across, and to the sides was packed with the fantastical life-forms they had seen stalk the ring-hallway. But here they grew ten times in number.

Both the buildings and the creatures seemed to casually disregard gravity. Standing on the balcony, William felt like he was standing upside down and sideways all at once. A sudden clump of nausea climbed up his throat. “Damn…”

“William.”

“What is it?” William looked at Ember as she approached the edge. He stowed the lantern away in their chest and laid it down in the hallway.

Rulu quirked her brows. “What a peculiar question.”

“Huh? Didn’t she say my name?”

“William, come here.”

Must’ve been Ember. He walked up to her, as Ember knelt down to look at something. “Find anything interesting?” he asked.

“William, come here. Come here William.” It was not her speaking, but a voice that was at once soft and heartwarming like a lover’s — yet altogether unfamiliar.

Peering over the edge, William locked eyes with a reassuringly smiling lady. Her face was large and wide with unblemished flawless white skin and full lips. She was kind, easy to trust, and an altogether pleasant person. William smiled back, hoping they could be friends one day, or maybe more.

“Hey there, what’s your name?” he asked.

She smiled back. “William, come closer.”

He chuckled. “Sure. What do you wanna show me?”

It seemed like she had brought friends, each as nice as her, though most were much smaller. William wanted to get to know them all eventually, but focused on the largest one as she parted her lips.

“Snap to your senses!” Rulu yanked William and Ember away.

He swatted her away in a surge of anger. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“William,” cooed the soothing voice of his friend. Looking up, he saw her crawl over the edge and onto the platform with dozens of friends, all of whom were coming to help them.

A sharp jolt of pain hit him as her body fell on the ground. In an instant the trust was gone and in its place was shivers of dread. William stared at the unmoving black eyes of a pony sized horror slug.

A cacophony of lulling voices echoed his name, but Rulu’s cut above them. “Bless me!”

He grabbed her hand and said the words.

The surge of Rulu’s emotions cleansed William’s mind of the slugs’ psychic drone. Mixed with her survival instincts was a deep sense of dread, jealous bitterness, and petty resentment.

William brushed them aside and stood, quickly blessing Ember. Her mind was full of warm fuzzy feelings of trust and a desire to get to know these friendly creatures. Dull haze cleared from her eyes when the blessing took over and Ember let out a startled scream.

“On the ground, all around us. Too many! Too many!”

“Calm down, focus.” William pulled her behind him, drawing his hammer and falchion. He kicked the closest one in its ugly pale face, sinking his feet into the springy gooey body.

Unharmed, the slug closed its soft lips around his foot. William felt a strong suction as something wet licked his foot, leaving disgusting smears on his skin. Before he could fight it off, a violent burning agony shot through his nerves, drawing out a cry of pain and a litany of curses.

Acid. It’s fucking acid.

“Acid bite! Don’t let them touch you.” William sliced halfway into the creature’s neck. It released the bite, but the pain stayed.

“They are immune to emotions! Only mind blast works,” Rulu cried out.

She was being swarmed.

They all were.

Pale faced abominations crawled in a thick, floor covering mattress of squirming nope. A heavy mass dropped from the ceiling, almost toppling William over. He caught a glimpse of a metric-fuckton of slugs crawling on the walls above them, descending with their disgusting lips opened wide.

“William, come here.” “Come closer, William.” Pleasantly soothing voices sent shivers of dysphoria through his spine. A part of him wanted to embrace them.

“Goddamned mind benders stay out of my head!” He hacked at the soft creatures, cutting several, and felt like he was stabbing friends.

However, the moment he blessed his willpower, the gut punching guilt faded and calm clarity returned in full. And, William realized that Ember did not share his advantage.

Turning