CHAPTER 3 Xena had seen many an underworld, but this one put all the rest to shame. A constant gray haze hung in the air. The ground was littered with shards of broken bone and rotting flesh, and worse rotting bodies. She had to force herself not to vomit from the heavy scent of death and rot that filled her lungs with every breath. The only sounds were the groaning and screaming of the tortured souls. She wandered in the direction of what she thought were the nearest screams. That when she first saw what would eventually be her fate here. Some souls looked much liker her, like they had just passed from the world of the living, they seemed few. Many others had festering sores all over their bodies that seeped blood and puss. Then there were those who literally looked like walking corpses. Some were missing limbs and parts of their faces. She had the unfortunate opportunity to watch as one mans eyes slid out of his skull and onto the ground which he then stepped on. After that were those crawling on the ground, missing most of their limbs and other appendages. Half of their faces missing as their jaw deteriorated and fell off. They were soon to be immobile piles of rotting flesh and bone. She approached a young woman whose heavily painted face was also covered in sores that seeped blood. The once white paint on her face was streaked with soot and dark coagulating blood. The woman ambled along with limp that her flowing red silk robes did nothing to hide. “Miss?” Xena touched the woman on the shoulder. The woman winced and pulled back. Her focus diverted to Xena. “What is this place?” “This place?” She seemed confused as if in a dreamlike daze. She frowned and looked down. “This is where our bodies rot after we die. This is Yomi.” “Yomi? Whos the god here?” “God? There are no gods here. There is only Izanami. She is the embodiment of death. However.” “However?” Xena repeated in question. “There is a demon who has come here. He has tricked Izanami.” “Tricked? How? Who is this demon?” “We don’t know who he is or where he came from. He is powerful. He promised to restore Izanamis beauty. In order to do so he finds the ones that are new to the underworld, he even entraps childrens souls somehow. She allows him to torture the souls who defy them.” She waved a boney hand. “We are at the outskirts of Izanamis world. They don’t wander out this far, only those near completely rotted away are out here, and they serve no purpose to restore Izanamis beauty.” “I have to get there.” Xena started off but the young woman grabbed her by the arm. Her wrist popped easily out of its socket and skin tore from her fingers. “It will be your end! Look at me! I died not long ago but the demon took my beauty and sped my rotting. I will soon be nothing but a pile of broken bones!” Xena paused, she quickly pushed the thought of Gabrielle out of her mind. “I have nothing to stick around for.” She headed off into the haze. She seemed to walk for hours. Over bone and rotting corpses. She had no sense of time however. All she knew is her feet were sore and she yearned for a warm bed. Eventually a huge fortress came into view. Made of stone and bone it was a giant monument in the center of a desolate waste. The dead wandered outside aimlessly. She saw cages at the foot of the stone stairway that led to the archway into the stronghold. The cages were made of bones and frayed rope. They entrapped some who looked to have just arrived to the underworld and one in particular held children. Xena was disgusted. She broke into a run toward the cage with the children. She knelt beside the cage and waved a child over to her. A small girl with pale skin and jet black hair walked gingerly to Xena. Her big almond brown eyes looked at Xena with a little curiosity but mostly fear. “Are you another demon?” The little girl whispered as she kept a distance to look Xena over carefully. “No sweetie. Im Xena a warrior from the west. Im here to help you.” “Are you dead?” Xena paused, “yes.” “How can you help if you’re dead?” “I have many skills.” Xena winked at the little girl She checked her surroundings then stealthily ran up to the side of the fortress. She climbed the walls beside the stairs to remain unseen by the guards at the head of the stairs. She assessed their paths of security, coming and going from the inside to the outside. They were rotting and wasting away like all the other dead but they were significantly bigger than anyone else. They wore leather trousers with studs made of bone. They seemed lumbering and clumsy, probably slow. If she timed her entrance just right she could by pass the guards. The only problem was finding what was behind the guards. She found her chance and bolted behind one of the big, rotting, reeking guards. To her surprise there was nothing but a huge corridor leading to a massive double door. It was made of stone and looked to be too heavy for any normal person to move. Thats going to be hard to move she thought. She looked around for any other way in. What she found was a small door off in a dark corner. She pressed her ear against the soft moist wooded door. There was mumbling on the other side, nothing she could make out however. She could only tell that one voice was familiar. The talking stopped and she heard footsteps approaching the door. She darted behind the closest of the ten stone pillars lining the corridor. Another guard flung the door open and marched out slamming it behind him. He marched to the other guards. “The Lord says there’s a woman here we need to find. Some warrior woman.” At first the other guards stood staring blankly at their comrade “Go!” He bellowed. Xena waited for the other two to move away before she approached the new guard. She silently came up behind him, stood, then jabbed his neck putting the pinch on him. He let out a deep menacing laugh. “You must be the Xena woman!” He grabbed her neck surprisingly quick and choked her. “I’ve heard of that move. You cant cut off the flow of blood when there is no blood.” His ugly face formed a disgusting smile. “Lord Yodoshi will be pleased.” He laughed hysterically and dragged Xena down the corridor and through the wooden door by her neck.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 03:53:59 +0000
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