Her Folly

[BakedPotato 1019]

 

It had been a few years in the material realm since Gazhnahk dared to dip her toes in the vast cosmos and swim between realities. Far too long, she thought, though she had to get some affairs in order before she could depart once more. She prepared for another journey, grabbing what she needed before secluding herself in her room. There she prepared the rite, a circle of salt with a ring of blood runes running along its inner edge. An equation of symbols devised without a true aim, electing to discover where it would whisk her off to. With the circles prepared, she stepped within, chanting the phrases that were now second nature to the practicing shunter. In a blinding prismatic light of shifting colors, the orc was gone. 

 

She floated aimlessly in a stream of energy she had conjured outside existence. All around her was white light with hues streaking through it, but just beyond that was endless nothing filled with countless planes. After a time, her feet felt solid ground beneath them as she slowly fell, floating into a new, unknown plane. The orc looked down, seeing polished wooden floorboards beneath her. The light that carried her faded, and the rest of the realm came into view.

 

It wasn’t a very large plane she landed in, especially compared to others the shunter has traversed to. It was a single rectangular room with a large, eloquently carved wooden rectangular table positioned in the middle, its short ends running perpendicular to the longer walls of the room. Equally eloquent lounge chairs composed of plush red velvet were placed around the table. Behind one end of the table, along the wall, was a stone brick fireplace, crackling with life and flooding the room with a comforting warmth. The opposite had a long sofa made of similar red velvet. Throw pillows and folded blankets were sitting neatly upon it. 

 

The orc spun in circles, taking in new place. It seemed she found herself in some Victorian-style lounge, though she did not know what the Victorian era was. She was on one end of the long room, behind her a grand double door. In front of her, on the opposite end of the room, was a sort of kitchen area. It was fitted with cupboards and a counter, having a sink, stove, oven, and anything else the elderly man needed. The man currently had his back turned to Gazhnahk, doing something in the kitchen the orc couldn’t quite see. He made no sudden movements, nothing that made it seem like he was aware of the intruder. The Akaal thought this a blessing, hoping it was a prime opportunity to slip away unnoticed. She quickly attempted to exit quietly through the doors positioned behind her. The heavy wooden doors groaned and creaked with age as they were pulled apart, and not daring to glance behind her, the orc stepped out and quickly closed them shut behind her.

 

Gazhnahk leaned against the doors, her hands pinned against them behind her. She waited for a moment, listening to the movements within. The orc heard silence when she expected a quick pursuit by the home’s dweller. Her attention began to divert from that to what was outside the room. Nothing, well, nothing but a gray fog devoid of any color. It was thick, blanketing everything in sight with its presence. The Akaal went forth, and the lounge began to fade into the fog behind her after just twenty steps. She continued until it completely vanished and continued still. The silence was unbroken; nothing stirred in the surrounding fog. She kept watchful for movement, for life, for anything really. The gray fog was the only thing she encountered as she kept going, that is, until she came upon a structure. She studied it for a moment. It seemed quite similar to the one she had left just moments ago. Carefully, she cracked the door open to peer inside.

 

The orc was unconvinced by what she had seen, and she quickly slammed the door shut. It was impossible. Not only did it appear the same externally, but internally, even accompanied by the same old man. Had she gotten herself turned around? It was possible with the fog, but she was almost sure she kept herself on a straight path. With no other options, the orc began to trek through the fog once more. It would only take time for her to come across the room again, and it would be the only thing she’d ever manage to find in the dense fog each time she journeyed out from it. And she ventured out many times until finally giving up. She began to grow tired of her aimless wandering and decided to take her chances with the old man inside. 

 

The orc stepped into the waiting room. The man was sitting at the table, sipping tea from fine china as he read the paper with one leg folded over the other. 

 

“Given up, have you? Spent longer than most trying, though not as long as some. Come sit, I’ll pour you some tea. The crumpets just finished up, nice and warm.”

 

Gazhnahk eyed the man as she sat down on the other end of the table. He moved to get up as she sat down. He fixed her up some crumpets and tea, placing them down before her. He slid the butter dish down the table towards her. After, he retook his seat at the other end of the table and resumed reading in silence. She stared at the food before her for a time, and stared at him, not breaking the silence. Her stomach grumbled, the smell of the fresh crumpets making suppressing her hunger difficult. Finally, the orc gave in, buttering her crumpets before digging in, enjoying her tea along with it. As she ate, Gazhnahk finally decided to speak up.

 

“What is this place?”

 

“Ahhhh.. It can speak. I was beginning to wonder.”

 

“Don’t call me an it.” She growled.

 

“My apologies, miss.. It’s just.. You look quite different from the other travelers who come through here.”

 

“And do you get many? Travelers that is.” She questioned before taking another bite of her crumpet.

 

“Many happen upon my humble abode. This is a lounge of sorts, and I’m its caretaker. This place exists as a rest stop, not bound to any single place.” 

 

He pointed to the wall behind him, to a spot where the wallpaper thinned and tore. Gazhnahk rose from her seat and walked over to investigate, peering out from the crack. She had expected the same gray fog that lay on the other side of the doors, but instead she saw a vast emptiness, home to only distant glittering stars dotting the landscape. The shunter had seen the laws of reality defiled many times over; she knew the vast planes did not play the same games she was used to, but even to her, this room was perplexing. 

 

“So, what is this place?”

 

“I just answered, a break room.”

 

“Yeah, got that. But why, for what?”

 

“Well then, should have specified that.”

 

“Okay…… you gonna answer?”

 

Silence was the only response he gave, flipping his paper to the next page.

 

“Well then… can you tell me your name?”

 

More silence. The elderly man ignored her questions. He noticed she had finished her tea, though, and when he parted his lips for a brief moment, Gazhnahk held hope her questions would be answered.

 

“More tea?”

 

Gazhnahk’s brows furrowed as her eyes narrowed, glaring at the man. He offered an innocent expression in return, his brows perked up.

 

“Are you serious?”

 

“Deadly.”

 

“You ignored my questions, but offered me tea.”

 

He nodded, “Mhm.”

 

Gazhnahk let out a deep sigh, calming herself. “Sure, more tea.”

 

And so the old man poured her more tea, and Gazhnahk went on to ask her questions. She spent hours trying to probe his mind for answers, but every question was met with the same answer: silence. The only time he ever spoke up was to offer her more tea or crumpets, which she usually accepted. After a while of feeling defeated and like she was talking to a brick wall, the orc went on to study the new space herself. She produced her journal, taking notes and jotting down sketches. 

 

Journal Excerpt 

Who built this place? Or would asking why be a better question? I would definitely like to know how that’s assured. It’s unlike anything else I’ve encountered. Through the cracks, I can see an endless void like the night sky, but through the door is endless fog. The door seems to lead to an entirely different realm, or is it beyond the walls that another plane lies? It’s hard to tell, and the old man who lives here is most unhelpful. He doesn’t seem hostile for the time being, just offering tea and crumpets. I’ve tried to explore the fog, but anytime I wander out in any direction, I get led back to this room. I might stay awhile and try to learn more, but this plane is definitely one to return to.

 

She spent a while pacing around the room and examining every aspect, and even longer trying to explore the fog to no end. After a few hours wasted, she returned to her seat at the table, writing down in her book while sipping tea.

 

“What you got there?”

 

“Oh, so I can’t ask questions, but you can?”

 

He shrugged, “You don’t need to answer.” He looked away, returning to his reading.

 

Gazhnahk grumbled, growing annoyed. He’s messing with her, she thought. But perhaps playing along will provide answers to her own questions.

 

“A journal.” 

 

“Oh, so like a diary? You write your day to day, that it?”

 

“No. This I use to take notes.”

 

“Of what?”

 

“Three questions, you’ve asked three questions but still haven’t given any answers.”

 

“Look mate, I said you don’t gotta answer. So either answer or stop complaining.”

 

She grumbled even more, “Notes of realms. I’ve visited other places much the same way I visited here.”

 

“Oh, so you just randomly go around and take notes?”

 

“I like to learn.”

 

“You like to learn? Reading a book too hard for you, hm?”

 

Gazhnahk gritted her teeth, “I’ve read countless books. I’ve existed for a long time, and in my youth, that’s all I did. I spent countless years huddled in expansive libraries, pulling every tome off the shelves to read. Besides, why read a book when you can pen one yourself? Ever since I could remember, I’ve had a need to learn more. I’ve always known knowledge was an addiction of mine, but are all vices bad?”

 

“And if those vices get you killed? How far will you be willing to chase knowledge? Would you follow it even to your death? You upset great forces with your recklessness.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

The Akaal should have known, but it still annoyed her all the same. Her question was answered like any other, with silence. She stood up and began searching the man’s cabinets, finding a container of salt and taking it.

 

“Not gonna ask? What if I need that salt?”

 

“Thought about it, assumed you would ignore me, though.”

 

“Touché,” he chuckled, his eyes never leaving his paper.

 

With that, Gazhnahk prepared another rite, not one to return home, no, she intended to go further out into the cosmos. Without a goodbye to the old man, the orc left Betwyxt and went off, traversing between realities to a new realm.

 

Her new surroundings were vast, far different from the place she had just left. A plane that stretched endlessly as far as the eye could see, but whether it held more to offer was still unknown. It was a large realm, yes, but all she saw were pillars and archways of stone. Stairs that led up to nowhere, or half-built rooms with one or two walls. It seemed like a maze of half-completed stone masonry. 

 

The same questions came to her that she wondered every time she shunted to a new realm. Who and why? The orc began to wander, examining the stone. Ancient runes were carved into their surface. The orc drew the symbols in her book along with other sketches of the plane, continuously taking notes as she walked. She never grew bored as she explored, no matter how boring it truly was. She wasn’t entirely sure why at this point, but with each page filled, the desire to fill the next grew exponentially. 

 

The Akaal travelled for a while, finding only more stone structures. The orc didn’t even come across a single blade of grass. She was walking down a stone corridor when she heard movement behind her. Suddenly, the orc was aware she was not alone. Movements became more hurried and rushed as she anxiously tried to distance herself. She was about to cross an archway that led into a path when suddenly the door was blocked off. 

 

A large serpent whose head dwarfed the orc slid past, its wet, glowing orange eye staring into Gazhnahk as it moved past. Its body was composed of purple scales broken up by patches of nebula that seemed vast and endless when peering into. There were very few things that could strike fear into every nerve of her being at a mere glance, and a giant serpent was one of them. She spun on her heels, turning around and breaking out into a sprint heading in the opposite direction. Again, she was cut off by the snake. Left, she turned left, sprinting off in a new direction. Her efforts proved fruitless as the serpent turned down the path she was on, crawling towards her in the opposite direction that she was running in. 

 

The orc turned around again, but running the way she came proved impossible as the snake had begun coiling around her and had started closing in. She was trapped. She pulled her shield and spear free from her back, turning to face the serpent head-on.

 

The snake raised its head higher in the air to stare down at the small orc it had encased. Its long purple tongue flickered out as it studied her. Gazhahk remained where she stood, staring at the great beast frozen. She willed her body to move, but it disobeyed. It did not listen to her commands when faced with overwhelming fear.

 

“Little bug.”

 

The serpent did not move its jaw to speak, but Gazhnahk heard its voice in her head all the same. It was loud, echoing as if being spoken from a deep cavern. The orc’s legs wobbled, the bone inside feeling like jelly. She fell to her knees, staring up at the creature. Her fate was now in its hands.

 

“You thought yourself something. Thought yourself something grand. To call you an ant would inflate your ego even further, your less than that. You meddle with forces you cannot begin to understand, and annoy beings beyond your comprehension. I could devour you whole. At least you will know you had some value.. In being my snack.”

 

Gazhnahk remained motionless on her knees. She knew she could not fight back. Even if this massive snake was ordinary, it would take more than just her, and she could easily tell it was far from ordinary. She did not want to beg for her life either. She knew the risks involved, and she would not dishonor herself in her final moments.

 

“Hmmm… I was hoping you’d plead for your life.” The bodiless voice carried a tone of disappointment. “No matter… death would be too kind a fate, anyway. No one learns a lesson by dying. If you give me what you value most, I will let you struggle for survival. I can already sense your greatest desire, so don’t try tricking me..”

 

The Akaal stared at the snake, her mind racing. Every word it spoke hung in her mind like a whisper. What she values most? And it already knows? Does she even know what it seeks?

 

“Go on, I’ll give you a moment to ponder it over.” It snickered

 

She took more than a moment, considering every possibility. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she grew, as she already knew the answer. She just did not want to give it up. What she had valued most her entire life was simple. Her greatest desire was to learn. She enjoyed observing. It was what she spent her entire existence doing. 

 

“Ahhh, yes… There it is, the face of recognition. Recognizing that you're out of options. That you’re out of luck.

 

“No…” She croaked weakly.

 

“Yesss” It hissed, “Pluck them out and set them on the ground, do so, and you can live your meaningless existence.”

 

Ordinarily, such a fate would only be a minor inconvenience to the mastered alchemist. She had done it so many times now that she could likely graft new eyes while blind. That wasn’t the issue. She would be stranded in this other plane, and without her eyes finding the link back would be harder. Not only that, it was possible that this snake was not the sole inhibitor. But what choice did she have? Even a wild animal would gnaw its own limb off to save its body. The orc began to undo the gauntlets she wore. 

 

“Yesss, that’s it, go on.”

 

The orc set the gloves down and pinched her fingers together before bringing them to her eye, using her other hand to force her eyelids open. She hesitated, struggling to bring herself to commit. She becomes unaware of time passing in that moment. All she senses is her unsteady breathing, the way her fingers shake nervously, the pit of anxiety swelling in her gut. 

 

Then she plunged her own fingers into her eye socket, deciding to treat it like a band-aid and do her best to get it over quickly. The agonizing pain she felt almost caused her to pass out, letting out blood-curdling screams as she worked. She wanted nothing more than to pull her fingers free, but she knew it would not be over if she did. It would just mean trying again and again, which would only be more painful. She yanked, and with a squelch pulled one eye free. Then she moved on to the other, removing both and setting them down. Blood poured down her cheeks from her hollow sockets. Her hands were shaking, but she brought them to cup her face and seal the wounds close with scabs.

 

“You will go on to live another day, little bug, but it is only a matter of time before you're squashed.”

 

Instinctively, the orc searched for the voice. But she could see no longer. If she still had eyes to cry, she might’ve, but only streaks of red ran down her cheeks. She used her spear to help her stand and used it further to guide her way. She had to get out of here, but she didn’t know how. She had not told anyone she was leaving, and no one was coming for her. She was alone, and without her eyes, she felt helpless. 

 

The quiet realm was suddenly less quiet. Gazhnahk could hear creatures move around her. They hid while she could see, but a blind animal was easy prey for them. It was difficult to get around without sight. She was given no time to adjust to it before having to fight to live. Thankfully, having explored the land before losing her eyes gave her some idea while traversing, though its help only went so far. She did not know how long she had been there, how much time had passed, but she was exhausted. She never dared to stay in one spot for long, and when she did, it was only ever to sleep for a few hours at most.

 

She was never left at ease, though, constantly hearing noises. Perhaps it was just her mind playing tricks on her now that she could not see, but she couldn’t take the chance. She had given up her eyes for a chance at living; she couldn’t let it be for nothing. But perhaps she should. Perhaps she should have given up and let the snake eat her. At the very least, it would have been a quick death. Now it was going to be a slow and painful one. Physically, she felt like she was in hell, but mentally, she felt worse. 

 

She wanted to get out of here. She needed to get out of here. Desperately, more than anything, she wanted her sight. She wanted to see again. Being blind was a fate worse than death, and she knew that now. Those were her thoughts as she tried to find sleep hidden in the nook of a stone structure. She did not worship any deity, but she silently pleaded all the same, praying to the cosmos for help.