Lake of Souls Chp 3

Previous Chapter

Walking through the forest I thought about the fact that the Earth King probably already knew that I was here. He was simply sitting on his mountain and watching me. I would assume he intended to turn the earth itself against me at some point in my journey to him so I had to keep my guard up. The forest seemed to be crowding in around me the further I walked. The trees were coming closer together to the point that I was having to turn sideways to get through them. Vines were tangling up my feet every few feet. Low hanging branches were hitting me and cutting at my skin.

Eventually I came into a small clearing in the forest after shoving myself between two trees that were so close together that I ripped bark and some of my skin off as I pushed past them. Looking around the clearing I realized that if I wanted to go any further I would have to start breaking the trees down. The forest was now one solid mass blocking my path. I sighed softly and spoke to the empty air, "Why are you wasting my time? Surely you've already heard the stories of how I can't die. Just tell me where the lake is and then I'll leave. I have no desire to harm you or any of your people."

After I spoke the whole forest went quiet. Where I had heard creatures and the creaking of the trees there was silence. From the earth slowly rose a creature made of many small rocks that seemed haphazardly shoved together. Though once it had fully risen to stand as tall as me the rocks clicked into place and the creature now seemed much more solid. An opening appeared around where it would have a mouth and a voice came through though it sounded like it was coming from far away, "You are the undying vessel. This is an undying golem. I wonder which one of you will fall first."

As the opening started to close I went ahead and struck it. My right fist drives through its solid chest. I could feel the rocks grinding against my flesh tearing away at my skin. Before I could pull my arm back its chest reformed around it, locking it in place. Try as I might, I couldn't budge my arm or the golem. Suddenly I got hit directly in the jaw first by the left hand and then the right hand of the golem. My neck made a strange noise after the impact that sounded like something was broken now. I confirmed this after I realized I couldn't hold my head up straight now.

Staring crooked at the golem I asked, "Why are you doing this? Why won't you just tell me where the lake is? You can't really believe that you'll somehow keep me stuck here for the rest of time. Eventually I'll defeat your golem and I'll find you. If I have to fight you I will. But as I said before, tell me where the lake is and I'll leave."

I got no response except for another quick set of punches from the golem that made my neck snap twice more before I blacked out. I was at the lake again but the god wasn't here this time. I stared at the lake of souls reaching out longingly wishing so badly just to touch one. I wanted to know what a soul that wasn't tainted by others would feel like. Surprisingly my hand was actually allowed to touch a soul this time. It was cool to the touch but comforting. Something I had lived without for so long. That I had not cared enough about to even move from a singular spot for. Now that I was touching it, it only hardened my resolve for what had to happen. My vision went black and I could hear the sound of rocks hitting my flesh.

As I came to the golem was non-stop punching me. Over and over its blows connected to my body causing me to jump and jolt from the sheer impact. My arm was still stuck in its chest which is why I pushed off my feet as hard as I could pushing it backwards. I began driving it into the trees, using my left arm pushed against its chest to keep the momentum up as I pushed it. At first the trees stopped us but I continued pushing even as the golem kept striking at me and soon we were moving through the trees. Ripping the trees and ourselves apart as we moved. I could hear the sound of rocks hitting the ground only to be replaced by more on its body.

Through more and more trees we went. At this point I was going with all my might and all the speed I had. Suddenly as we broke another set of trees we came out into an actual field. Still running forward I started screaming as I used my right arm to lift the golem up off the ground. As soon as I had it even a few inches up I drove my fist down towards the ground as well as the golem's backside. As I struck the earth my fist went into the soft soil pushing down into the earth. This caused the golem's body to also hit the earth and break apart thus freeing my arm. I stood over it screaming, "Your puppet means nothing to me King of earth! Stop your childish games and tell me where the lake is!"

I stood there, breathing deeply as I waited for the golem to reassemble itself but it never came back together. Eventually I decided to move on from the rubble. I looked up at the mountain where the King was. It was surrounded by a number of smaller mountains that seemed to frame it. I started to run towards the mountains now, realizing that if I were to walk it would take me a few days to reach just the base of the mountain. Also if I were running it might be harder for the King to harass me.

Never getting tired was a wondrous perk to have right now. As I ran I made a point to avoid any settlements of people I saw. At this point I had learned the lesson that interacting with people was dangerous for both me and them. So I made a point to avoid it. All the animals I came across chose to avoid me as well, seeming to recognize that I wasn't something they wanted to interact with. I was making good time in that I was actually noticing the mountain coming closer regularly. However I was forced to stop as I watched a forest sprout up in front of me. Where there had one been a field there was now a forest spanning to my right and left as far as the eye could see. The trees were tall enough that the mountain had been hidden from my view. Several voices speaking as one came from the forest, "Come in vessel. If you wish to see the mountain you must overcome us all. But know now that once you enter you're never going to see the sun again." I sighed to myself and shrugged, walking into the forest.

As soon as I crossed into the forest all light around me disappeared. Slowly moss on the trees began to glow, giving me a path forward. There was no sound coming from this forest. Everything was still and quiet. It reminded me of the place that I had come from. Nothing was alive here and only death hung in the air. I picked my way slowly along the path that the moss had laid out for me. I figured it would be even more dangerous to leave the path than stay on it. I called out into the darkness, "So am I just going to walk forever or will something eventually happen?" My voice fell flat against the darkness.

Soon a response came to me once again, many voices speaking as one, "Oh yes dear vessel something will happen. Something will happen soon enough. Just walk the path like so many before you so that you may know the sweet suffering and pain we are famous for. Oh to have an undying being to play with! The Earth King is such a generous King. He gives us such a lovely play thing."

If I could feel fear I'm sure that I would be feeling it now. The trees all seemed decrepit and breaking down yet I'm sure if I tried to break through them I would have no luck. I decided to try anyway. I swung my right arm out using my forearm to try and break the tree closest to me. I felt nothing hit my arm but when I brought it back to me I could see blood running down my arm. The voices came again this time softly almost seductively, "Naughty naughty. Trying to break down our home. Continue on. Continue on. Come to us."

I started to run now, becoming tired of this game. Twists and turns leading me further into the forest suddenly I burst out from the darkness into a bright clearing. It was like the sun was shining down on just this spot with all its intensity. The heat, light, and the overall pressure of it was almost unbearable. I tried to shield my eyes but nothing I did could hide me from the brilliant light. Suddenly I could feel something almost like razors tearing into my skin ripping into and flaying off my flesh. Again and again, on and on. I could see a pool of blood forming at my feet but I did not black out as I normally would have. I watched the blood flow from me freely now gleaming brilliant crimson in the light.

I watched the scene with fascination. How could I sustain such damage and not black out? Suddenly the voices came back this time screeching in anger. The air wavering with the sound of their voice, "Why do you not scream? Why do you just stand there watching yourself die? Scream! Suffer! Give us what we want!"

I looked up, closing my eyes against the light, "No. I do not feel pain nor should I even be concerned. None of this is real. I'm starting to wonder if you're even real. If you are real then you should just show yourself and let us end this charade."

Everything stopped. The voices, the light, and the razors. I stood in the pitch darkness waiting. Two by two eyes appeared in the darkness. Some red, some green, and many other colors. Surrounding me completely. The voice spoke again but this time it was only one voice, "We are very real. It has been so long since we had to come as ourselves. You'll have to forgive the darkness. Our eyes do not do well in the light. Not that it will matter for you anyways. If you can't feel pain then we will just kill you over and over again. No matter how many times you stand, we will continue on until the world is dust if we must."

I sighed, "Then do it. Attack me if you can. Bring me down if you must. But I will leave this place." With that I tucked a shoulder down and started running. All of the eyes moved with me and I could feel smaller razors as well as what felt like teeth tearing into me. I could feel myself solidly hitting bodies and tossing them aside as if they were but driftwood before me. Suddenly I hit an actual wall. The impact was enough to send cracks running throughout it. The cracks ran up about thirty feet. I started pounding against the wall with all my strength. I could feel the little razors and teeth tearing at my back.

Finally a hole appeared in the wall allowing real sunlight to stream through. I could hear hissing from behind me but I paid it no mind. I continued to open the hole more and more until I was able to push myself through it back onto soft earth again. I finally looked back behind me to see what these things were. What I saw was hundreds of tiny goblins hissing and trying to hide away from the sun. I looked up now to see what I had been in. It was a large black dome that had been painted to look like a forest. Something about it caused an optical illusion that made it seem to stretch on for miles. I turned away ignoring the hissing and screeching of the goblins. Of course I wasn't any closer to the mountain so I broke out into a hard run. I was done with these games. It was time for me to see the King.

I encountered no other resistance on the way to the mountain. It seemed the King had finally learned I would not be stopped. My run to the mountain was a blur. I know I passed a couple of settlements on my run. I could feel the stares of people as they saw a large bloodied figure rushing past them. The mountain was looming higher and higher above me. Suddenly I was stopped and slammed to the ground. I hadn't even seen what hit me.

A small frail man with a tall walking staff walked over to stand over me, "Excuse me son. But could you tell me where you're trying to go?" He backed away now to let me stand.

I sat up so that I was around eye level with the old man. Looking at his walking staff I was confused at how he had managed to flatten me the way he did. I reached my hand out and he handed me the staff without a word. I gripped it with my other hand and attempted to say least bend it. The old man watched with a slight smirk on his face as I put my strength to the task. The staff didn't move at all in my hands. I handed it back to the old man, "That's impressive. Who are you?"

The old man walks away from over to a small stone slab on the ground taking a seat in lotus position. Next to the slab is a kettle and a cup. He pours himself some black fluid into the cup and takes a sip before offering it to me. I shake my head and he takes another sip, "I am the guardian of the gates. Answer my questions and you might be able to enter the path to the castle."

I stood up now, "Please just let me through. All I want is to ask the King where the lake of souls is. That is all I want. I'm tired of violence so please let me through."

The old man chuckled, "Well you've answered my first question at least. Though I'm curious why you haven't asked me how I knocked you down. Most people do."

I sat back down now figuring I wasn't going anywhere for now, "I am curious. As fast as I was running and with all my bulk I should have crushed your staff without even slowing down."

The old man nodded, "Correct, and if this were an ordinary staff you would be absolutely right. But it's made from stone of this mountain and I am one with this mountain. What you hit was not just a staff but the will of the mountain itself. Now tell me your name?"

I stared at him blankly before finally saying, "I do not have one. I am simply the vessel. So you may call me that like everyone else does."

The old man shakes his head, "No no no. That will not do at all. Everything should have a proper name, even our enemies. So I will give you a name though I admit it to not be imaginative. It is Xea. In the time when all the different countries of this land still had their own languages it meant vessel. So that will be your name."

I nodded thinking on it. For some reason having a name gave me a sensation that was the exact opposite of the unease I had felt back in the fire kingdom. So maybe this was ease. I finally spoke, "Thank you for the gift of a name."

The old man nodded, "You're welcome Xea. Now for my last question. If you meet the Earth King and he does not answer your question, what will you do?"

I sighed, "Then I will kill him as I did the Fire King so that I may take his soul and claim his knowledge. Because without that I will never know if he told me the truth or not. I don't want to do that I truly don't but I will if I have to."

The old man watched as I spoke. His face betrayed nothing of what he was thinking. I already knew that I had probably picked a fight simply because I said I would kill the King if I needed to. Finally he stood up and tapped his staff on the ground three times. After which a massive doorway opened up from the front of the mountain. He turned and looked at me, "Thank you for answering honestly. Now go on and see the King. Whatever happens you stay honest to yourself and others." With that he sat back down on his slab and resumed drinking his black liquid.

I walked through the opening and found myself in an opulent waiting area. This didn't really look like a castle to me but then my only experience was with the fire kingdom and I hadn't even seen the inside. The walls were rough and unhewn but still held a certain magnificence to them. There were torches up that lit the area well enough. Nothing else was in here but a set of stairs leading up so I headed up.

As I walked I came to numerous landings but I didn't stop at any of them. I just kept walking up and up wondering how far I was going to have to walk. By the time I finally found a door I had gone up hundreds of stairs and past twenty landings. The door in front of me had a symbol on it that I could only guess was the symbol of the earth kingdom. I pushed open the doors and stepped outside on to the top of the mountain. The wind was blowing fiercely and it was bitterly cold. There was a constant flurry of snow drifting all around me. I pushed forward up the last set of stairs to see a small old man sitting on a slab. He looks up at me with a smile, "Hello Xea. Did you enjoy your walk up?"

I hope you enjoyed this chapter of "Lake of Souls". I've been rather enjoying this so far so I hope you are too. If you did then please like, subscribe, and feel free to leave a tip. Till next time. Below will be linked the next chapter as well as the original short story.

Next Chapter

Original short story