Inspired by an imago of rust and iron. Warnings: This story will contain, self-harm, aspects of suicide, depression, gore, explicit language, violence, and insanity. Don't read if easily triggered. Also contains religious and political aspects. I do not endorse anything, I am not the reason you dicided to go nazi. I already get phone calls from my neighbor for that. (That's a joke.)
Prologue: I cannot see. Oh dearest Sinner, do the stars still shine?
His name was Tobias Crowley. Not that his name was important. He was nameless, one among so many before him. He was dressed in a green sweater, and sat at a small bench near an abandoned warehouse. He had short, black hair and deathly pale white skin. But the most eye-catching thing about him was his bright, dark blue eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dark.
The bench he was sitting on was almost completely unusable. One side was missing its leg, and 2 of the 3 boards that made up the seat were missing. The back was entirely gone. He is sitting near the docks of Brocklin Bay, home to one of the highest crime rates in the US. It was almost midnight, and darkness had finally embraced the entire city. It was sprinkling, and he listened to the rhythmic sound of rain hitting the sidewalk. Clouds covered the sky, not letting a ray of moonlight past. Some might say this was the perfect night for evil things to stir.
A little ways away, Tobias watched a group of three Merchants talk amongst themselves. He was too far away to make out what they were saying, but the rain made eavesdropping impossible without getting close, and he didn't care enough to hear what the drug dealers were saying anyways.. He observed as one took out a lighter, and lit a cigar that he then placed in his mouth. The glow of the small flame extended into the street, casting an illuminating glow for a brief moment. Tobias sat absolutely still and silent. There was no need to attract attention, especially not tonight.
They huddled together and tried to use their bodies to shield their lit cigars from the rain. Tobias made the first movement in several hours, and sniffed the cigar smoke that permeated from them. Normally this would be impossible with the rain, but he was an exception. It was a familiar smell. The smell of something burning.
'Like churches or orphanages' he mused.
He continued to stare at the merchants for a while, before they left. Despite Tobias's complete stillness, they still should have noticed him, with his distinct blue eyes. Yet they left none the wiser, not suspecting a thing. He watched as the last one disappeared behind a building, likely off to search for stragglers still out late. If they found any, their victims would likely be leaving with an empty wallet and their clothes gone, if the Merchants were merciful enough to let them leave at all. He waited for a few moments. Only the soft patter of rain could be heard. He could hear the waves of the ocean not too far from wars he sat, beating against the docks.
He then slowly sat up, and pushed himself off the barley-stable-bench. Despite having been sitting for several hours, the rain simply washed off of him, leaving him wet, but not dirtying his clothes. He closed his eyes for a moment. He imagined what he might see. He thought of what things he could not see. . He imagined his Father. Then he opened his eyes, and looked. The warehouse in front of him changed. His right eye shimmered for a brief second, before returning to a dull blue.
It was old and rusted, with ancient wire fences and signs that stated 'Keep out'. It had long been abandoned. It transformed in front of him. The rain was no longer water, It was now blood. And it poured. The warehouse looked like it aged another hundred years. Normally, the warehouse looked old, but you could still tell that it was once a warehouse. Not anymore. The once gray metal walls rusted to dark orange and reds. The windows were all gone, leaving empty frames in their place. The warning signs changed as well. From 'Keep out', and 'Private property', to 'Run away' and 'Only death awaits here'. The gate that had originally stated 'MC&D LTD' changed to 'Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate'.
'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here' Tobias translated. 'Well, it surely fits the atmosphere' Tobias thought to himself, tilting his head slightly to the side, but showing no change in expression.
Tobias had done research beforehand, looking at reports about this area and looking up the buildings records in the town's library. It was once owned by a company that invested in shipping, but was taken over by the Teeth after it was abandoned when the shipping business crashed. After the Teeth were forced out of the Bay, it was then used by the ABB to store weapons, until it was abandoned for a third time, when rumors circulated the building was haunted.
He could faintly hear the cries of men and women screaming, accompanied by the noise of metal work. The ground was covered with blood and other fluids, with the blood red moon shining through the clouds. He walked through the now-destroyed gate, his footsteps cutting through the night. He walked through the puddles, listening to the pinging of blood-rain on rusted metal. He looked down to see what looked like a mother comforting her child, both sobbing next to a dead body, in the reflection of a puddle of orange liquid. He trudged onwards, through the main courtyard, until he reached the metal door which was already open.
The inside looked even worse. Bodies were strung on pikes, blood and guts painted the walls. Harsh, cruel laughter echoed through the building. Sobbing could be heard from one room, though the door looked as though it was welded shut.
'The Teeth were violent and cruel, often taking prisoners and torturing them, if not raping them first. It is not surprising that so much resentment and pain clings to this place.'
He took a step inwards before stopping. He bowed his head, and offered a quick prayer to the deceased. He had to keep moving. He couldn't stay in the Otherplace for very long, or else they would find him. He had to move quickly. If he had time, he could attempt to help these lost souls find peace and move on, but his time was ticking down. He pushed onwards. He walked to the left, where a door to the basement was located. The sign read 'Bleed'. He reached for the doorknob, and gave it a quick test. It was rusted shut. Not like he expected otherwise.
He quickly reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small vial, filled with a purple liquid inside that seemed to glow. He removed the glass lid, before pouring the substance on the handle. The door flashed, ancient runes and symbols appearing in quick succession, before the rust seemed to slightly lessen.
'1 drop of Purity can kill an Archdemon, yet an entire vial cannot even combat the corruption of this place.' he thought to himself, a brief flash of annoyance running though his mind at the waste of such precious resources. But he did not show it in his expression. He shoved the door, feeling it groan and protest against his advances, before finally giving away and screeching open.
Tobias quickly walked down the stairs. Time was ticking down. He almost ran through the corridor. He saw how on either side were rows of what looked like holding cells, ancient rusted iron bars being the main giveaway. He quickly ran past, not daring to look inside them. Screams could be heard as he rams past. Sobbing, crying and plies for help were also present. He felt a small stab of guilt, but quickly disciplined himself. These people were already long gone, and he could come back another time. But he needed to hurry. He neared the end of the halfway. He could feel hands grabbing at his arms and legs, before letting go. He felt the corruption seep into his soul each time they made contact, slowing him down, waiting for his precious seconds. A cleansing ritual would be necessary afterwards.
He reached the end where an old, stone door lay. He pushed against the rusted iron latches, before backing off and drawing a small knife, inscribed with the symbol of a cross. He swung it down, and it briefly flashed white when it made contact, before snapping the latches off. But not before the knife itself shattered into a million pieces that faded out of existence. He pulled the heavy stone door open, straining his muscles with the action. He was a hunter and contractor, which meant he was exceptional in pretty much everything, but unfortunately, this did not extend to physical activities. While he was trained in almost all known forms of martial arts, his training consisted of endurance and stamina, along with the mystical and arcane. Physical work was meant for the brutes. He was not one of them. Still, he was as strong as 3 men, which was not a lot by supernatural standards. The heavy stone door that seemed to need 4 men to open it did, inch by inch. He did not look behind him, but he could feel that something was coming. Time was ticking. He dashed in the room as soon as it was open, and was greeted to a pitch black room, with the illumination from the rusted hanging lights in the hallway revealing a single, stone pedestal that stood out like a sore thumb. A package was present, and was unlike the rest of the warehouse, completely normal. Tied with brown rope and possessed no distinctive features, he quickly grabbed it before he heard a noise. He looked behind him to see figures running towards him. They were men and women, dressed in suits. They wore yellow ties, and white, porcelain puppet masks covered their faces. Their eyes were empty sockets, and the most noticeable thing was the words written on their foreheads.
'Destroy', 'Repent', 'Judgment', 'Subjugate', 'Contain'.
Their very beings seemed to be out of place. Like a 2-D cartoon character in a 3-D teen rom-com. Their very being just seemed wrong. He knew of them. One of the greatest mysteries of this universe was who they were. This dimension was something only he should be able to access. He searched for others who could do what he could, but he was unsuccessful. This dimension laid bare all secrets, all sins were laid out for him to judge. He knew many creatures and demons that Satan checked under his bed for dwelled here, But they were different. They didn't belong in this dimension. He only knew that they were searching for something. At first he thought it was him, but that was proven wrong. They saw him as a hindrance, an outsider, an usurper. He was a nuisance, an obstacle in the way of their goal. What was their goal? Well, that was anyone's guess to Tobias. They took orders from the Bird Ladies, and the person he only knew of as The Machanation. He knew very little about him, only that he presided in a dimension outside his world. There existed other factions in this dimension as well, like the Dead Gods. But even they were one among many others in this world. Monsters, and other unspeakable horrors were present, lurking just beneath the surface. He had a theory that H.P Lovecraft might have possessed a variant of his Mystical Eyes, to see beneath the surface of reality.
But in his present situation, he was cornered, and the Followers of the Beast, As he called them, were quickly closing. While most would probably be panicking right now,, he retained his blank expression, calm and collected as he always was. He was a hunter. He had gotten out of many dangerous situations before. In an instant, they were on him.
'Such speed!' he thought to himself, and his eyes widened a tiny bit, as his eyes couldn't even follow them. Time seemed to slow down as a white-gloved hand reached for his face. He quickly performed dozens of calculations in a second, and visualized a hundred scenarios.
'He's too fast to fight,' Tobias concluded. He had engaged with the Beast-Followers before, but his current circumstances had most of his power sealed, and he didn't want to attract attention by releasing mass-amounts of magical energy. He decided on the best course of action, and leaned back, positioning his foot directly in front of his enemies. Now the Follower couldn't step forward without tripping or stepping over his foot. This would normally be completely irrelevant, as someone could just step over it, but supernatural battles against enemies much stronger than you, are fought one second at a time, meaning one mistake could be your last. One trip-up, one miscalculation, could mean the difference between life and death. He noted that several more of them were still coming, likely waiting as fighting in a small corridor restricted most movement and combat opportunities. He had a small window to act. In almost slow motion, he leaned back, letting himself almost fall to the ground. His enemy leaned over his foot, intent on finishing this battle in an instant. His hand reached back, grasping the package on the pedestal. He could feel his hand brush the package. He mentally counted down the seconds.
'3'
The man grabbed for his neck.
'2'
A knife appeared in his hand, and he opened his left eye. A red line seemed to manifest on his face. He raised his knife and traced the red line
in a quick motion. The man split in half, seeming dissolved into a thousand particles, before reforming.
'1'
He stepped back and grasped the package with his left hand.
'0'
The man reached for his face, and Tobias raised his right hand to block. The man's finger grazed his index finger.
He blinked. And it was all gone. He was sitting in a dark room, in a dilapidated basement, with rain drops pouring through the warehouse's roof, and through the cracks in the floor.
And Tobias screamed. The millisecond the man's hand touched his finger, his entire arm ceased to exist. His face contorted in pain, and he fell to the ground. He fumbled through his jacket, picking out a small vial of clear liquid.
He pushed his hand against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, to no avail. He ripped off the lid of the vial with his teeth, and poured it on his wound.
He let out a moan of pleasure, as a euphoric feeling swept through him. He was someone who showed little emotion. Heck, even if his arm was ripped off normally, he wouldn't even twitch. But that man didn't just rip his arm off. He felt his very being alter, as if he had his arm ripped off a thousand times. He felt his soul shudder. But he survived. If barley.
'Angel Tears. I will have to buy Arial a new game for this.' He swore, as he felt his arm heal, the magical liquid working to repair all the damages he had sustained. He laid on his back, taking a few moments to revel is his success, before scolding himself, and brushing the feelings away.
He grasped the package, and ripped off its brown wrapping paper.. His right arm had grown back, and his toned muscles could be seen. Black symbols and runes could be noticed snaking from his shoulder to his hand. Words in ancient languages long lost were moving, the test glowing blue, as it spread over his newly regenerated arm. He decided to inspect what he had risked his life for. He had spent over 3 years looking for this book, and he didn't even know what it was. The book was ancient, the cover having lost all its color, and was dull and gray, with the edges withering away. The gold encrusted word Worm, was the only thing that could be called a title. Along the bottom was what he assumed was the author's name. The word stood out to him. He didn't know why. It was like an instinctive feeling, the same you get when talking about a higher being's name. Wildbow. He didn't recognize it.
He gently opened the cover, and turned a black page to what would be a table of contents. He froze. His head stung like someone fed him alcohol through an IV drip. He read it again and again, re-reading the same phrase. A feeling settled in his gut though he couldn't explain why. One of anticipation and worry. He slowly got up, and put the book away in his coat. He knew that from now on, things would change. He didn't know how, but he knew they would. He slowly retreated from the basement, out of the warehouse, and started heading to where his father was staying. He would want to hear about this.
And for the first time in a long, long time, Tobias felt something he hadn't felt in 17 years. Excitement. He kept repeating the phrase in his head. He could feel his lips pull a few centimeters upwards, into what can only be called a smile of someone who hasn't smiled in years.
"So this is why you wanted me to come to Brockton Bay Father?" Tobias asked the night sky.
The book read:
Act 1, Scene 1: You are the Anomaly, Tumor of Worlds
His face hurt from smiling.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Hello. This is a rant. So skip if you don't want details. Also contains spoilers.
While I love fanfiction and have watched every anime ever, (Not really.) I am a resident lurker of Fanfiction sites. My favorite book of all time is Worm, so I thought I would finally put some pen to paper, (or fingers to keyboard.) and try writing some fanfiction. While I am an experienced reader, I am a novice author, (That's giving me too much credit), so don't have high expectations. My writing style is one I love and hate, (Mostly hate,) Because I try to emphasize detail, atmosphere, and world building, then get bored and rush a scene. So please don't read if you hate the style. Once again, novice writer, so plot holes, grammar/spelling issues, bad storytelling is to be expected at some points. That isn't saying I'm not trying to improve.
Story wise, This fanfic was inspired by An Imago of Rust and Iron by EarthScorpion. It mainly is centered around crossing over with horror based fandoms, but will include elements from others. What type of story is this? An SI, Chyoa, or OC? Who knows? (I really don't know, I don't plan things in advance. I literally make this up as I go. :] )
References! I love them and including them makes my day. If I add a reference to fandom you think would ruin the story as a whole if it were crossed with worm, Tell me! Constructive criticism, pointing out errors, story ideas, and encouragement is always welcome! I will still add a list of references, (Unless its a main plot point, or some story telling reason) at the end of each chapter! I will not include references if their are many of them belonging to a single Fandom. Like Fate. (Spot them all if you can!)
I will often spoil upcoming content or idea's, for people who want to offer advice or opinions if I should refine or change something. If you don't want spoilers, you can skip.
References in this chapter:
Tobias: The Main character is based off of two , main "Power Sets"
The first is Tobias Schneien from Ghost Eyes, by Mr. Circus Papa. The main plot points are their similar pasts, and his connection to Mr. Edwards.
The second is Shiki Ryougi, from Garden of Sinners. The two main points for now are her mystic eyes of death perception and connection to the Root.
His ability to "See" is based of An Imago of Rust an Iron by Earth Scorpion, and is based of the game World Of Darkness, and will include elements from other horror series like Silent hill or dead by daylight.
Pastor: If you've read the trailer, he is based on both Amakusa Shirou Tokisada and Kirei Kotomine from the Fate franchise. (More will be revealed later)
MC&D: An organization known as "Marshall, Carter, and Dark", that is mainly antagonistic and is from the SCP Mythos.
"You are the Anomaly, Tumor of worlds": Based on SCP-001 of the same name from SCP Mythos.
Criticism. It is always welcome, IF IT IS VALID. Please leave constructive advice, and don't leave an opinion and treat it as fact. Say it is an opinion. Religion, and other things will be discussed in the story, And I don't want to be banned for something like starting a toxic religious discussion thread. Be Academic when discussing religion, and while opinions are okay, be careful to not provoke the wrath of the Moderators.
Warnings: This story will contain, self-harm, aspects of suicide, depression, gore, explicit language, violence, and insanity. Don't read if easily triggered. Also contains religious and political aspects. I am human, and may make mistakes or misrepresent how something works or feels because I have not personally experienced them myself.
Religion will be a key point in this story, and while I am a Christian myself, everyone has differing views and ideas on religion. I may present certain aspects, traditions or faith, or other sensitive content in a way that you may not agree with. I will try to present this content without bias, but I know that is probably not true. Legitimate complaints can be issued, but that doesn't mean I have to change it.
Nazism will also be a main plot point. I do not support Nazism or anyother political ideology. Read at your own risk.
Copyright: I do not own anything, and will try to mention who created something that is referenced or whet fandom it belongs to. I do not own anything.
Notes about prologue: Prologue was meant to introduce character, and do some world building. For those who are worried as there were not many elements of worm in this chapter, the MC will actually interact with Characters in worm in the 1st chapter.
Sorry bout the 1000 word rant, I will try to keep it shorter and will not be mentioning the topic of religion and Nazism except for warnings, unless it becomes an issue.
- Ars-Azathoth
