I didn't see the thing that hit me, I only heard a sharp crackling bang in the distance before I
felt something hit me. Could've been a brick for all I know.
Regardless, I died.
Of course, I didn't know that until I woke up in a white room reminiscent of the white train station from Harry Potter, with an absolute certainty that I died. Except, I had no Dumbledore waiting for me, there was no one there when I arrived, just an empty, lifeless expanse. I explored that expanse for a short while, and eventually, I found myself in some kind of museum hall, or perhaps a trophy room. Pedestals that reached my chest in height went up and down this hall, for what seemed like forever, an Infinite Corridor, of a sort. Atop those pedestals were strange curios of every shape and form. A horn here, a fang or tooth there, some kind of high-tech gizmo over there. Was that a lightsaber?
Nonetheless, I kept walking, something was pulling me onwards, to continue walking forwards despite wanting to gawk at the either artfully made replicas of famous items, or the items themselves. Along the way, my hand extended, and it slowly passed over a select few items: A silver whip with a heavy pointed weight at the end, which felt warm, like a sunny day; a miniature boxy rifle, shielded in some sort of clear blue light shield, with a barbed, vicious fang struck through both rifle and shield; and a box, one that I'd already seen multiple times, as though the item in it were hidden or kept secure despite the openness and lack of security in this room.
And still, I kept walking, past what seemed like an infinite number of items.
Until I wasn't.
I found myself face to face with a gray stone circle, standing upright, with nothing else in the room. Even if something else were in the room, the sheer
presence of the ring made sure everything else was but a shadow in comparison.
Like the damn fool I was, I approached it. There were no controls or mechanisms of any sort, and, objectively, it did just look like a plain stone ring. But stone rings don't have a presence like this. It was when I was within hand's reach that I realized that the ring was not plain at all. It was
covered in runes, so many runes that I could scarcely believe it was possible. The ring was made of
white stone, but there were so many gray runes on it that it appeared grey from a distance.
I poked it.
With my finger, as I had no stick.
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the ring was inert, and did nothing on my poking it. Figuring it must either be non-functional or simply won't react to myself, I laid a hand on it, intending to lean against the ring and inspect the runes upon it.
Naturally, that's exactly when the ring activated, forming into a swirling blue expanse, like vertical water, and I only just barely avoided a wide spike that extended from the center of the ring and ripped behind and in front of the ring, ionizing the air with a crackle of power.
Staring at the new swirling portal in front of me, I wondered how my life led to this, exploring some distant structure in some place I could not really wrap my head around. I had the sneaking suspicion that this whole structure wasn't strictly euclidean as well. I also had the suspicion that this place truly looked far different to what I saw right now.
Elder God fuckery was afoot.
So naturally, when I heard a vicious screech-roar behind me, I did what any sensible person would do and jumped head first into the swirling blue portal ahead of me.
That was my last thought for a good while.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
I hid my frown beneath a polite smile as Carmilla continued to explain her plan, her
scheme with an increasing fervor, something that worried me. Striga and Morana added on, speaking of camps and fortresses and armed patrols across the 'Corridor.' They spoke of subjugation and conquering. Not of people, of
cattle. That's all they were to them, simply cattle, despite all of them, including myself, once having been exactly that. Once having been human. The meeting continued on, they kept planning, and scheming, and never once was I ever called upon, though I did speak to make sure I did not leave a conspicuous silence. When the meeting ended, near daybreak, I left unsatisfied, feeling useless and perhaps slighted. There was no diplomacy to be done here, only a senseless slaughter and ceaseless suffering. With a sigh of what might've been exhaustion, but felt like despair, I made my way back to my suite of rooms in the castle. Perhaps the least decorated among all the Queen's rooms. But I did have more than a few pets. I'm told that I have too kind a heart for what we are by my sister queens, but I never saw our… state of being as a valid reason for committing atrocities.
It was on my way to my room that I saw a flicker of light just off to the side, down a servant's passageway. However, there was no nearby person that I could sense, so just what could that be. I entered the hallway, and came face to face with a swirling portal.
That was the last thing I saw.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
When I woke, it was to a painful ache coming from my back and shoulder. I was laying down, and I imagined that I likely fell on my back from a significant height. The sun was out in force, and I put up a hand to block it, but found my vision almost equally as blinded anyway. Looking through squinted eyes, I saw…
A second sun.
There's… A second sun
My mind shut down as I lay there for a time, unsure of what exactly was going on. But I was soon startled out of my thoughts by a distant buzzing, like insect wings, but far louder than insects had any right to be. Far in the distance, over strange trees and ferns, I saw it. A cloud made of insects, so many insects that they blotted out one of the suns. I feared for my life. If they were anything like locusts swarm from Earth, they would turn the surrounding forest I was in into a wasteland, and they certainly seemed big enough to attack me and other animals! So I started to run in the opposite direction.
C'mon, there's got to be some sort of shelter around here somewhere!
A scant ten minutes later, I found a hill with a small nook carved into the side, created by what seemed like a fallen tree whose roots pulled out the earth and soil, erosion did the rest, and created a deep divot that looked almost like a cave, though I could see the back of it if I duck my head inside. It'll have to do. I've taken so long already. The only reason I can imagine the bugs taking so long is that they were either taking it slow, or they were much larger and farther than I thought. Pulling myself into the divot, which could barely fit me to begin with, I smushed myself into it as best I could, and I hoped the earthy smell and dark space would prevent me from being seen. I waited a few more minutes, expecting the swarm to fall upon my area in moments. Yet, I still had a few more minutes, judging by how far the swarm still was. I could still see sunlight, and the buzzing was loud, but the noise was not overwhelming just yet.
Then I saw a portal, bright and blue and rippling like water. It appeared just in front of my little divot, and revealed a woman. She had auburn hair, and a delicate looking face. She had pointed ears, and she wore a grey gown, with a white cloak covering most of it, and a white mantle on her shoulders.
Whatever she was, or was wearing, she was going to get torn apart by those alien locusts!
Eschewing my own safety, I got up as swiftly as I could, and lunged forward, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her toward myself and the divot, grabbing her other arm when I had the chance to pull her close to me. She seemed about to struggle before I pulled her into the divot, but she stopped after a split second of what were probably warring thoughts. Once she was safely in the back of the divot along with myself, I calmed down a bit, and I looked outside. I grimaced.
The swarm was here: Hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions of bugs, all about as large as a wolf or small big cat. They seemed endless, appearing somewhat similar to a mosquito with the wings of a dragonfly, but the mandibles of a Hercules beetle. I had a sneaking suspicion that some kind of proboscis likely extended from between the horns.
Movement against myself drew my attention, and I turned my head to face the woman I pulled into the divot with me. She had curiously red eyes, and her auburn tresses and form of dress reminded me of a fairy tale princess.
It was only a few moments later that I realized I had blurted that aloud, albeit quietly. She blushed slightly, then quietly asked.
"Where are we? Who are you?"
Her voice was beautiful, and I noticed she had a slight eastern European accent, quite close to German, but not quite.
Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I shrugged.
"I've no clue where we are, Miss, but my name is Arthur. What's yours?"
She smiled at me despite the horrendous storm of bugs a mere ten or so feet away.
"Lenore. My name is Lenore."
