Seek Below

Scagliola barely had time to look toward Sallus as the figure grabbed him by the shoulders. In that moment Sallus' face went blank, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as a dark aether poured out of the figure's body to envelope him.

"Nowhere is safe..." The words emanated from the unmoving mouth, jaw slightly agape, "...and you..."

The head turned toward Scagliola in a jerking motion, revealing a circular indentation on the forehead. Where eyes should have been were sunken black pits, yet he felt it wasn't speaking to him.

"You... have... no... power... here..." Elongating every vowel, It stretched out its arm, a single finger pointing back toward the shed.

A pale green mist poured relentlessly out of the shed, and the "Void" revealed itself.

KIN SHALL STAY

The Matron's voice was unmistakable to Scagliola, as the mist flowed past him and engulfed both It and Sallus. It forced itself between the two bodies, attempting to interupt the magical snare. Sparks shot out from the cloud as it wrestled with the aetherical bonds around Sallus. The Void's efforts appeared to be working, as Sallus was slowly returning to the waking world. In the same instant, the cloud moved up the arm still on his shoulder, creeping toward the indentation.

"Sallus... is... MINE." The jaw opened wide, and a thick black ichor spewed forth, covering both itself and Sallus from shoulder to shoe.

The Void recoiled away from both bodies, as steam filled the air surrounding Sallus. Slowly, both he and the figure were pulled downward into the ground.

"No. No, no no!" Sallus began to shout as he could feel himself sinking deeper. "Wait, wait wait WAIT!"

The Void circled the two, keeping the ichor from spreading out. Scagliola could only watch as his companion was absorbed into the ground, cries going silent.

"I... I failed him..." Scagliola mustered out after a full minute's silence. The green mist had yet to dissipate, still circling where the bodies previously stood.

SLEEP

Scagliola was perplexed. Was the Void asking if Sallus went to sleep? Was the Void telling him to go to sleep?

"No," Scagliola "That was not sleep..."

SLEEP

"He is dead! I failed him!" He yelled at the haze.

The mist ceased all movement, as the remnants of the ichor soaked into the ground.

WE
AID
IN
SLEEP

Without warning, Scagliola felt a wave of exhaustion fall over him. Falling to the ground, the last thing he saw was the mist embracing him.

____________________________________

Scagliola regained consciousness to find himself in what he could only assume to be a waking dream. He was surrounded by darkness but could see his arms and legs as if directly under the sun. He could physically turn himself around, his feet touching something resembling ground. As if on queue, a group of thirteen lights rapidly closed in on him. One light in particular was brighter than the others and positioned itself directly in front of Scagliola.

SEEK THE TALISMAN

Scagliola was taken by surprise. Never has the Matron offered a direct statement, let alone any of the other members of the 'chorus'.

"And where do I even find this Talisman?" Scagliola asked wearily.

SEEK BELOW

That response was to be expected; the Matron was anything if not insistent the answer always lied below.

"Yes, yes... seek below," He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as he paced around the emptiness, "In case you haven't realized, there was no 'below' at either the tavern nor the shed. I can't very well seek below if there's no below to go seeking!"

The Matron's light dimmed, as another moved itself in front of Scagliola.

ROTWEAVE

A deep, masculine voice responded. The Tyrant, as Scagliola called him. The thirteen lights then coalesced together, creating a prismatic star before him and delivering a final message.

KIN MUST ESCAPE
WE WILL SHEPHERD

Scagliola cocked his head to the side; he was unsure how to respond to the last statement. He understood the Void was beseeching him to rescue Sallus from the Rotweave, but they have never offered to 'shepherd' anyone before. Before he could respond the star erupted before him, scattering light in all directions. Now floating within a sea of stars, Scagliola watched as a pathway illuminated itself in front of him. At the end of the path stood a wooden door, a complete anomaly for the current locale. Turning the knob slowly, Scagliola pushed the door outward to be greeted with more darkness. Trusting in his otherworldly patrons, he crossed the threshold and stepped back into the darkness.

____________________________________

Sallus woke up on a cold stone dais. Coughing up black sludge and dirt, his entire body ached as if he'd tried to climb the Great Tree itself. Sallus lifted himself off of the slab and seated himself at the edge, scanning his surroundings for any clues to his location. Heavy streams of smoke fell from hanging censers, imparting a musky cedar scent to the room. The dais itself lied at the end of a hallway lined with censers through the entire length. Gazing down at the floor, Sallus noted the intricate mosaic pattern running through the middle of walkway.

'Curious design,' He thought to himself as he hopped off the dais, 'If I didn't know any better...'

His investigations were cut short, as an unsettling clicking noise cut through the darkness ahead. Straining his vision, he saw someone kneeling in front of him, arms cupped above their head. A circular indentation was present on their forehead.

"...alms..."

A whisper came out of the body, but the mouth did not move. Fishing through his pockets, Sallus pulled out a couple gild and placed them in the figure's hands.

"...alms..."

Sallus sensed no animosity from this person, but the striking resemblance to the same figure from the shed gave him pause to simply ignore them. Plucking a single gild from the hand, Sallus held it over the figure's head. Slowly dropping it into the indentation, the coin made a perfect seal. The arms went limp, the remaining gild dropping onto the ground. Light pierced into the room from the opposite end, as a red haze entered from outside.