Desire (Legends of the Kilanor Book 3)

by Jared Stone

  The three gigantic worm beasts were now all grouped together as a cohesive unit, their mouths rising up into the sky and their squiggling bodies swaying this way and that as they sensed around for their next bite of energy. The image was reminiscent of the hydra of Greek mythology that Lucian had read about as a child. He just hoped that defeating one of them didn’t mean that two more would rise in its place. As Lucian generated another ball of energy, he heard Blake come up to his side. The blonde boy raised his arm as the attention of the three beasts before him honed in directly on the qi floating in his palm.

  “Just do your best to throw the mud directly where they’re lunging,” Lucian explained to Blake.

  “Alright, man…,” Blake consented, still sounding very uncertain of the effectiveness of their plan. He bent down and reached under the water, pulling up a whole handful of muck from beneath him.

  “Okay, NOW!” Lucian called out, sending out the intention that his qi be released from his palm. As the glowing white sphere jettisoned into the air, Blake simultaneously reached back and hurled the clump of mud in the direction of his roommate’s blast. The three worms struck out at the objects, with only one of them swallowing both the qi and the mass of mud whole while the other two bit down on nothing but air. Thrashing their heads around, all three beasts rose up again and began sensing around for the next thing they could consume.

  “Again!” Lucian commanded. He called upon his qi once more while Blake reached down and gathered another clump of mud. Pressing it between his hands this time, he formed it into an orb reminiscent of a snowball. He held it over his shoulder in preparation.

  “Now!” cried Lucian again, firing his qi alongside Blake’s hurled mudball. This time, only two of the worms lunged out at the projectiles, and their heads collided midair. Bouncing off one another dizzily, the third worm then swooped in to snatch the prize the other two had missed. Lucian couldn’t tell whether or not this was the same worm as the one who had eaten the first blast, as they all pretty much looked identical, but he was pretty sure of one thing….

  “I think it’s working!” Lucian shouted triumphantly.

  “Yeah, man, but we still gotta keep it up!” Blake reminded, molding another softball-sized clump of mud in his palms.

  Lucian continued to fire out several more blasts, each of which came with its own accompanying ball of mud. The worms hungrily gobbled up every last thing the humans threw at them, and Lucian couldn’t help but think of how similar this was to raising Gus.

  Blake’s arm seemed to never tire, endowed as it was with demonic strength, but Lucian could feel himself getting a little wearied after some time. Schuntz eventually stepped in after a brief recovery period and fired off a few rounds of his own while Lucian took the opportunity to rest and recharge. Reaching down into the muck below him, Lucian fashioned his own muddy morsel, feeling certain that doubling their efforts would speed up his intended goal: satiation of the worms’ seemingly endless appetites. Reaching back, Lucian hurled the blob as hard as he could beside Blake’s. It flew several feet up in the air before plummeting back down again, not even coming close to any of the worms’ mouths. It was such a lame display that not even a single worm considered it worthy of its time, and the mudball fell back into the water with a splunk. That was the first and last time Lucian tried to contribute, and he left the rest in Blake’s far more capable hands.

  It felt as though they were at it forever, constantly firing out blast after blast of qi to keep the worms occupied and far away from their bodies. Eventually, though, Lucian could sense that the worms were slowing down and appearing more sluggish.

  “Keep it up!” he exclaimed, once again on the front lines and firing out blasts of energy. “I think they’re getting full!”

  “I should certainly hope so,” Schuntz stated without humor, reaching up and brushing away the ice that had once again crusted upon his scalp. “I would not wish to stay here feeding these beasts for much longer.”

  After several more of these blasts, one of the worms swallowed another ball of mud; yet, this time, it seemed to hesitate afterwards and sway around in the air. Without warning, it sputtered a few times, spitting up mud back out of its mouth, then collapsed down into the dark waters with a giant splash that completely soaked the three humans standing in its shadow. Lucian would have normally been upset by getting drenched in such a fashion, but he was already so waterlogged that he barely even noticed.

  Following the collapse of their fellow monster, the other two worms also began coughing up clumps of mud, as if they all shared a single stomach with their fallen friend. Within seconds, the remaining beasts fell sideways into the slushy water as well, and they stayed still and silent thereafter. Lucian, Blake, and Schuntz stood there, panting.

  “Well, we did it…,” Lucian mumbled, as if he was having trouble accepting the fact that they had finally succeeded.

  “Yeah, guess so,” Blake agreed, dropping his final ball of mud back into the water.

  The three humans just stood there, looking around.

  “Well, where is the next gate, then?” Lucian asked. Although he was very excited to have triumphed, he was mostly just exhausted and already dreading the remaining five challenges that still loomed before them. And he figured his companions felt the same.

  Just as he said this, Lucian saw something light up in the distance, through the many curtains of ice which continued to rain down from the sky. Peering through the darkness, he could see that it was a bright yellow portal in the shape of an arch.

  “Well, it appears you now have your answer, Mr. Aarden,” Schuntz responded coldly. The professor began sloshing through the muck toward the portal. “Now, let us go. I have had just about enough of this horrendous precipitation.”

  Lucian nodded in agreement, and he and Blake fell in line behind the old man. As they moved forward, they were careful to avoid coming too close to the vanquished worms that lay in between. Passing by the fallen foes, Lucian could still see their bulging, slimy forms quivering, as if attempting to rise up again, yet thankfully remaining wholly unable to do so. Ice continued to rain down upon the gluttonous beasts, forming a slushy coating atop their bodies that gave them more the appearance of snow banks than grotesque monsters, and Lucian found that he almost felt sorry for them – though he had no idea why.

  “God, those things are so gross…,” Blake mumbled with a shudder that ran through his entire body as he looked at them. “Let’s just get outta here before they’re back up again….”

  Lucian nodded in silent agreement. He then turned to Schuntz.

  “Professor,” the boy began, “what was the point of all this? The first challenge seemed to have some sort of lesson built into it. But this one seemed really simplistic. Was the only connection to gluttony just feeding some hungry monsters?”

  Schuntz thought on this for a second. “I would agree that it seems overly simplistic in that light, Mr. Aarden,” he agreed. “Gluttony is often considered the inability to notice and recognize the needs of others, so utterly absorbed are the gluttonous in their own bodily desires. There is a chance that our initial separation and subsequent need to find each other and cooperate to triumph over this challenge was actually symbolic of overcoming the root faults associated with gluttony. However, we might never fully understand the significance of any of these challenges. So long as we are able to pass all seven and obtain the key, I am fully content with that.”

  Lucian’s naturally curious nature wasn’t completely satisfied with that outlook, but he figured that the professor actually had a point: the main purpose of this journey was not to understand what was going on, but rather to reach the end and take the key before the bad guys could do the same. Finally nearing the gate without further incident, Lucian looked up to read the inscription.

  “Mímóryán: ‘defilement of desire for prosperity.’ ‘Avarice,’ or ‘Greed,’ if you will,” Schuntz clarified before Lucian even had the opportunity to ask. “Are you prepar
ed?”

  Lucian shrugged. “I guess ready as I’ll ever be,” he stated, staring into the swirling golden vortex. Blake stood behind him in silent agreement.

  “Alright then,” Schuntz said, turning toward the gate as well. “Let us hope conditions on the other side are more favorable….”

  11 - Greed

  ???

  The minute Lucian stepped out of the gate and back onto firm, solid ground, the frigid cold slush which had coated his body was completely gone. All of his clothing was perfectly dry once again, and it was as if he had never even experienced the uncomfortable sensations of the previous trial. He couldn’t believe what an absolute joy it was to have dry sneakers on again, and he was overwhelmed by the soothing warmth he now felt by comparison. Additionally, Blake and Schuntz still stood at his side once they had all crossed over, and Lucian was very relieved by that.

  “Looks like we all made it over together this time!” Lucian announced with cautious enthusiasm. No matter what they might face next, he felt much more comfortable doing it as a unified team.

  “So it seems,” Schuntz confirmed, looking around them carefully. “But be wary. I am confident that this area is not without its own set of challenges….”

  Lucian nodded his head. He realized that he had to be constantly vigilant, lest he be taken off guard and killed in some horrifying way. He looked around as well to take in their new environment.

  It appeared that they had stepped out into a cave of some sort. All around, brown earthen walls encased them in a small subterranean chamber with only one passage leading forward. The air was mildly cool, and Lucian felt completely comfortable in his winter jacket. In four different places along the walls, large torches were hung, and the flames atop these poles served to illuminate the whole space. Lucian was at first very thankful for their light; but, upon further reflection, he then found himself wondering – even dreading – who or what had put them there.

  “Well, it seems like there’s only one way to go, I guess,” Blake assessed. “I say we just keep moving forward.”

  “Did you learn nothing from the first challenge, Mr. Valenti?” Schuntz inquired, glaring at the boy. “It was this sort of intrepid disposition which led you to be tossed around on the ground like a fool in the first place.”

  Blake folded his arms across his chest. “Well, what else do you suggest, then?” he asked the professor gruffly. “I don’t see any other way outta here.”

  “A wise man, while resting in safety, never forgets that danger might soon arise,” Schuntz cautioned. He glanced around them again. “I would sugge-“

  BAM!!

  A thundering noise echoed through the chamber and shook the very ground upon which the travelers stood, forcing the three men to cover their ears and grimace in pain. The vibrations of the blast echoed off the walls around them, seeming to linger in the air for an unreasonably long time, as if they stood within the belly of a drum. Lucian could feel a pounding in his chest that he had only ever before experienced while standing in front of a giant concert speaker. Thankfully, after a moment of this intense discomfort, the deafening echoes subsided.

  “What was that!?” Lucian yelled out.

  “What?” Blake asked, equally as loudly.

  “I said, what was that?” Lucian clarified again.

  Before Blake or Schuntz could even answer, there came another blast of sound which practically rattled their bones.

  BAM!!

  Lucian, Blake, and Schuntz all doubled over and put their hands over their ears again. The booming sound waves were once more trapped within their tiny chamber and fully enveloped them with pulsating vibrations. The torches on the walls shook violently, sending showers of crumbling dirt down from their anchors into the earth. At this rate, Lucian thought, he might very likely go deaf.

  “We must leave this place!” Schuntz commanded as loudly as he could. “Before we are permanently deafened!”

  Lucian and Blake just stared at him blankly, as neither one had properly heard what the professor had to say. Seeing this, Schuntz began waving his hand in a beckoning motion and quickly walking toward the one and only exit. Lucian and Blake gladly followed behind him.

  As they made their way down through the narrow and winding corridor, all three of the travelers kept their fingers lodged inside their ears. They had no idea when the next blast of sound might come, but they knew they would want anything possible to muffle the unbearable sensation when it did. And they were lucky they had, for it wasn’t long before another BAM!! reverberated through the passage, shaking the narrow earthen tunnel around them. The three men continued to push forward, unsure of where they were going, but confident that any place would likely be better than the echo chamber they had just left. And, after a few minutes of walking, they had their faith rewarded.

  They emerged from the passage into a vast cavern, the likes of which Lucian had never before seen. The sloped ceiling towered high above them, and the length of what lay before them stretched on for at least a football field or two by Lucian’s reckoning (who admittedly knew nothing about the length of a football field). All he knew was that the dark hole-in-the-wall exit on the other end of the space was very, very far away. Between them and that point, the ground sloped downward into a gaping chasm which curved inward like a halfpipe in a skate park. And, darting this way and that across the landscape, were some of the strangest – and most grotesque – figures Lucian had ever seen.

  Running down the curved walls into the belly of the ditch were rotund creatures whose many layers and folds jiggled wildly with each plodding step they took. They were somewhat humanoid, standing on two legs with a pair of tree trunk-sized arms on either side of their torso and a bulbous head just barely poking out the top. Their skin was gray and leathery, almost like that of an elephant, and a big gaping mouth hung open as they rushed about, tongue hanging down and breath flowing heavily through mangled rows of teeth. The most noticeable feature of all, however, was a total lack of eyes anywhere on their bodies. Each of these bumbling creatures could be seen charging down the slopes to the very lowest point in the center, where massive golden boulders of some sort were grouped together. Grabbing hold of one of these, the creature would then push and strain, shoving with all of its might to roll the gargantuan gilded orbs back up the side of the incline to rest them at the top, next to an altogether different set of creatures standing in wait.

  This second set of beings was certainly no better looking than the first, but wholly different in almost every aspect imaginable. They were tall and slender, seemingly much taller than a normal human and perhaps half as thick. Their skin was orange-brown and slimy, and their long, skeletal fingers had more the appearance of spiders’ legs than digits. The teardrop-shaped heads atop their bodies possessed no mouth or nose, but two humongous eyes were set on either side, endlessly staring around them at all the riches which were rolled up to the level upon which they stood.

  As one of these boulders was brought to the side of a tall, slender creature, the thick, gray oaf stopped its running and appeared as if it was smiling, laying its meaty, three-fingered hand on the side of the metallic ball and caressing it lovingly. No sooner had it done this, however, than the tall one shoved carelessly against the opposite side, causing the boulder to slip off the flat ground and careen back down the slope to the middle. With a roaring exclamation of woe, the thick, gray creature plodded along after it, seeming as if the golden orb was its one and only prized possession. The golden ball then struck against another rolled from the opposite side of the ravine, sending a loud BAM!! reverberating through the entire cavern. All down the length of the canyon before the three humans, this cycle repeated itself endlessly, with shorter, gray creatures compulsively coveting and hoarding and tall, slender creatures prodigally casting away.

  “What the Hell?” Blake said, as the first one to speak up.

  “Papé Satàn!”

  “Ah!” Blake yelled as all three members of the party leapt back
in alarm at the unexpected scream from their left.

  “Papé Satàn, papé Satàn aleppe!” the voice cried out again. Looking toward the source of this cry, Lucian saw a figure crouched on a rock. This new being was altogether unlike the others, appearing more human in form and features, but covered in thick brown hair from head to toe. Its round yellow eyes glared at the three travelers who stood before it, seemingly more out of curiosity than aggression, and its jaw hung slightly ajar, exposing sharp incisors on both the top and bottom.

  “Dude, what is that!?” Blake asked aloud.

  “I dare not even hazard a guess…,” Schuntz replied, staring apprehensively at the strange, furry fiend before them.

  BAM!!

  From within the deep ravine, a set of golden boulders collided against each other, sending out yet another deafening blast that caused the three men to cringe and cover their ears. The furry creature appeared entirely unperturbed.

  “Papé Satàn, papé Satàn aleppe!” the mysterious beast once again repeated.

  “What do you think he’s saying?” Lucian asked, primarily directed at Schuntz, as he was likely the only one who would know.

  “I have no idea, Mr. Aarden,” Schuntz responded. “It is not any language with which I am familiar.”

  “Is he, like, saying something about Satan?” Blake inquired apprehensively. “I mean, am I the only one seriously weirded out by that?”

  “The term ‘Satan’ simply means something akin to ‘adversary’ in Hebrew, Mr. Valenti,” the professor clarified, in an attempt to assuage the boy’s fears. “Many different things have been labelled as ‘Satan’ throughout history, including nations, kings, and particularly the legendary fallen archangel Lucifer. This does not equate to the term ‘Satan’ being any reference to one supremely evil being, however, but rather a reference to anything against which one must struggle.”

  “Yeah, but…,” Blake attempted to counter, “being in a Hell realm and all, it would sorta make sense, wouldn’t it?”