Chapter 17

  With my body still chained to the chair, I could do nothing to stop the advancing malevolent figure. I could feel it's intense dark energy as it knelt next to me. I could feel its hand run its long clawed fingers along by back toward where my hands were bound. It was toying with me. I tensed as it...

  Released the chains that bound me to the chair?

  Unable to grasp the situation, I brought my newly released hands close to my face to inspect them. Aside from some discoloration from being bound, they looked perfectly intact. I struggled to turn onto my back, my limbs still recovering from whatever skill Raif had used against me. That was when I came face to face with the dark presence.

  "I promised myself I wouldn't interfere, but Azi let things get a little out of hand."

  The tenor voice crawled into my ears and gripped my brain. Every word sent chills through my entire being. Objectively, there was nothing unnatural about his voice which sat on the higher end of a typical man's voice, but my body contorted unnaturally as they spoke. I had to fight to keep my body under control.

  A tall, impossibly thin, effeminate man with long black hair stood over me. They wore a form fitting black tuxedo with a matching black necktie. As their hands adjusted the tie, I noticed their unnaturally long fingers with slight claw-like nails that were painted black. Their bright green eyes seemed to stair directly into my soul, seeming to glow in the dark room. His facial features were small, sharp, and unmistakably feminine. Aside from their eyes, the entity's mouth was the most unsettling feature. The corners of their smile spread much too far up their face, nearly reaching their eyes. The teeth peeking out from under the entity's incredibly thin lips were shockingly white, resembled a carnivore's fangs much more than human teeth.

  My Read the Room ability didn't detect any malicious intent, but after my situation with Raif, I wasn't sure how much I could trust that ability. Overreliance on it had resulted in walking into a fairly obvious trap, and caused me to trust someone much more than I ever should have. Despite the lack of red outline, there was an unmistakable seething black aura around the figure in front of me. The way their presence pulled at my insides, creating a constant unease, I would guess the aura was miasmic in nature.

  The entity's bright green eyes surveyed the room. When I followed their gaze, I noticed that Joan was frozen in place. I was unsure if it was just Joan that was frozen, or if time had stopped for the entire room aside from the entity and myself. The piercing green eyes returned to meet my gaze.

  "So you are who has given Azi such fits... I see." Their smile twitched as intrigue filled those piercing green eyes.

  "Who?.." Fighting against the terror surging through my body, I managed to force out the word.

  "They can speak? How curious." The way their eyes lit up, they looked like a scholar who just made a once in a lifetime discovery. I wasn't a person to this individual, I was like a lab rat... Or maybe more accurately, I was nothing more than a specimen on a glass slide being studied under a microscope.

  The man-like figured knelt next to Joan. With a slight wave of their hand, the chains fell to the floor, but Joan remained frozen in place.

  "Who are... you?" I attempted to ask my question again, this time having slightly more success.

  Their green eyes glowed as their head snapped in my direction. A long black tongue licked their lips in a way that I couldn't fully place. It was either hunger or arousal, and the fact that I couldn't place the gesture just increased the disquiet tugging at my soul.

  "Who?" They parroted back to me. "I wonder if this one could hear my name without breaking."

  Every moment in their presence was a battle against my own body. I had to force my eyes to focus on them or else they would naturally shut tightly and turn away. Speaking a handful of words felt like that time I helped my friend move his refrigerator into his third story apartment. Well, I found out later they weren't really my friend, but at the time I was convenient and willing to help move a fridge.

  The Cheshire Cat.

  If I had to place the closest example my mind could find in its rattled state, I would place this entity as the personification of the Cheshire Cat. Except infinitely more terrifying, of course. I didn't recall having to fight to keep from pissing myself while watching Alice in Wonderland. That's not true. When I saw the Tim Burton one in theaters, I'd gotten one of those massive drinks. You know the ones, they essentially have to come with a label waiving liability for giving you diabetes. So, I had one of those and I drank the whole thing before the opening credits, so by the time the movie was only half over I thought I was going to explode. But that wasn't the same. That was because I drank a gallon of Dr Pepper. This was because whatever this entity was, it caused my body to fight against me.

  Without Joan to pull my focus back, the figure had already crossed the room to the doorway by the time I realized what was going on.

  "This one would be smart to stay put. I must remove the ones that tried to ruin my fun." There was immense coldness in their voice. I could tell they meant to do something to Raif and Tara, but they talked as if they were about to turn off an appliance.

  "Stop..." I struggled to force the word from my mouth. A flame lit in my chest.

  "Not just questions? This one wants to command." They stopped, turning back toward me instead. For a moment, they looked deep in thought. "I wonder why I stopped. Perhaps I am just curious. Yes, that is it. This one should stay put."

  They repeated their request from earlier. My body tensed as if I was being restrained. My eyes remained locked on the entity as it left the room.

  The fire spread. I was burning. My thoughts were burning.

  I couldn't let the entity get to those two. Those two were mine! Those two betrayed me. It was not that entity's place to deliver punishment to those two. Only I was allowed to pass judgment on my betrayers. Not that entity...

  My body rose to its feet. I felt as if I had been rolled up in one of those balls from the Katamari Damacy games and no matter how hard I struggled I couldn't break free, but I refused to give in. I managed to take a single step toward the door. Then another. Then another. Then another.

  Standing in the tunnel, my soul burning, I needed to get to them first. I needed to deliver judgment, not that entity.

  Judge. Judge. Judge. Stop. Stop. Kill. Must kill. Need... kill.

  killkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkill

  The yellow line formed in front of me. But my mind was only focused on my goal. The line only served as a path to meet my goal.

  killkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkill

  My feet broke their shackles, the force holding me back no longer maintained its grip. My feet barely touched the ground as I moved at blinding speed down the tunnel, following my path.

  killkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkill

  My target came into sight. That entity was standing in front of my betrayers. Their hand was raised to pass judgment. That was MY judgement. My feet left the ground, running along the wall. I leapt, launching my attack.

  It connected. I got to them first.

  "Oh, I like you."

  The entity turned to me. My fist was still pushing forward into my intended target, the side of the entity's head. Their green eyes lit up with ecstasy.

  With a single flick of their wrist, I flew backwards down the hallway. As I slid on my back, I could see the entity had turned away from Raif and Tara. Instead, the entity casually walked toward me. Just like Joan had been, Raif and Tara seemed to be frozen in place.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  "I have so many questions." They stared deep into my soul as it walked.

  "Those two... are... MINE." The fire was still burning, but my mind was gradually returning to its senses.

  The entity knelt next to me, cocking its head to the side inquisitively.

  "What are you?" Their eyes flickered as if scanning my soul. "What are you, Clay?"

  "Tell me your name." The words came easier. Slowly I was pushing back its overwhelming pressure.

  "I am called many things. Loki... Amatsu-Mikaboshi... Nyarlathotep..." Its eyes probed me, as if waiting for something to happen. After a few moments, "If Clay would like, he may call me Tep. But I must repeat my question. Clay, what are you?"

  Nyarlathotep?! The eldritch deity of chaos? From my limited knowledge of the hierarchy of the Cthulhu Mythos, I knew that Nyarlathotep was among the highest ranking. So what were they doing here? And what did they want with me?

  "I don't know what you mean. You should be able to tell I'm a player just like Joan, Tara, and Raif." I honestly didn't know how to answer Tep's question. What did they mean?

  "No no no." Tep grinned, shaking their head as if talking to a confused child. "So he doesn't know. Very curious."

  "What do you mean?" I pushed back.

  "Clay is nothing like Green or Pink. And Clay isn't even like Yellow. Clay is something different." Tep's face was uncomfortably close to my own. Their eyes inspected every inch of my face as if trying to solve a puzzle.

  "Green? Pink? Yellow? You mean Tara, Raif, and Joan?" I was growing tired of Tep's insistence on speaking in riddles.

  "I believe that is what you call those ones." He placed his lips against my ear so he could whisper. "But I only care about Clay."

  I recoiled, backing away from the Chaos God. "Why do you call them by their hair color, but you call me by my name? You're inconsistent. I don't understand you."

  "Now I don't understand. I call those ones how I see those ones. Green is green. Pink is pink. Yellow is..."

  "I get it, their hair color stands out. But then shouldn't I be Brown? Why am I different?" I cut him off, growing more and more impatient.

  "Clay is Clay. I don't understand. Who is Brown?" Tep looked genuinely confused.

  "Forget it. I can see I'm not going to get anywhere with you." I bitterly resigned.

  "But I answered Clay's question. Why does Clay have that look? So worrisome." An oddly concerned look spread across Tep's face.

  "I don't understand you, Tep." Pushing back was the only response that made sense to me.

  "It seems we are in agreement. I, for one, do not understand how Clay is able to stand in my presence. I do not understand how Clay is able move freely. Or how Clay's mind didn't break when hearing my name. Those are just some of the many mysteries that surround you. Such a conundrum." Tep's genuine answer was more disconcerting than if they had been trying to deceive me. Clearly my ability to exist and interact with them was abnormal. That would explain why my body fought against their presence initially. But if what they're saying is true, then why am I no longer struggling like before?

  "Why are you here, Tep?" Pushing his questions aside, I still didn't understand why they specifically came here. It was like the final boss showing up five minutes into an RPG. It was a common trope to show players how outmatched they were, but this situation seemed different. Tep didn't seem to be throwing around his power for the sake of showing off.

  "I thought I told you? Green and Pink were making things less enjoyable for me. Those ones had too much of an unfair advantage. It was unnatural, so I wanted to fix it." He stated his reason matter-of-factly, but I still didn't fully understand.

  "It was unnatural? I'm not complaining because if you hadn't come, Joan and I wouldn't have survived... But didn't they just use the skills they were given?"

  "Azi was a bad boy. He was desperate to remove Clay from his game, so he gave a special present to Pink, and he gave Pink a nudge to remove you. That sort of advantage is unsightly and makes everything so boring to watch. Such tediousness." Tep's tone did not match the huge revelations he was stating.

  "Azi? Azathoth?" My head was spinning. "But if that god wanted to have me killed so badly, couldn't that god just do it themself? I thought out of all of you, that god was supposed to be the most powerful."

  "That god? I like Clay more and more. Clay isn't just an anomaly, but Clay is rebellious. So much so that Clay refuses to say Azi's name any more than he has to. There is so much chaos inside Clay, I wish I could have you..." Tep trailed off, realizing he had gotten off topic. "Clay wonders why Azi didn't just kill Clay himself? That is a very good question. Clay is not the only one wondering this. In fact, nobody wonders this more than Azi. So puzzling."

  "Stop speaking in riddles. What is that supposed to mean?"

  "It means that Azi is unable to do it himself, and he does not know why. Azi is supposed to be omnipotent and omniscient, yet..." Tep stopped, instead he gestured to Clay.

  "So you're saying I'm invincible or something? I know that's not true, I've barely survived so far. I doubt there's anyone weaker than me in this stupid game."

  "Clay misunderstands. Clay can be killed, quite easily. If I hadn't made this little visit, for instance, Clay most certainly would have met his end. Such a tragedy. But Azi can't touch Clay. He can't even see Clay. So he must find a way to do it indirectly." Tep attempted to patiently explain the situation. His eyes scanned me as if he'd learn something from my reaction.

  "He can't even see me? I don't understand." How could I possibly slip through the radar of an all powerful deity?

  "That is why Azi wants Clay dead. He doesn't like not having knowledge of something, or not having power over something. If I had to guess, I would say it scares him." Tep paused a moment to consider what he just said. "The best he could do was speak to Clay, but even that was a challenge. He doesn't even know Clay's name. Why is that, I wonder?"

  "What do you mean? Even you know my name. Hell, you can't stop saying it over and over like a creepy anime villain." I refused to believe that god didn't even know my name. "Even the logs of the cruise ship had my name."

  "Even the cruise ship? What does Clay mean?" Tep was genuinely confused. "Clay, I only know Clay is Clay because I can see Clay in front of me as we speak."

  "The Love Craft! The ship you guys sunk to bring us all here! Are you serious?!" My patience was growing thin the more I felt Tep was toying with me. Even though his confusion seemed genuine, I couldn't accept it.

  "I know the ship Clay is referring to. Obviously we know of the ship. We also know the names of all of the passengers and crew."

  "So then why wouldn't he know my name? You're not making sense." My question seemed so obvious, but the baffled look on Tep's face made me nervous to hear the answer.

  "But Clay wasn't on the ship. Were you?" Tep struggled with his thoughts, as if unable to solve a simple puzzle. "There was no Clay on that ship. Quite the brain teaser."

  The world around me seemed to stop. Up to that point, everything Tep said could be some sort of riddle or could have been interpreted in some way that seemed mostly harmless. But if what he stated was true, what did that mean?

  "I was on the ship. I remember everything."

  "I see. Maybe I am mistaken." Tep quickly backed down.

  "Just like that? You don't have another argument? For someone who was so sure moments ago, you gave up rather quickly." I didn't know why I thought I could trust anything Tep had said. I realized that he could have easily been lying to me about everything.

  "It is as I said. Clay is probably right. I was just confused." Tep grinned as if his answer could possibly be sufficient.

  "So I'm supposed to just accept you as an ally?" I decided to change the subject, I could tell I wasn't going to gain anything more about my identity. Even if he answered, it was obvious that I shouldn't trust his answers.

  "An ally?" Again, Tep looked confused. "Why would I be an ally to Clay? Is it because I said I like Clay? He assumes it, doesn't he?"

  "But you saved me. Doesn't that make you an ally?"

  "I am most certainly not an ally. I guess Clay could call me..." Tep thought for a moment before continuing, "And interested observer."

  "Last I checked, observers don't get directly involved. That would make you a participant." I pushed back.

  "Then perhaps a proactive interested observer. Clay should understand that us gods have trouble understanding the line between watching and intervening. We're a selfish bunch."

  "But you still helped me, so doesn't that mean you're my ally?"

  "Would Clay still think of me as an ally if he knew I was charged with killing him? I wonder." Tep's voice was playful, but his words were chilling.

  "You're lying. If you wanted to kill me, then you'd have done it already." I knew I couldn't trust him. He was just toying with me at this point.

  "But I have been tasked to kill Clay... Well, to kill the unwelcome presence, which happens to be Clay. Azi ordered me to." Tep put his index finger to their lips in a cute gesture as if they were thinking. "Clay is half-right, though. If Azi knew I was here, he would not be happy that I wasn't doing my job. Although, he explicitly told me not to kill the unwelcome presence in person, so maybe that is my loophole? Is that the reason?"

  "What are you trying to say?" I was getting more frustrated with every comment. Unfortunately, I also realized that I couldn't just walk away from this conversation. It seemed that the only thing keeping me alive was Tep's odd fascination with me.

  "I guess the real reason I don't need to kill Clay is because I know Azi can't see me." Their grin widens with a playful smirk. "Clay is already invisible to Azi, but us gods have an extra protection to keep our nosy peers out of our business. So things in my territory or possession are safe from Azi's influence. So he'll never know we had this little tete a tete. So convenient."

  "So you are going to ignore that god's order to kill me?" I was having trouble determining what was true and what was a lie. It was already hard enough for me to keep my focus. The longer this conversation continued, the harder it was to keep pressing on things effectively.

  "I will have to kill Clay eventually. Sooner rather than later, this uninvited presence will be eliminated. But it won't be me in person. You see, Azi wanted to me send something to do the job instead. But right now, I won't hurt Clay. And if I was honest, I hope my future attempt fails because it would be a shame to lose something as entertaining as the infinitely interesting Clay. Such a tragedy."

  "If you want me to stay alive, then why don't you just help me?" Was I not understanding something? Tep was talking in circles. They wanted me alive, they needed to kill me, they won't kill me, they are going to kill me, they hope they fails... What did Tep want?

  "I can't claim Clay for myself. I tried." What appeared to be a pout formed on Tep's face as his features scrunched in frustration. "Something about Clay is blocking me from claiming him. So... I am not Clay's ally nor am I his enemy. But I could be Clay's ally or Clay's enemy at any time. Clay and Tep have no contract. Does Clay understand?"

  "No, I don't understand. I don't understand any of this."

  "That's too bad. I really tried to be honest with Clay. I do like Clay. Unless Clay decides to make things less interesting, I don't want to kill him. But I must do what I must." Tep turned away, looking back toward the stairs. "It appears Pink and Green used the distraction to escape. That Pink one can sneak through doors, can't he? Oh well, I will let Clay play with them for now. I've had my fun. Besides, Clay should get back to Yellow. She'll die soon if Clay doesn't do anything... Or is it already too late? Perhaps I kept Clay busy so long that little Dimensional Shambler had time to steal her from him. I wonder."

  "What?! You bastard! Was this your plan?! Were you just distracting me so you could kill Joan?!" My rage was building again. I knew that attacking them again might bring about my death, but everything in my soul wanted to bring Tep harm. They were no better than that god.

  "Does he really have time for this, I wonder? Yellow will die." His smile widened grotesquely. "Perhaps I should fix the tunnel. As I made it, all directions lead away from one's goal. That is why Pink and Green got so turned around. Oopsie. But somehow Clay still found me. So curious."

  I didn't have time to listen. I turned away, knowing Joan was my top priority. I followed the yellow line from my Pathfinder ability back toward Joan. I could sense something in her direction.

  I hated these gods. Every last one of them did little more than toy with us. Tep was no different. Tep's distraction might have lost me my only ally.

  I hoped I wasn't too late.