Consumed by the Fog (Semi-Open)

[Sir Supple]

It lies dim and cold on the face of the mould,
Like a smile on the lips of the dead.
As chill and as white, as dense and as light
As the winding-sheet laid in the still of the night
Over the funeral bed.
-Anonymous

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"Hey Thobet, you see anything out there?"

"No Kiplo, I do not, nor do I think I will the next time you ask me."

"Ah, cmon' Thobet, you never know. Maybe today will be the day that something exciting happens!"

"You know, I somehow doubt that".

Kiplo gave Thobet a pat on the shoulder as he resumed his patrol of the upper battlements. Thobet, for his part, sighed disappointedly as he gazed down at the Fog below. It had been six cycles since he had been assigned to the walls, and he had despised every moment that he had been here. Why had the gods forsaken him?!?! What did he do to incur the wrath of his local Lord? After all, what other reason would their be for him to be here? He simply could not fathom his current predicament.

Six cycles. Six cycles of pure monotony. Six cycles of the exact same schedule, day in and day out. Their was nothing to see out there in the Fog, an unchanging land of absolute nothingness. After all, everyone knew how dangerous the Fog actually was: anyone foolish enough to try and traverse would be met with a swift death at the hands of its life draining magic. Nothing really lived in the Fog, save for the pitiful remnants of once great and vibrant trees, their shriveled husks pathetically hanging onto life.

Gods, it was so boring.

Kiplo came back around, a grin sprawled across his Husky looking face. "Hey Thobet-"

"Kiplo, if you ask me the same question one more time, I will cut your tongue out and toss it over the walls myself."

"Ah gods, you're no fun! Hey Nenandar, you see anything out there?'

Nenandar replied in the negative, with just a hint of sarcasm in his response: "I fear the Fog is especially thick today. I cannot seem to see anything. Should the situation change, I will inform you of my findings posthaste."

"You concern for your post is most admirable, Nenandar", Kiplo replied dryly. As a member of the famed Swordbreakers, he wore a set of full plate armor, painted with the Wireennian Coat of Arms for easy identification. A large oval shaped shield was strapped to his left arm while his right gripped a short spear. Thobet and Nenandar, being Rabbit Archer, wore much lighter armor, and were armed with a large bow. They were responsible for keeping any threats at bay, while Kiplo would defend the walls should they ever be breached.

Which made absolutely no sense to Thobet. Again, nothing could live in the Foglands. What exactly was the point of him being here? Really, what as the point of any of them being here?

"Can I ask you a question, Kiplo?", said Thobet irritably. "Might I ask what perverse pleasure you find in tormenting me with such drivel day in and day out?"

"Come now, Thobet, I only ask about what is most important! You can never be to sure about what's lurking out there!"

"Yeah? Well I'm pretty damn sure the answer involves Fog, Fog and more Fog."

Kiplo chuckled lightly at Thobet's annoyance. He slowly walked forward, beeming at Thobet.

"Thobet, my friend, you must learn to lighten up. Our job will mostly certainly be boring if we allow it to be so. We must find our moments of brevity somewhere, no?"

Thobet was about to give Kiplo a rather snarky response when the unthinkable happened.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, a massive black tentacle came screeching out of Fog, directly at Kiplo. He barely had time to get his shield in the way when it struck, wrapping around him impossibly quickly. Thobet immediately lunged toward the abomination, dagger in hand, stabbing it as much as he possibly could. Seemingly unbothered, the tentacle plucked Kiplo from the wall as he screamed in utter agony, slowly being crushed by the constricting tentacle. It retreated into the Fog, and Kiplo disappeared from sight. Thobet screamed Kiplo's name as he rushed toward the side of wall. Nenander had already nocked his bow in anticipation.

Then, the arrows came.

They wizzed past Thobet's head as he dove for cover, not sure where they were coming from. He crawled toward the bow he had dropped, took cover behind the wall, and returned arrow fire of his own, assisted by Nenander. By this point, the rest of his companions had heard the commotion and had rushed over to assisting, firing missiles into the Fog indiscriminately. Thobet wondered if he might accidentally hit Kiplo. "Ah, to hell with it!" he hissed in anger. Kiplo was as good as dead, and so to would he be if he did not repel these unknown attackers. He could barely make out some indistinct forms moving about in the Fog. He vaguely fired in their direction, and he heard a terrifying sound: a screech of pain as his arrow struck true. As to what he had hit, he was not sure. But clearly, it couldn't be any normal foe.

Eventually, the incoming arrows trickled down to nothing, and all was calm once more. Besides poor Kiplo, no one else had been injured or killed. But Thobet was certainly shaken up by the experience. He huffed as he lowered his bow.

"What in the name of the GODS WAS THAT?!?!", he yelled at no one in particular. Nenandar gently placed his hand on Thobet's as he spoke softly.

"Come with me. We have much to talk about..."

 

[Sir Supple]

No pulse seems to throb, no voice dares to sob
Beneath the grey calm of the cloud.
A hush holds the air with pale bands of despair,
Too close to be pierced by a curse or a prayer—
The hush of a soul in its shroud.
-Anonymous

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Thobet was still reeling in shock over what had just happened.

He had just witnessed a fully grown Cynocephali get plucked from the walls by some sort of tentacle. He had watched him get dragged into the Fog, screaming and cursing at the top of his lungs. He had been showered with arrows and nearly killed, all within the span of a few minutes. And now, everything was eerily quiet, as if it nothing had transpired recently. Everyone was on high alert, as weary eyes scanned the Fog for any signs of movement.

Thobet could barely process anything around him as Nenandar escorted him off the battlements. As they began to walk down the mossy staircase that led to ground level, a squadron of Swordbreakers rushed passed them, all clad in full plate armor. They joined the soldiers atop the walls, prepared to strike down anything that might attempt to breach them. It seemed that command was at least taking this incident seriously, as reinforcements had been steadily tricking in since the incident occurred. In fact, Thobet had never seen so many soldiers concentrated on one section of the wall before. Whatever had attacked them, it had spooked high command enough to start sending some serious muscle their way.

Upon reaching the ground, Thobet and Nenandar then navigated the numerous pitfall traps that were concealed within the dirt, and eventually made their way to the barracks. It was a rather plain and unassuming building, made primarily out of wood and stone, and was home away from home for Thobet and Nenandar. Thobet absolutely hated it, and tried to spend as much time as he could outside of the structure, for it was cramped, dirty, and unbearably smelly. Being so far away from the main population centers, there were few luxuries available: chief among them being lack of access to bathing facilities. For a Rabbit Folk like Thobet, who's coat was his pride and joy, this lack of proper hygiene was maddening. He had hoped that they would send a Water Mage sometime soon, so that they could at least construct some showers, but alas none had arrived in the six cycles that he had been here.

Nenandar and Thobet entered the barracks and made way to their sleeping quarters. It was mostly empty at the moment, save for a pair of Cynocepahli and a sleeping Panotti. The Panotti, a race of diminutive humanoids with massive ears, had wrapped himself up in said ears like a blanket, while the Cyncocepahli were speaking to each other in hushed tones. As soon as Thobet and Nenandar entered, however, they became silent and got up to leave. As they walked out the door, one of them shot Nenandar a dirty look. Barracks were not segregated by species, so they were often a mixed bag: sometimes their inhabitants got along well, other times they were at each others throats.

"Friend of yours?", Thobet asked cynically as he sat down next to Nenandar. Nenandar shook his head dismissively.

"Nay, just a fool and a grifter, pay him no mind. More importantly, we need to talk about what you had just witnessed".

Thobet's mind kept racing back to that massive black tentacle. It had entangled Kiplo so easily, and he couldn't do anything about it. He shuddered to think what might have happened if the arm had grabbed him instead.

"Nenandar, what was that thing? Where did it come from?"

"I...I do not know, to be honest. Those abominations had been quiet lately. I thought we were overdue for an attack."

"So you mean to tell me this isn't the first time that this has happened?"

Nenandar rubbed the back of his head as he looked at Thobet. He seemed awfully tired, his age starting to show itself more clearly.

"Thobet, I have been part of this watch for countless cycles now. I can't even begin to describe to you some of the horrors I've seen. The monsters lurking out in the Fog, the creatures that call that place home. It is...frightening, I must admit"

"But Nenandar, I don't understand it. I though nothing could live out in the Fog. How can this be, it doesn't make any sense!"

"I know, Thobet, I know. Yet you witnessed these impossible creatures with your own two eyes. You saw what they are capable of. They are very real, and very dangerous."

Thobet groaned as his conversation with Nenandar progressed. The constant military presence, the numerous pitfall traps, it was all starting to make sense now. But, their was still one thing Thobet didn't understand.

"Fine, I'll admit that there's clearly something out in the Fog. But why don't more people know about this? Surely this is something that we should all be worried about."

"Thobet, think about it: we all know that the Fog kills anyone who tries to venture out into it. This is something that has been ingrained within all of us since the day we've be born. Who would believe it possible that something might be lurking out there? We'd be dismissed as madmen, taken away and locked up for the rest of our lives. No one would believe us, because no one wants to believe us: why would they? Its far more comforting to live in blissful ignorance than inconvenient truth after all."

Nenandar paused for a moment has he chose his next words carefully.

"Besides, His Majesty has deemed it...necessary to keep this knowledge hidden from the public. I'm sure he doesn't want to create a panic among the common people. He'd surely do everything in his power to keep this information under wraps, no matter what it takes."

"I...I see your point, Nenandar. Very well. What about the creatures, can they be defeated?'

"Aye, that they can be. Well, at least most of them. That large tentacle that you encountered seems to be the exception. Besides that, they are all moral, although they seem to dissolve upon expiration. Very curious.", Nenandar mused. "You know, we try to capture them alive, if we can. Why do you think we dug all those pitfalls inside the walls? Why, I remember-"

Before he could finish that though, he was cut off by a loud, shrill blast of sound.

"The summoning horn!", Thobet cried. "We better be off before they take roll call."

"Agreed. We'll pick this up later."

Nenandar got up and proceeded to walk out the door. Before he did, he turned back to Thobet.

"Hey, Thobet?"

"Yes?"

"...Be careful out there."

With that, Nenandar ran to the meeting grounds, with Thobet close behind. It looked like things were starting to pick up...but not in the way Thobet would have liked!

 

[Sir Supple]

No stars in the sky; no lights low or high;
No laughter; no weeping no breath;
No murmur, no sound in the whole world around,
But a silence that lies blank and chill on the ground,
Like the visible presence of Death.
-Anonymous

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"You cannot be serious right now, Voppo. This must be some kind of bad joke".

"I'm completely serious, Suvla. I want out."

Suvla was furious beyond belief. For months, he and Voppo had been planning a rather dangerous undertaking: desertion from their current posts. The walls were a miserable place to be, and Sulva could not foresee himself wasting his life away to deal with some god-forsaken fog that killed anyone stupid enough to venture into it. He was sick and tired, quite frankly, and desperate to get out any way he could. As such, he had made extensive preparations with Voppo to finally escape once and for all. He had spent countless hours mapping the escape route, securing the necessary supplies for the journey and bribing anyone who might get in his way. He would be ready to go soon, for things were starting to get dangerous.

Which was why he couldn't understand Voppo's reluctance to go.

"Need I remind you", Suvla said through gritted teeth, "that you were the one who suggested the plan in the first place? Do you even realize how much time and effort I've put into making it succeed?"

"Believe me, I'm fully aware. And keep your voice down, yeah? You're gonna wake up sleeping beauty over there."

Voppo and Suvla glanced at the sleeping Panotti a few beds down. He was dead asleep, tightly wrapped in his ear blanket.

"All I'm saying", Voppo continued, "is that now isn't the right time."

"You're kidding me."

"Think about it. With all the recent attacks as of late, you really think no one is gonna come and investigate? A fellow Cynocephali died, Suvla, and everyone saw it. No way they'll just let that go."

"That's exactly my point, idiot. If we don't leave soon we'll never have as good as an opportunity as we do now. There's no telling who'll show up and how long they'll be here for. I swear to god, if I'm here any longer, I'm gonna throw myself off the walls!"

"Thats...rather dramatic, don't you think?"

"Oh shut up. You know what I mean, moron."

Voppo sighed at Suvla's histrionics.

"Listen, say what you will, but you won't change my mind."

"Suvla, I'm begging you to reconsider, you must-ah s**t."

Just as Suvla was about to implore Voppo to come with him, a pair of Rabbit Folk archers entered into the barracks. They looked at the two Cynocephali as they made their way down the aisle.

"Cmon', lets go. We'll pick this up later", Suvla muttered to Voppo. Both of them stood up and brushed past the newcomers. Suvla directed a dirty look at one of them as he exited the barracks, with Voppo following close behind. "Old prick", Suvla snarled.

"I take it you know those two?" Voppo asked delicately.

"Eh, sorta. Nenandar's the geriatric fool who I was directing my gaze at. Dunno who the other is."

"Huh. What's his deal?"

"His 'deal' is that he can never mind his own freaking business. Constantly asking questions, constantly getting involved. Like, why? What I do does not concern you. I have no idea why he gets so involved."

"You think he knows?"

"...I'm not sure. He might have an idea, but certainly no hard evidence. I guarantee he has nothing on us", Suvla said proudly.

"Right. Well, we might have to keep an eye on him regardless. You never know."

"No, I get it. Worse comes to worse...he might need to suffer a little 'accident' . I hear its pretty slippery up on the walls these days."

Before Voppo could respond to Suvla's outrageous comment, a shrill blast interrupted their conversation.

"F**k. Doesn't stop, eh?" Suvla growled at no one in particular.

"Oh quit your whining, will you?" Voppo responded angrily. "Let's just go before we're late for muster. I refuse to have to clean the latrines again."

Voppo and Suvla made their way to the meeting grounds, and quickly formed ranks with the rest of the Swordbreakers. Suvla hoped that Nenandar would be late, and thus punished, but he arrived just in the nick of time. He quickly assumed formation before the the company commander, a grizzled Cynocephali with a large diagonal scar running across his face. Besides him were a number of creatures he did not recognize: A Rabbit Folk clad in exquisite plate armor, another Rabbit folk who looked like he might faint at any moment, and a pair of massive Blemmyae. Each of them was easily 10 feet tall, with two beady eyes and a massive mouth embedded directly into their chest. Blemmyae, of course, had no neck or heads to speak of, but that didn't make them any less dangerous or terrifying. Good thing they were pretty stupid at least.

But that wasn't what really caught Suvla's attention. It was the frail looking Rabbit Folk talking to the company commander. He must have been some kind of wizard or scholar or something, and he seemed pretty weak, at least physically. Yet, Suvla couldn't help but feel uncomfortable looking at him. Then their was his scent...he didn't smell like a Rabbit Folk, and Suvla knew their scent all to well. He smelled like...actually Suvla couldn't quite place his finger (or nose for that matter) on it.

"You alright?", Voppo whispered into Suvla's ear.

"What?" Suvla answered almost a bit too quickly. "Oh, yeah. Just uh...does that Rabbit Folk over there seem kinda off to you?"

Voppo sniffed the air for a moment.

"Huh...I guess he smell's kind of odd? Probably some fancy perfume from the Capital or Lord's Manor, I bet. Probably bribed him out his *** to come here. Who voluntarily decides to visit the walls?"

"Yeah...I guess so", Suvla responded, unconvinced. Before he could dwell on it, the company commander spoke up:

"LISTEN UP! You ungrateful ingrates have a special guest today, so you better behave!", he hollered at the top of his lungs. "This is Lord Thevran and his research assistant Petmaris. They're here to keep an eye on you sorry lot and figure out what's been going on out there. I EXPECT that you'll treat them with only the upmost respect!"

"Come now commander, their's no need for that!", Thevran said warmly. "I know rank and station doesn't mean much out here, so just treat me like I'm one of the boys!"

"Yeah, like that'll f***ing happen", Suvla thought darkly. "How exactly should we treat a Lord like he's one of us?"

"Of course, your grace...I mean, Thevran", the Commander said somewhat awkwardly. "Whatever you wish."

"Delightful! Come now, Petmaris, let's get onto the walls right away! I wish to see the Fog with my own two eyes", Thevran said excitedly.

"Yes sir, Mr. Thevran!" Petmaris squeaked, seemingly terrified at everything around him.

"DISMISSED!", the commander roared at the assembled troops, which promptly scattered around. Suvla watched as the commander, Thevran, Petmaris and his two Blemmyae bodyguards made their way up the stairs. He could feel a pit in his stomach.

"Well, ain't that something?", Voppo remarked as he walked next to Suvla. "Can't believe the local lord came to give us a visit. Guess he's curious as as anyone, right Suvla? Suvla?"

Suvla didn't avert his gaze from Petmaris as he responded to Voppo:

"Voppo, I think we outta keep our eyes on that one as well."

"Seriously? He looks like a weakling. How could he possibly be a threat?"

Suvla could feel the pit in his stomach getting deeper. He was feeling really uncomfortable, actually.

"I just...just trust me, ok? And don't think I've forgotten our earlier conversation. I'll speak to you later."

"Sure, sure, whatever you say Suvla", Voppo said as he walked away.

Suvla cursed as Voppo walked away. He had to get out of here...soon.

 

[Sir Supple]

No murmur. No sound. Only white on the ground
There creeps the thin silence along—
Creeps near and more near,—oh, so dim! oh, so drear!
Till I shiver, as one who has stood by a bier,
And the words die away in my song.
-Anonymous

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Suvla knew that he was dreaming. But that didn't make what he was seeing any less terrifying.

He was standing just outside the barracks, completely surrounded by The Fog. It stretched as far as the eyes could, having seemingly consumed everything in its path. Truly, Suvla was alone...or so he thought, at least.

"My my, what a dreary sight!"

Suvla spun around as quickly as he could, turning to face the mysterious speaker. Out of the barracks walked a lone figure, cloaked in a dark purple robe. Suvla could see that he resembled a Cynocephali, but yet their was something off about him. For one thing, his eyes were completely purple, with no pupil or iris to speak of. For another, his voice seemed to echo directly into Sulva's brain, and yet for some reason this wasn't the least bit alarming to Sulva. If anything, Sulva felt strangely reassured for some reason. Sulva merely grunted in reply to the stranger's comment.

"You know, it truly is a shame what happened here. Truly. If only their was some way to stop it..."

Suvla arched his eyebrows in annoyance.

"Yeah? What can one do against...against this?"

The stranger paused for a moment, before bursting into melodious laughter.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing, nothing my sweet Suvla. Nothing at all. You always were a bit of a doubter, weren't you?"

"What? How do you know my name? Who are you exactly?"

The stranger merely smiled in response.

"What can one do, you ask? Well, quite a bit more than you'd think, young Suvla. After all, to merely 'act' at all is already doing more than you've done, is it not? Tell me, Suvla, am I to really believe that you are as helpless as you make yourself out to be? Are you unable to act at all? Or perhaps you'll run away instead, fearful for own life? After all, you are a coward by nature, are you not?"

The more Suvla heard the stranger, the angrier he felt himself grow. He started to sweat and he felt his cheeks grow red with embarrassment.

"What? How dare you! I am not a coward, you hear me? I am not a coward, dammit! I AM NOT A COWARD!"

With those final words, he woke up in a panic, but not before hearing one last sentence from the stranger:

"Then prove it."

Gasping for breath, Suvla immediately checked his surroundings. Everyone was asleep, except for those who had night duty. Suvla jumped out of his bunk and headed toward the door. He needed some fresh air.

"Suvla?"

"Voppo? What it is? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I could ask the same of you. What happened? You have night duty or something?"

"No, nothing like that, its just that I...I"

Suvla hesitated. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to tell Voppo about his dream.

"I just feel like going for a walk, is all. I'll be back soon."

With that, Suvla rushed outside as quickly as he could. He grumbled to himself, angry at the way that he was acting. What was wrong with him? He started to make his way toward the walls, hoping that a quick walk my help him clear his mind. As he approached, he could see that the walls were as deserted as always. Only a few soldiers were milling about, most of them half asleep.

All except for a lone figure, who's back was turned directly to Sulva. Even through the darkness, Suvla instantly recognized the figure"

Petmaris.

What was he doing out so late at night? Suvla had never really liked those 'academic' types, but something about Petmaris made him squirm inside. Why could he possibly be doing all by himself? Suvla sighed to himself as he walked up the stairs. Against his better judgement, he decided to confront Petmaris.

"Hey, you're uh, Petmaris right? You alright?"

Petmaris turned to face Suvla, an unnatural grin spread across his face. He somehow seemed different from his last encounter...

"Oh, greetings Cynocephali. I am more than 'alright', I am doing quite well actually. I was gazing upon the Fog...is it not the most beautiful thing you have ever laid eyes upon?"

The feeling of discomfort that had plagued Suvla earlier had suddenly returned. Suvla could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he slowly approached Petmaris.

"Oh, uh, not sure I agree with that, Petmaris. Lot of other beautiful things around, you know?"

The grin on Petmaris's face began to grow wider...impossibly wide, as a matter of fact.

"Aaaaahhhhhhh, but you see, the beauty of the Fog eclipses alllllllllll that this realm has to offer. The way it swirls, the way it just floats about...is truly memoriiiiiiiiiizing, is it not?'

"Ah, yeah, I'm not sure I follow Petmaris. Hey, why don't we get you off the walls? We can talk about it on the ground, yeah?"

Petmaris ignored him as he continued to ramble:

"But do you know what the most beautiful thiiiiing about the Fog is, Cynocephali? The way it kills. To see it drain the life of its victim, sapping their strength as their anguished cries echo into the distance, its just...iiiiiiiintoxicating!!!!"

Suvla's heart began beating faster and faster. He could scarcely here Petmaris as this point, the pounding of his heart was so loud. It was ringing in his eyes, vibrating into his very soul. He managed to draw ever closer to Petmaris, barely able to squeak out a warning:

"Petmaris, you need to leave the walls. Now."

At this point, Petmaris's grin was so wide, it began to split his face in two. Black tendrils of smoke began to leak out of his mouth, as his eyes rolled back into his skull.

"Buuuuuuuttt of course, all of that, oh all of that wiLL PALE IN COMPARISON TO THE DEATH I AM GOING TO BRING HERE...starting with you."

A massive, black tendril shot out of Petmaris's mouth, speeding toward Suvla with complete and utter malice. Suvla barely managed to dodge out of the way in time as it slammed into the ground. By this point, Petmaris was shedding heavily, his fur falling off his body in great clumps. He was beginning to transform into some sort of horrible monster, some sort of terrifying demon. Suvla was cowering in fear, scared of his mind. He glanced toward the steps: if he ran now, he might be able to make it. But just as he was about to run...

"Then prove it."

Those words suddenly echoed in his mind. He knew what he must do. Turning to face toward the creature, he let out a might growl, as he screamed at the top of his lungs:

"I AM NOT A COWARD!"

Charging at full speed, he lunged toward the demonic looking creature with all his might...