Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Add Reply
City of Knives; Prologue- Runnin' With the Devil
Topic Started: 14th May 2007 - 06:28 PM (215 Views)
daemonic badger
Member Avatar
Veteran/OAP
:D Hey all, been a long time since i last wrote fluff, but recently broke the writers block and ive got a whole host of new ideas. This is a Prologue to a new series, which i'm hoping will eventually tie in with the Nemesis Crown. Hope you like it






Krill desperately licked the moist wall of the tunnel. The rocky wall was slick with the drip of a river that must run somewhere above the tunnel. The rat held his mouth open, desperate to get a drop of clean water without being forced to lick the wall again, which was sprouting a curious type of mould that looked dangerously putrid to Krill.
He was weary and hungry, but he could not stop for long, he needed to reach the upper tunnels, he needed to warn the clan. The Stormvermin had long ago discarded his armour; the need for speed hand long overtook the need for security. If he fell prey to the abominations that dwelt this far beneath the surface, then armour would only delay the agony.
Krill waited in desperation as a drip slowly formed on the stalactite creeping through the gap in the ceiling. Finally the drop landed on Krill’s parched and swollen tongue. The skaven quickly spat the water out in disgust. It was festering and rotten, too foul for even Krill to force down his dry throat. Sobbing in despair, he decided to move on, as soon as he got back into familiar territory there’d be time for water, maybe even a tankard of Skavenade.
Not a week ago he’d led a small expedition of maybe of two score- a dozen fully trained Stormvermin, the rest Clanrats- down into the deepest tunnels of Clan Mortskrik. The Clan was once a dozen times bigger and more prosperous than it was nowadays, and it’s empire had stretched much further into the earth, but nowadays only a fifth of the tunnels were still in use.
Rumours had spread like wild-fire when rats had started to go missing. Some turned up, festering, putrid corpses, but the rest were never found. Out of all the rats under his command, he was the only one left. He shook of the nasty memories and focused on the task ahead. From the decrease in temperature he reckoned he was not far from the inhabited tunnels, an hour or so, no more.
His pursuer, or pursuers, couldn’t be more than a league of tunnels behind him. The Stormvermin could have sworn he’d heard the faint sound of unhinged laughter when he’d stopped for water, but maybe it was just his imagination. Down here, they said your minds played tricks on you. It was unnatural for a skaven to be scared of the dark, but he found himself longing for the revealing light of the man-thing’s sun.
Soon Krill found himself short of breath, but he kept moving. Fear was a powerful motivator. A nervous sweat broke out under his thick black fur. He stopped to rest against the wall. Suddenly his throat tightened. Unmistakably, a howling gale of sinister laughter echoed in the distance. Pounding his fist against the wall, the rat hurried on.
There was more than one of them he realised, with a sickening sensation. Howls of delight were followed by bouts of insane laughter, and they were gaining, he could already here the foot falls of the pursuers, at least a score of them. The tunnel was widening now, a sure sign he was near the Main Tunnel. Maybe he could make it after all.
Krill glanced up ahead, and in the darkness his keen eyes spotted a festering pool of slime. Krill noticed it too late however and slipped and fell, landing awkwardly on his wrist, and cracking his head. He momentarily blacked out. Luckily, Krill quickly came round. The rat wiped the rotten mess off of his face with his uninjured paw. He spat the vile substance out of his mouth.
The maniacal sounds drifted ever closer down the endless maze of tunnels. Krill dragged himself further up the tunnel. He had to keep moving. Gradually he inched himself forward. Slowly regaining his strength he attempted to stand, but his legs jarred and buckled, and he fell to the floor.
Suddenly a hairy, rotting foot slammed down on his throat. Krill couldn’t see his captors, and he’d no idea how they’d managed to sneak upon on him. The pressure on the nape of his neck lessened slightly, and he managed to spin onto his back. His eyes widened at the monstrosity leered at him.
Half of the monster’s face was covered in boils, most of the skin and fur was peeled away, ravaged by disease, his eyes were delirious with fever. The thing was gigantic for a skaven, and his fur was pale and lank. It was then he noticed that the tunnel behind was crammed full of similar abominations, all laughing and chanting as insanely as the one who was slowly crushing Krill’s windpipe. A silly giggle escaped the rat’s lips, as green spittle frothed from his lips.
“My, my…” the thing drawled, showering Krill with bloody, diseased phlegm. “What have we here my pretties…” Krill could barely make out what the creature was saying beneath the layers of drool. The monster grabbed Krill by the scruff of his tunic and hauled him up, baring the gruesome wounds which lay ravaged and festering across the right side of his face. He turned to face his army of lunatics. “What do you think... give our little gift to Mr. Knife…” Krill noticed a menacingly rusted, discoloured knife that curved cruelly and sharply, “Or give him a little kiss?”
Krill tried to avert his eyes form the horde of monstrosities that stretched back as far as he could see. The one nearest the front of the mob let out a chilling howl. Judging by the ket black cloak that limply hung onto his sore-ridden shoulders, he must have once been Eshin. “Kiss!” the thing shrieked, gurgling with delight. Turning back, the monstrosity leaned in and breathed directly down his throat, drowning his breaths, crushing his lungs, and sweeping a thousand different invading diseases into his body. Krill’s body collapsed from the ferocity of the attack. The last thing he saw was the beast screaming with laughter, and then, darkness.



Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Morgoth
Member Avatar
The Ancient Evil

Yikes............disgusting
Bravo ;)
Greetings from MorgothPosted Image Mostly Clan Eshin, occasionally Clan Husk.
Proud keeper of the Poking Stick of Doom, known to many a RPG-player Posted Image
Quote:
 
SingTheScreams:   "....we ain't no chaos-worshipping freaks. We be ratmen, and we do as we please......"

----- Posted Image Posted Image Posted Image
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Plagress
Member Avatar
Clanrat
:huh: Ok?
Life is like a bolt of lightning. Short but our stories continue live on without us even when the world comes unto the end.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Warlord Bloodfang
Member Avatar
Officially Awesome
Ooooo very atmospheric. Like the monsters, makes me want to see a model done of one.
Clan Bloodfang
Capre Jugulum: Vampire Counts Army
My Custom Doomwheel
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
SneakyRodent
Member Avatar
Claws of the Horned One founder member

Poor Krill! For a moment I was in the Ulricsberg tunnels all over again!

Nicely done badger, and great to see you back in the writing groove again. Hope you can keep it up!
Grey Seer Skritchit
Lord of the Ulricsberg
Clan Virulus
Holder of 'Best Post' Award 2007 here
Took part in the glorious Lords of Decay Revolution of April 1st 2012

The complete works of SneakyRodent can be found here

.:WarWolt The Mad Engineer:.
 
Sneaky is Sneaky, why is the sky blue?
[/size]
Quote:
 
We've got a psychic creeper, a tactical master, and a liar who talked himself out of an execution.

(Scrivener on the Scum And Villainy2 characters of me, DamnedPrince and himself)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
daemonic badger
Member Avatar
Veteran/OAP
Thanks for the comments

@Plagress- i hope a lot of this will be explained in further installments.

@Blood-fang- cant promise a minature, but if i ever get the chance, id be happy to try and draw one up :)

@Sneaky- Guess it does a bit, but ill try not to fall into that cliche ^_^
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
« Previous Topic · Fan Fiction and Fluff · Next Topic »
Add Reply