D'Noss, Lord White and Speaker of the Triumvirate, Lord of the True Atlanteans, checked carefully before stepping into the glowing cavern. The man was no fool and he had not remained in power, relatively unchecked, for the past seven centuries without developing some skill.
It was not his honed sense of skill that warned him of this subterranean meeting place, however, with its deceptively soft and alluring blue glow - it was another of his abilities. Perhaps, this ability--one of the most beneficial abilities that his daily scramble to remain in power against beings far more formidable than he--was the most powerful that he had at his command.
Paranoia.
Many would not classify this as an ability, but rather, as a weakness. But many were those whose bones D'Noss had walked over to get to where he stood now.
"But it is this 'now' that has you so troubled, yessss?" The slimy, hissing voice sent a shiver up the spine of Lord White. The man steeled himself, however, remembering who he was - he would not let this fiend--this abomination--know of his fear.
"I can tasssste it." The horror said, running one of its two tongues over its yellowed fangs luridly.
"What do you mean, Zaar? Speak plainly. You know I have no time for your befouled riddles." It was the Lord of Atlantas that spoke now. It authority was plain on his alabaster face and it rang off the blue walls of the cavern around them.
"You cannot order me, D'Nossss... My masssster is greater than thou." The creature stepped forward, fully into the light, and the Lord White saw that this creature had changed even since he had last had dealings with it. It was taller, somehow, and it's basic form was unchanged: a horrible mixture of fish and frog, of water-breather and air-breather, of nightmare and horror; yet it had somehow become more abominable. It's body had been warped and twisted. The thing that was once a mere Deep One had been somehow perverted: it had eyes where no creature had any right to bear eyes. Its head was covered with horned tentacles and strange patches of horns and scaly armor had sprouted along its extremities. In one wicked, blood-stained claw, the thing clutched D'Noss's sole reason for being here: a sable blade.
"You brought it!" D'Noss hated himself the moment he'd said it. With that one foolish, emotional phrase, he had given this hated, abhorrent thing untold power over him.
Zaar simply laughed. It was a stomach-churning sound: a phlegmy coughs and liquid hacks. The twisted Deep One held the blade aloft. "Yessss, my massster hasss given me that which you ssssseeek. We have given you the blade that can sssslay your pesssky Pteroisian Guard. But firssst...what ssshall you give ussss?"
The Lord White knew he was already defeated. He would give almost anything to kill E'oth'ian, that accursed member of the Diluted Ones who plaged him so and threatened his reign. Once E'oth'ian was dead, then nothing would stand in his way of ruling Atlantis for the next one thousand years. D'Noss ground his teeth. "Name your price, fiend."
Zaar licked his dagger-sized, yellow shark's teeth. "No great cosssst. Ssssimply your allegiance and fealty to the Essssoteric Order of Dagon...."
It was not his honed sense of skill that warned him of this subterranean meeting place, however, with its deceptively soft and alluring blue glow - it was another of his abilities. Perhaps, this ability--one of the most beneficial abilities that his daily scramble to remain in power against beings far more formidable than he--was the most powerful that he had at his command.
Paranoia.
Many would not classify this as an ability, but rather, as a weakness. But many were those whose bones D'Noss had walked over to get to where he stood now.
"But it is this 'now' that has you so troubled, yessss?" The slimy, hissing voice sent a shiver up the spine of Lord White. The man steeled himself, however, remembering who he was - he would not let this fiend--this abomination--know of his fear.
"I can tasssste it." The horror said, running one of its two tongues over its yellowed fangs luridly.
"What do you mean, Zaar? Speak plainly. You know I have no time for your befouled riddles." It was the Lord of Atlantas that spoke now. It authority was plain on his alabaster face and it rang off the blue walls of the cavern around them.
"You cannot order me, D'Nossss... My masssster is greater than thou." The creature stepped forward, fully into the light, and the Lord White saw that this creature had changed even since he had last had dealings with it. It was taller, somehow, and it's basic form was unchanged: a horrible mixture of fish and frog, of water-breather and air-breather, of nightmare and horror; yet it had somehow become more abominable. It's body had been warped and twisted. The thing that was once a mere Deep One had been somehow perverted: it had eyes where no creature had any right to bear eyes. Its head was covered with horned tentacles and strange patches of horns and scaly armor had sprouted along its extremities. In one wicked, blood-stained claw, the thing clutched D'Noss's sole reason for being here: a sable blade.
"You brought it!" D'Noss hated himself the moment he'd said it. With that one foolish, emotional phrase, he had given this hated, abhorrent thing untold power over him.
Zaar simply laughed. It was a stomach-churning sound: a phlegmy coughs and liquid hacks. The twisted Deep One held the blade aloft. "Yessss, my massster hasss given me that which you ssssseeek. We have given you the blade that can sssslay your pesssky Pteroisian Guard. But firssst...what ssshall you give ussss?"
The Lord White knew he was already defeated. He would give almost anything to kill E'oth'ian, that accursed member of the Diluted Ones who plaged him so and threatened his reign. Once E'oth'ian was dead, then nothing would stand in his way of ruling Atlantis for the next one thousand years. D'Noss ground his teeth. "Name your price, fiend."
Zaar licked his dagger-sized, yellow shark's teeth. "No great cosssst. Ssssimply your allegiance and fealty to the Essssoteric Order of Dagon...."
Story and Characters: (c)/by Brannon Hollingsworth
#MMWW, #Makes, #Me, #Wanna, #Write, #BrannonHollingsworth, #Atlantis, #HPLovecraft, #DeepOnes, #EsotericOrderOfDagon, #DNoss, #Eothian, #PteroisOrder, #Undiluted, #Pure, #AtlantianCivilWar, #Zaar, #TwistedDeepOne
