The Reconnaissance Clock

CHAPTER 12 CATHEDRAL OF DISMAY

The touch of the Artifact pieces overtook their bodies. Vibrations enveloped them all over and feelings of euphoria took over. They felt like they were dropping off a cliff but knew that they were still standing still as they could still see the greenhouse around them, but barely now as it was shifting and falling apart now around them. Flel lost control of the touch that he had on the Artifact. Screams were heard around them and a voice called out to them, "You will be judged". He looked around him and saw the clouds moving too fast in a gray sky. The ground was covered in dirt and the trees around them were dead in what used to be a forest it seemed. There were people hanging from some of the trees, still alive, and pleading for help. The sky was a dark shade of purple and the ground looked metallic, but large cracks spanned across the ground under their feet. Prirmenha ran to them and tried to get them down but could not get close enough as she was barred by an invisible barrier from them. "Where are we?" asked Flel. "I don't know, it looks like the Dark Realm" Prirmenha replied. There was no wind but the trees appeared to be swaying as if they were alive.

The party of two continued walking with the crunching of the dirt beneath their feet reminding them that they were no longer in a world of their own. Flel reached into his pack to find that he still had everything that he had before, and the reconnaissance clock remained but fused together now as one piece. He showed it to Prirmenha and she grabbed it and admired it a bit. "It is odd that we were transported here, but I do not know how it works" she said. A voice was heard echoing across the forest, "You will face the trials that everyone faces upon death so that you will properly be judged". Flel muttered something under his breath. "What is it?" Prirmenha said. "What, you didn't hear it?" Flel asked her. "Nothing but the sounds of the trees creaking". "The Lower Creator talked to me, he said that we will face trials of judgement." "So, we must be dead..." Prirmenha said and pondered. She reached in her pack and pulled out what was left of the water. "It is full" she said as she looked at the water in the bottle, "It was almost empty before we arrived here. I just checked it." "This is mysterious. I think the Clock was compromised somehow" Flel told her. "It must have been." She said. Flel saw the ring in his backpack but stopped himself from grabbing it. I might not need it here. I don't need it anymore he thought. But it seemed as if it drew him to it. He still refused. They continued to walk and a castle like building stood at the end of where the line of trees met a field of freshly mowed grass. Once they reached the end of the trees, Flel pulled out the Artifact and looked at it as if there was some way that they could transport themselves back. He put it back in his pack and escorted Prirmenha across the field of grass.

The building turned out to be a cathedral. People were being tortured on both sides of where the building ended in their view. One woman was tied upside down and eating excrement and on one side a man was doing the same. The smell of feces surrounded them. Prirmenha hunched over and vomited. "It is as real as it can be" Flel told her. "It is real" she replied. They walked up to the gate leading into the building and Flel looked to see if there were any guards around. There were none. Prirmenha focused on the gate and pulled it down into the ground with the crumbling of gothic aged stone. The dust cleared and Prirmenha led the way now into the courtyard of the castle structure. "This is the memorial grounds of Saint Ramnarine Boodram. In the first war, she held off all of the hoards of High. You have met before" the Lower Creator exclaimed. It was silent for a time and Flel had time to get an arrow from his quiver which was surprisingly full now. Prirmenha loaded up her weapon as well and stood her ground. After the brief silence, a cloaked woman rose from behind a statue of a gargoyle in the courtyard. Her cloak was black and lined with red. She held a staff that had a yellow glowing jewel at the tip of it. It was clearly a woman because of the long black hair that was coming out from the sides of the hood, but the face was black as black could be. "Welcome mortal" she said in a voice that sounded like a computer trying to imitate a human.