Light In The Mists

Light In The Mists is the thirtieth chapter of Tales of Sheol'gotha:  Shadow of the Abaddon.

Synopsis
Valon, lamenting Imma's distant attitude recently, is left pondering the Death Door, as well as getting  back to the door despite its riddle, and the quandry of not returning to it until after defeating Abaddon, but not needing what is contained within if that were the case. Woken by Palus, he is drawn to look at a light in the fog near their camp indicative of a torch being held by someone. He is concerned and nervous as it draws parallels with his visions, but opts to send soldiers in first. Three go in, but they are heard being slaughtered and no one comes back out.

Valon resolves, against all opposition, to go in there himself and tells Palus that he must lead the legion. Soltas offers, reluctantly, after initially refusing and Valon states that he will need to stay to help the legion since he intends on taking Gryvel, leaving them without a trailrunner. Gryvel refuses when he learns of this, but Soltas does not offer himself again. Valon explains the vision but Palus dismisses it and goes for Imma who launches into a tirade against Valon which only serves to cement the prince's decision, and without assistance he steps into the Ebonmire.

At first there is nothing but the fog, but Valon quickly encounters the remains of the soldiers he sent in. Soon he also hears a creature which seems to be stalking him, walking when he walks and stopping when he stops. The torch seems to come no nearer, and Valon recognizes that there is a danger to him that he may not be able to face. He does not have the same energy from his battle with Surtur, and he opts to conserve his energy. As he progresses further into the woods he comes across a sitting figure looking down at the ground. A noise behind him suddenly distracts his attention and he turned to look, but there it nothing there. When he looks back the figure is no longer sitting, but hanging from a tree. Animalistic footsteps follow him again, and he runs.

As he runs he sees more and more of the hanging figures. As he sees more of them, he is drawn to the looks of horror etched upon their faces, and the more he sees the face the louder he hears the screams of their deaths in his ears to the point that it is everywhere and he can taste blood in his mouth. Opting to turn and fight at last, he twists and ends up falling down an incline, losing a sword on the way. Without a weapon he is practicaly defenseless, and as he recovers some creature charges him from the fog, almost catching him. As he looks he sees that there is a rope hanging from the creature's neck, implying that someone severed the cord to allow it to chase after him. Another attacks as he grapples with the first, only to be intercepted by a half-arachnid creature, larger and more misshapen, which bursts from the fog and seems to be attacking Valon, but it skewers one of the corpse-like creatures and drags it off into the Ebonmire instead.

Left with the one to handle, he chooses to run instead, going as much as he can until he hears tolling bells. Following them, he bursts into a courtyard and comes across a cathedral. Without concern for who is inside, he rushes to the door and bangs against it as his exhaustion takes him over.

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