DEONIDEAS: IN THE LAIR OF THE ONE-EYED GOD
Deonideas forged forward across the desolate wasteland. Far ahead stood the ruined towers his enemy's lair. The derelict citadel protruded from the ground like a cluster of jagged, emaciated fingers. It's walls bore the colour of sand-blasted bone - the same colour of the bleached landscape around it, which made it appear like a particularily large and hairy tumour growing from a patch of scaly flesh.
Eventually Deonideas reached the city walls, which were in a state of delapitated ruin. It was a simple matter to scale a pile of rubble and reach one of the gaping holes in the crumbling masonry. Having breached the walls of the citadel, Deonideas glanced outward from his vantage point. The city's construction was haphazard at best - buildings of both metal and stone crowded the ground below, leaving no room for anything wider than an alleyway. Precarious wooden structures had been grafted to the roofs and walls of the bulky housing.
The city was deathly quiet. long since abandoned by man, it was now the dwelling place of strange, half-formed things that crawled among the alleys below, fearing the light of day. And in the city's cold, black heart stood the fortress of the One-Eyed God. Three dark towers rose up from it's roof - decrepit stone pillars supported by jagged beams of iron. In the highest of these towers Deonideainaeodaiousa waited. The rooftops of the crowded city were close enough together that Deonideas could leap from one to the other. This would make it easier to reach the citadel - and this way, he wouldn't have to tarry among dark things in the squalor below.
The day wore on, and eventually Deonideas reached the walls of the citadel. He spied a reddened window set amid uneven blocks of basalt. Deonideas backed away as far as he could and took a running leap at the window. Deonideas sailed through the air like a boulder in a landslide, smashing through century old glasswork and masonry as he went. WIth a resounding thud, Deonideas landed on the floors of the citadel. A fel laughter echoed through the dark halls, and the voice of the cyclops was soon to follow.
"SO, Deonideas.. you found me!" his tone was boisterous and demeaning. "Come to pay me what's owed?"
"come out where I can see you, half-blind bastard..."
"you know where to find me, Deonideas." He spoke the truth. "I'll be waiting, with your axe..."
The creature's vile laughter trailed off. Glancing about the dim chamber, Deonideas located an upward staircase. As he ascended the blackened stairs, the decor of the citadel became slowly more extravagant. Basalt steps turned to boarhide rugs, then to fine eastern silks. The widened halls were bedecked with golden shields and mounted heads. Scattered among the floor tiles were barrels of aged wine and chests of carved gems. Deonideas cared not for such things - he was here on a mission, and had no mind for aimless plunder.
The graven walls, now studded with countless torches and candles, lead Deonideas towards a giant-sized doorway. Directly before the gilded iron door stood two marble pedastals, each one surmounted with a bizzare decoration. Deonideas was strangely intrigued by these pedastals, and stopped for a closer look. The decorations appeared to be human hands, preserved in wax.
"do you like them?" thundered the voice of Deonideainaeodaiousa.
In an instant, the fingertips of the hands blazed forth like candles, and Deonideas found himself transfixed by the flame, unable to move.
"They are the hands of glory, and you are trapped within their grasp!" the Cyclops shouted, clearly enjoying himself.
"THE HELL IS THIS?!" Deonideas replied, broiling with rage.
"Ha ha. They are the hands of murderers and traitors, preserved in enchanted wax! As long as they burn, you will never escape!"
Deonideas pondered this for about a second before exhaling sharply and blowing out the flames on one of the hands. Released from their mystic thralldom, he jerked around and kicked down the iron door. The chamber of Deonideainaeodaiousa was at last revealed - The one he had sought for so long was seated before him on an ivory throne draped in tiger fur. He was flanked by two solid gold handmaidens (the skill of forging women out of metal was rare indeed, and Deonideainaeodaiousa was a master of it) who bore incense and fine wine. Above his head, Deonideas's axe lay on a wall-mounted weapon rack.
There was a look of shock evident in the giant's single eye: "well, I can't say I expected you to break my spell that fast..."
"YOU SORCEROUS WHORE! I'LL HAVE YOUR HEART ON A PLATTER-"
One of the handmaidens advanced at Deonideas, only to be struck away by the back of the warrior's hand. She struck the far wall of the room with an echoing PRANG, and crawled away as blood-red rubies leaked from her dented gold face. The other handmaiden cowered behind a massive leather-bound chest. Deonideas approached the cyclops with fury in his eyes.
"NOT SO FAST, human!" he said, grabbing the axe. "you wouldn't want anything nasty to happen to your prized blade..."
"now you'd better put down that axe..." Deonideas said, raising a finger accusingly.
"I could make it into studs for my belt, or ingots for the forge... Or, I could give it to you... if you give me but one thing in return."
"WHAT?!"
"MY EYE!!" He roared, pointing accusingly at the eyepatch that streaked across the left side of his face.
Deonideas fumbled in his pockets, producing a cold orb of flesh stuck on a hoooked golden chain.
"Oh this thing? I almost forgot I was carrying it."
Yesss... give it to me!" the giant murmured, leaning his massive head towards Deonideas.
"you want your eye back? then take it." Deonideas threw back his arm and drove the eye, golden chain and all, towards the giant's skull. It ripped through the oversized eyepatch and buried itself deep within the socket from which it had been ripped.
The giant reared up, wailing in pain as Deonideas's axe clattered to the floor. The warrior, weapon in hand once again, left the acursed citadel.
He had payed what he owed. He had no more business here.
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Topic: THE EPIC OF DEONIDEAS - MANLY FANTASY FICTION (Read 19505 times)