SWNOVELS Chapter 10: Legend of the Vendo
Forty-five minutes later, Josephine led Enoch, Nemesis, Tau, Assad, Kusanagi, and the leaders of each faction Hannibal had gathered from the four corners of the caverns to the eastern edge of the Red Tower’s roof. Kusanagi substituted for Corso as the leader of the Cushites since he was still engaged with the Stygian operation to take the Emperor’s fleet. With them came Hannibal’s original team along with Hannibal’s personal guard given him by Nicodemus led by Joshua. General Gulez, Horace, Carver, Tyr, Kida, Elle, Electra, Anastasia, Myra, Izanami, Althea, Tala, Suko, General Hadiff, and Col. Commora were also present. As they approached, they all saw Hannibal standing at the edge of the Tower looking east over the Sea of Calui with his back to them. Off to his left at a distance of forty feet stood Aeolus, Argus, Tethys, Calliope, and Thantos, who watched him closely while Draco, Serge, Leila, and Samantha hovered to his right at approximately the same distance. Only Selina stood with Hannibal shoulder to shoulder, holding his right hand while looking out over the sea with him. A cool brisk sea breeze blew in from that direction, stirring both Selina’s and Hannibal’s long hair.
As Josephine approached with the leaders and witnesses, they all noticed a strange ominous air of dangerous power now emanating from Hannibal as he stared out over the waters. Moments later, they heard both him and Selina humming Grimm’s Requiem softly in deep alien tones that caused everyone who heard it some pause. When they got within fifty feet of the pair, Draco, Serge, and Aeolus looked to the crowd with a stern look that said not to approach. Draco raised his clawed hand slightly just enough to warn them to wait.
“Hold up,” Josephine murmured, holding out her two organic arms to restrain the crowd. “Something is going on. Lord Draco is signaling us to wait. I can also sense Hannibal is communing with some higher power. We best not interfere.”
“I can feel it too,” Assad agreed. “He’s seeking direction from the Almighty about how to proceed. If you listen closely, both he and Miss Selina are singing Grimm’s Requiem in order to quiet the chaos they’re feeling right now. Let them finish.”
“I agree,” Kusanagi concurred, “The Almighty is clearly instructing them right now. We need to let the Almighty finish His communion with them before we intrude.”
“Then we shall wait,” Tau stated, “It’s best not to interrupt such palavers. Do you agree, Master Nemesis, Master Enoch?”
“Yes,” Enoch declared, “I’ve seen Hannibal like this before, but this time, it’s different. Even though I’m not a sensitive like many of you, I can sense a strange force on him, which very well may be the Almighty as you said. After all, he can command angels and routinely meets with the great Archangels Michael and Gabriel...often time in a physical form. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. We’d best not disturb him. When he’s ready to speak, he will.”
“Master Assad and Master Kusanagi are right,” Nemesis confirmed, “We should wait until their meeting is finished, though I feel it won’t take long. I sense whatever is he’s discussing with the Almighty is about done.”
Up to that moment, Hannibal and Selina had stood still as statues. Their only activity was the almost religious humming of Grimm’s Requiem. Suddenly, they fell silent and Hannibal’s head canted to the right slightly as if he’d heard their comments. “Very well; thy will be done, Lord,” he whispered. Then with a deep sigh, he called out while turning to them with Selina saying, “Thanks for giving us the time to finish our communion without interruption, my friends. We both appreciate it. It’s okay to come closer now.” With that, everyone gathered closer, making a thirty-foot perimeter around him with Assad, Tau, and Kusanagi moving to the front next to Josephine.
“We thought it best to not interrupt your palaver with the Almighty,” Assad stated, seeing the sober, forlorn look on Hannibal and Selina’s faces. “I take it you concluded your communion successfully?”
“In a way,” Hannibal replied bluntly, “...but I did gain some wisdom on what to share and what to keep silent about right now.”
“That’s good,” Draco stated, “But you’re still deeply troubled by the events of the last few days. I think now is the time to share your troubles with us. After all, we’re here to help you bear this terrible burden. That’s part of our job here. We can’t help you bear it if you don’t share it.”
Harry suddenly burst into the semi-circle everyone had created around him, walking boldly up to Hannibal, stopping right in front of him as if confronting him. No one said a word as Harry stared into Hannibal’s eyes in a demanding manner. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Harry asked insistently, reaching out and resting his hand on Hannibal’s shoulder. “I was clear down in the gym when your insane howl reached my ears. I haven’t heard you scream like that since you woke screaming in Acheron after escaping the Black Fortress. What happened? What sick nightmare did you have cause you to scream as if you were being drowned in an acid vat? It must have been pretty bad to belt out like that.” The crowd of leaders rumbled in approval of Harry’s question.
“You heard that scream in the gym?” Hannibal asked with genuine surprise.
“We did,” Izanami called out. “I haven’t heard a scream like that since your dollification on the sex floor. Please, you must share this horror with all of us. You’re very powerful, but not powerful enough to bear it alone. Let us help you heal from this savage horror that has tried to destroy your mind. As Lord Draco stated, it’s why we’re here for you.”
“Whoa,” Hannibal breathed. “I had no idea my scream reached out like that.”
“It went further than the gym,” Nemesis growled darkly. “It reached to every corner of the Tower and even outside. I know for I heard the reports from the people outside. They heard a wail of agony echoing from the Tower like a tormented ghost. It scared a number of them.”
“It was more than that,” Anastasia intruded, stepping forward. “It wasn’t just the physical cry we heard, but the most powerful telepathic distress call I’ve ever heard. I honestly suspect every telepath on the island heard it. The moment I heard it, I came looking for you.”
“It went farther than that,” Aeolus rumbled grimly, “That telepathic distress call most likely reached to every corner of the caverns. I do not doubt even the Emperor heard that call. It’s vital you tell us what caused this most potent telepathic cry of fright and horror.”
“Oh man,” Hannibal replied with dismay. “This is bad. If the Emperor heard that telepathic cry, then it will energize him to find and end us. It may even allow him to track our position. He’s just that clever.”
“Possibly,” Draco stated thoughtfully, “But I think not. You were not aware of where you were when you cried out, so completely terrified in panic you were from this event. I could clearly sense this so your sanctuary remains secure for now. However, it will further galvanize the Emperor’s desire to find and destroy us all. He knows now you’re in distress and will not let the chance pass to exploit this event. However, do not let this shake your resolve. What you need to do is share what happened. All I got was a jumble of images of incredibly ancient ruins drowned in a strange desert with a sand specter bearing an eerily familiar looking crocodilian face trying to eat you. Please, share this event us. If you don’t, it will drive you mad.”
“He’s right, Hannibal,” Selina agreed, clinging to his right arm. “You need to share it now that the Lord has given you clarity on what happened. Tell them what you saw and who you saw.”
A troubled sigh escaped Hannibal’s lips as he composed himself. “Right,” he agreed as everyone fell silent. “All of you are right. I can’t keep this to myself...not now. At first I thought it was a dream or nightmare, but when I sought the Lord about this crazy event, He gave me clarity about this thing just as you walked up.” He paused, gathering his thoughts.
“What do you mean?” Harry asked, puzzled. “You’re speaking in riddles again. Just tell us what happened.” A rumble of approval again raced through the crowd of leaders, eager to hear the secret that caused Hannibal’s powerful insane scream.
Hannibal looked down at the stone roof of the Red Tower beneath his feet with an obviously troubled look, trying to find the proper words. Suddenly, his countenance changed, becoming very stern and sober, hardened as if he were about to go into battle. Looking up and around at those around him, his eyes blazed with a strange light as the spirit of the warrior king stepped forward. It was such a change that those watching wondered, even the drakens. “Right, Lord,” he said softly. “I understand. Give me the words to enable them to understand what I saw.” The breeze that had been blowing stiffly from the east ever since the leaders approached with Josephine sudden died. An eerie silence fell over the entire tower that seemed supernatural to everyone present. With a sigh of resignation, Hannibal asked everyone bluntly, “Who amongst you know of the Vendo and their cursed lost city of Vendikar?”
A pronounced fearful rumble raced through the crowd. Even Draco’s drakenite face fell with great concern. Aeolus grimaced and rumbled ominously, “I do, and I suspect every elder, sage, and prophet here knows that abhorrent cursed species, especially Lord Draco since he’s had access to Lord Cerrelius and the Archives he oversees. No one speaks of them, who the myths of my youth say their foul existence goes back to the very beginnings of life on this planet...that they were a vile species who were not of this world initially. Even wilder and more exotic legends suggest they may have been brought here by the Etherian conquers as one of their slave species to maintain and operate their great god machines. Yet it’s hard to determine the truth of those wild legends so ancient they are.
“Yet, even in the early days of the 1st Age of humanity, the Vendo were considered as great a threat as the Dark Gods themselves, protecting their territory and secrets with lethal force and impossible power. Even the Dark Powers shunned them for they were as vengeful against them as they were against the human species, and any species who tried to intrude on them. Those who encountered them met with a grisly fate with inevitably one survivor being allowed to escape to spread the warning not to meddle with the Vendo. Of course, those survivors were cursed with a mysterious insanity and they inevitably died in a most gruesome and bloody manner, torn apart and consumed by some invisible monstrosity in a very public manner some time span after their escape, as if it were to be a warning to all not to speak or intrude on them. That’s what I recall of the black and cursed Vendo. Lord Draco may have more information about them since he has access to Lord Cerrelius and the Archive of History that you’ve already seen. Am I correct in this, Lord Draco?”
“You’re correct, Aeolus,” Draco growled darkly, “And you’ve given a very good synopsis of the legends and myths of the hated and cursed Vendo. The only thing I would add is to confirm this abhorrent species was a bipedal humanoid crocodilian alien species with as great a knowledge of the Elemental Earth and Universe as we drakenites do with an even deeper knowledge of the blackest arts of the Etherians, Chaos, and the Void that they used with impunity to guard their dark secrets. Beyond that, I can tell you no more because Lord Cerrelius forbade me from seeing much their black history. Only by the order of the Almighty Ancient of Days Himself can anything else be divulged about the cursed Vendo.”
“You speak the truth, Lord Draco,” Assad declared grimly. “No species is allowed to know beyond what you and Master Aeolus have already shared. The Almighty is telling me this as I speak. However, it seems that Lord Beowulf has had some encounter with them maybe even in this thing that woke him screaming like a maniac. He needs to tell us what happened and why he asked us about the cursed Vendo and their forbidden city.”
“Indeed,” Enoch agreed, “I know nothing of these Vendo beyond what the archives here in the Red Tower have said about them, which is basically what has just been shared. Hannibal, it’s time to explain yourself.”
A wry but sober smile crept across Hannibal’s lips. “Very well,” he conceded, “...but before I do, I will add that much of what Aeolus and Draco have said about them has indeed reached the surface. In fact, it was the dark legends of the Vendo that inevitably led me here to this cursed underworld, and all of you. Just ponder that for a second. These creatures are just as much feared above as they are here.”
“Now that’s very interesting,” Kusanagi called out. “Then that would mean these vile creatures have a much farther reach than we believed.”
“You could say that,” Hannibal agreed darkly. “However, after what happened today, I’m beginning to think we may have been mistaken about the true nature of these creatures.”
“What do you mean?” Tau asked bluntly, “Even the Emperor and those backing him fear the Vendo as much as they do the god-worms. The Vendo are a dark power even beyond their ability to control.”
“Indeed,” Horace intruded, walking up to Hannibal from the crowd of leaders, “The Emperor and all the previous Emperors have shunned the Vendo since before they discovered the Triaskus Spiders. Both the Vendo and the Spiders have an innate ability to resist every dark power and ability every Emperor has ever possessed, much like the god-worms do. However, the Vendo mixed the Dark Arts, Etherian technology, and the powers of the Elemental Earth long before the Dark Gods led by Lord Grimm came to this planet with his minions. No dark sorcery, technology, or elemental power conjured by the Emperors ever prospered against them. They could not be controlled or contained.
“The few Vendo the old Emperors ever captured either burst their containments, killing everything in their path to freedom, or died with their genetic material dissolving instantly upon death, becoming completely corrupted and unusable in any experiments. Furthermore, when they dissolved after death, their dissolving flesh became so acidic that melted even the hardest metals, ceramics, glass, and stone. Only a powerful magnetic field could ever hope to contain its corrosive nature. Even genetic samples they managed to take from them instantly corrupted the moment it was taken. In fact, I recall from my readings where the Cadre once tried to drop a live Vendo into the soup in an effort to get a viable genetic sample. The moment the creature plunged into the boiling caustic soup, it corrupted every drop of the soup and then caused the entire vat’s contents to volatize instantly. The reaction was so energetic it caused the apparatus to explode, vaporizing the entire lab complex. That event took place back during the middle of the 2nd Age when they had managed to capture a Vendo in a raid into the very deep caves while searching for an escape route to the surface. After that incident, the Emperor ordered every Vendo encountered annihilated on sight, for even their young can use not just their physical prowess, but also their dark abilities to destroy any perceived enemy. That’s why the Vendo have such a bad reputation. The only question I have is why you asked about the Vendo, milord. It reminds me of the time you asked me about the Azhidakar. What is this really all about?”
“Indeed,” Nemesis called out, “You need to tell us what spooked you so badly you screamed like a crazed lunatic.” A rumbled of agreement rose from everyone present, including the drakens.
“Time to tell the horrid tale, milord,” Argus called out bluntly. “We all know the tales and legends about the Vendo, but I can sense you saw something very disturbing to you in your sleep concerning these creatures. Tell us, and stop beating around the bush.”
“I will,” Hannibal insisted, “I just wanted to know what you guys knew about them. What Horace here said about them is most interesting and I’d like to know more. However, that can wait. It’s time for me to come clean about this.” He paused and pondered how to start. Then it came to him, and he said, “As you all know, I was asleep getting some well-deserved rest after what happened in Poseidia. My sleep was so deep I didn’t even dream, which is often when I get the most rest. Then something changed profoundly and I suddenly found myself floating over a ruined city of black stone in the desert on the surface, initially completely confused as to where I had been spirited away. I felt ethereal, ghost-like as I floated high above a cyclopean ruin even more potent than what we saw at Acheron with the sun having just come up in the east. As I looked around, taking in the scene, my heart fluttered as my blood went like ice water with deep icy chills racing down my spine when I saw three large bipedal crocodilian creatures in manufactured armor moving through the ruins towards the largest structure at great speed. They reminded me of some hybrid species of crocodile and veloci-raptors...gerats as I’ve heard them called by those living here in the caverns. The place reminded me of Solomon’s Passage, though it lay buried in a mountainous dune. Only then did I realize where I was.” He paused purposely, gathering his thoughts.
“Where was it, Hannibal?” Harry asked urgently.
“It’s a place I’ve been only one time before in my life, and never desired to see ever again,” Hannibal declared ominously. “It’s a place lost to the eons and cursed much like both Tiamat and the Path of the Ancients. However, this place was far worse and far more, even ridiculously ancient with a level of peril only topped by what I found initially at Tiamat when I first found it and down here in this cursed underworld. It was there that I realized there are places and secrets humanity should never see or exploit. I saw it and barely escaped with my life, swearing never to go there again, nor to tell anyone where it was or what was there.”
“Where was it,” Harry insisted, “When did you see this cursed city?”
“I was there thirty years ago...that’s cycles for those of you who are unfamiliar with our surface term for a cycle,” Hannibal stated grimly, “It was five cycles before the Lord dragged me out of the darkness, so when I last saw that evil place, I was an agent of the enemy seeking its dark forbidden secrets and power. Having seen an account of that forbidden city in a dark blasphemous tome of the most hideous dark knowledge and power, I followed its clues to the evil ruin in search of the forbidden dark knowledge and regretted ever having seen the account in that hideous dark book. There in the endless lethal sands of a place on the surface called Arabia I saw the secrets of the city, its inhabitants, and the ultimate secret hidden deep inside that gigantic subterranean temple.” He began to pale, sweat beading his brow. Swallowing hard, he said in a tone that betrayed an ancient horror of his past, “I might as well be frank. I saw...I saw the mummified bodies of the same creatures I saw in my nightmare deep in the temple. Then when I saw the gate in the base of that temple and what lied beyond, I went temporarily mad, fleeing what I discovered.”
“What did you see?” Assad asked softly, walking up and leaning down to look him in the eye while resting his giant clawed hand on Hannibal’s shoulder. “You can tell us. We will not divulge your secret.”
Hannibal grasped Assad’s hand resting on his shoulder with his, grateful for the contact with the ancient lionel. “I saw their home...a vast, seemingly endless phosphorescent abyss that glowed eerily like a glow-worm that should not have existed,” he said hesitantly, “The only thing I can compare it with is when I first laid eyes on Amacia where we came out from Stygian’s Way when it comes to scale. Even more than that, I saw living versions of the mummified creatures come up out of that hideous abyss and close the giant brass doors while I was being blown towards the abyss when a hurricane tempest of air rushed down from the surface. I honestly don’t recall how I got out of there. My mind completely snapped in the hurricane that screamed into the impossible gulf beyond the door. My next coherent memory is waking lying on the edge of the ruins with the giant temple far in the distance. I saw them. I saw living Vendo in that cursed city...the fabled black city of Vendikar that was obscenely ancient when the human civilizations of the 1st Age were just rising. That was thirty cycles ago. It still haunts me, and made me far more careful when I searched the ancient places afterwards.”
A hush fell over those present as if something dark and forbidden had been unleashed. “Merciful Ancient of Days,” Aeolus breathed, “The Dark City of Vendikar; I heard of it only in distant myths from long before my time. It was reputed to be the Vendo’s capital city. It was destroyed in a cataclysm long before the Kragonar, reshaping the planet in much the same way as the calamity that buried Amacia. Lord Draco, can you confirm this?”
“Not at the moment,” Draco stated grimly, “But I too know the myths you speak of. It may be time for me to take a closer look at the dark history of the Vendo. We find ourselves in the middle of a great conundrum with Beowulf once again being at its center. Beowulf, please continue with your tale. What you just spoke of I have already seen from our contact at Olympus. I’m sure Lord Tau, Master Assad, and Lord Serge have likewise seen this event when you opened your mind and identity to them. Get back to the nightmare. Tell us what happened after you saw the Vendo running to the temple.”
Hannibal sighed deeply, composing himself. “Well, after I saw the three Vendo running to the main temple and realizing where I was, movement drew my attention towards the primary entrance to the temple. I found myself being drawn toward the movement to the point I was flying towards it as if I were a moth drawn to a flame. I couldn’t stop myself as if I were a puppet on a string. In moments, I saw the source of the movement. I saw what appeared to be a human walking boldly up the stairs to the main entrance of the temple. Then I sensed an incredibly familiar and malicious dark power emanating from this thing that pretended to be a man.” He paused for a long moment with a deeply concerned look on his face.
“Who was it,” Draco asked insistently. “I can feel your trepidation about this entity. You have to tell us. Who would dare intrude so brazenly into the Vendo’s dark domain?”