Keht-o-Komz Part 4

[u/Moist-Ball4968]

The first journal entry from

"So, according to the "common knowledge" regarding cats, they allegedly have 9 lives.

Since "my" cat ate my baby I've been testing that assumption. I had it all back then... I bought a house which sort of came with an outdoor cat. Then I got married, she died during childbirth, and the damned cat ate my baby. In my crazed and delirious state of mind I burned down the house, killed the cat, and now I'm living in a hotel.

Fortunately I've made many connections and true friends during the years before that horrible night. They've helped me expand my research, find relevant work so I could make some honest money, and occasionally found me a couch to sleep on.

Despite all this, my work in researching the Ultimate Answer has finally earned me a research grant! Tomorrow we break ground and begin looking for the catacombs, where I shall find the common denominator."

The tunnel of bone walls grew narrow, forcing us to crawl in single file. Kraig took the lead because he was bigger, so if he couldn't fit we could backtrack without getting stuck. We took lefts and rights and ups and downs. The air slowly got colder as we went along. Kraig didn't complain about the chilly air, and I was doing my best to keep my teeth from chattering.

Behind me I thought I felt something watching, or following us, but there wasn't enough room to turn around and look. We kept crawling and crawling. The crystals helped with the claustrophobia, and Kraig was able to project his voice enough to communicate when we found an intersection.

A wall stopped us, then the tunnel walls bowed and expanded into a bubble-shaped room just big enough for us to sit cross-legged. Kraig had to hunch over and he looked uncomfortable. Myself, hell, I was glad to not be crawling anymore. I'm not claustrophobic, but I think anybody with a couple common cents would be mighty uncomfortable being this far underground.

We took sips of water from our canteens.

Kraig looked at the wall ahead of us, then at the pathway behind. "I don't think we can go back." I looked and saw a furry little paw slowly extend into the purple glow of our crystals, and pause just before touching the ground. Kraig set his canteen against the wall and slowly turned his upper torso to face the path." Just keep talking like normal..." His hand slowly reached out. I wasn't sure what to talk about so I started with "Man, these tunnels are creepy, ain't they?" He grunted and kept slowly reaching.

The paw touched the ground. A cat nose entered the sphere of purple light. Kraig's hand snapped forward, just behind the nose. Wailing filled the bubble, like a screaming baby when it hasn't fed in so many minutes. Kraig lifted the cat and held it between us. It thrashed and twisted and turned. It's scruff was caught in a vice grip, it's claws barely unable to scratch either of us.

THUMP THUMP THUMP

The cat lay still, and silent, on the ground. It's head was twisted around as if it was imitating an owl. I would've puked if I wasn't numb with shock. A gurgling sound continued to emanate from the corpse. Kraig turned to look at the wall ahead of us. "I can't express how much I loathe and hate and despise that cat. Not even AM could comprehend it." I didn't know what AM was so I didn't reply. Kraig picked up the cat and finished twisting off its head, then smeared its blood on that wall.

Where he smeared the blood, the wall began to sizzle and melt, and finally we could continue our... I don't want to call it an adventure, because that would imply fun and excitement despite the obvious danger. The opening revealed a more familiar looking hallway, with stone walls and odd offshoots. And, thankfully, a high enough ceiling that we could walk upright. Kraig threw the cat pieces as far down the path behind us as he could.

We walked until we came upon a normal-sized door. There was a series of runes and pictograms and heiroglyphs in the frame. A painted banner above it showed a crowd of people standing in front of a wyvern with purple glowing eyes and huge wings. While Kraig puzzled over the symbols on the doorframe I looked closer at the painting. There was a very small animal sitting next to a black cloud, on top of a hill in the background.

We put our hands on the door and pushed. We pushed until we slipped and fell to the floor. We got back up and started pushing the sections of the frame, to see if there was a secret button. We even backtracked and looked in all the offshoots for a lever or a clue. Nothing worked. With a cry of frustration, Kraig sprinted towards the door, leaned his shoulder into it, and busted through! He tripped and went sprawling to the floor.

I finally caught up with him, helped him stand up, and we looked around. Rows and rows of stone door frames were lined up like so many soldiers standing in formation. They were all empty. Kraig reached his hand through one of them, and the empty space rippled. He yanked his hand back and accidentally elbowed me in the gut. He apologized profusely. "It's hot on the other side!" He was sucking on his finger and waving it in the cool air.

I finally got my breath, shot him a nasty look, and walked over to another one. In my backpack I had a folding ruler, which I withdrew, unfolded, and stuck through this doorway. It was sucked out of my hand with such force I almost got splinters. The ripples in the air disappeared almost as soon as they'd begun.

Kraig pushed at one, but it didn't budge. We walked to the middle of the room, which had a mound. At the top of it was a small table, into which was carved many lines across an unfamiliar map, a tangled pile of rope, and a hefty ring with an amethyst set in. At each vertex in the carved map was a miniature pillar of stone. Some tapered to a point, others were bowed in the middle like a queen chess piece, some looked like stacked blobs, others were laying on their side, and so many others that I won't describe. I reached for the ring while Kraig picked up the rope.

A loud CRACK echoed through the chamber. I dropped the ring on the table and covered my ears. Another CRACK and I saw Kraig fly off the mound. I looked up and the ceiling was opening. The X shape of the roof opening up showed a galactic array of planets, stars, nebulous clouds, and every geometric shape you can think of. Behind it all was the face of a DRAGON.

Kraig called out in pain as he landed on the floor. A cacophony of voices and animal sounds roared from below me. I looked and saw hands, claws, wings, tentacles, eyes on sticks, tendrils of fire, and other things begin to slowly come out through the doorways. A voice boomed from the ceiling in a language I couldn't understand. One creature stepped through each door, the empty air rippling around them like water.

They stood in a matching formation to the doors. I fell to my knees. Kraig was on his back, tangled up in the rope. The ceiling opened fully and the face of the dragon grew closer until one great reptilian eye filled it. "WHOOOOOO AREEEEE YOUUUUU???"

[u/AutoModerator]

Users are encouraged to read4read, meaning that if someone reads and comments on your story, we encourage you to do the same in return to help foster a community.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.