Fiction:New Dawn/Kol Daren's House of Horror

Descent into Nightmare
Nelasa was a novice inquisitor of Khaxvis origin. She was aboard a ship alongside a battalion of Blood Dragons. She looked though a notebook she had kept with her, detailing all manner of details in her training. She had been with the Inquisition for two years and was feeling ready for her first assignment. Because her mentor was needed elsewhere, she had been paired with Zarlik, a more experienced inquisitor of Zazane origin. The cruiser she was on approached the planet where, several months ago, Kol Daren had attacked. However no-one on bard was truly aware. As the ship approached the planet, she headed down to the hanger bay where a squad of 10 blood dragons were waiting. Due to her heritage she stood visibly taller than them. They each looked at her with uncertainty as they prepared a dropship for descent. To hide her identity and protect her head she wore a gold-plated helmet designed to look like the head of a fierce dragon. Dragon-Captain Krallia, the senior officer looked in Nerasa’s direction as she checked her equipment.

Cralia - Lady, are you sure you are ready to be killing your own kin? Nelasa - ''Captain, these 'kin' of mine deified a madman, I will have no quarrels. How exactly was this world found?'' Cralia - Wide-band transmission, apparently something was going on that warranted them to end their enclave's pact of subtlety. Nelasa - Any idea what? Cralia - From the panic, maybe a cadre of Blessed Few, maybe something worse... Nelasa - ''There is something powerful down there... I can feel it.'' Cralia - Hm, good thing we have you.

The other dragons chuckled. The dropship descended and landed a few kilometres near to the fortress and when the Dragons emerged they were wearing their helmets when the smell of death hit them.

Cralia - ''My HUD's packing up signs of sulphur, methane and various other hydrocarbons. If this is correct, we're about to see a lot of death.'' Dragon - ''Hey sir, look at the entrance.... Damnation this place is a graveyard.''

When they arrived they discovered that the graveyards of Zazane on pikes surrounding the fortress had been picked clean of tissue, leaving only shattered bones and broken pipes. Nelasa leaned in and inspected one of the pikes; the thick black substance that stained it was consistent with Zazane blood.

Nelasa - ''Zazane blood... At oen point these pikes supported Zazane bodies, probably as a warning.'' Dragon - I thought Khaxvis and their traitor Zazane were good friends? Nelasa - ''I heard stories that many enclaves isolated themselves. I suppose this enclave saw the Zazane as a threat and strung them on pikes. Something's not right tough, these bodies were picked clean than something larger than the local wildlife. Some of them have been pulled down as well.''

Nelasa looked up and was drawn towards the front door. It was still missing from its hinges but something discomforted her about it. She called to the other dragons to follow her inside and they shrugged in compliance. As they entered however everyone dropped their jaws in horror to see that across the floor there were multiple bodies of large, once-strong, Draconis, ripped to shreds with their organs hanging out from their mouths, stomachs, and other parts that had been ripped open with such extreme force. One body has had its entire lower jaw ripped off and another with only a bottom jaw left atop its neck. Nelasa looked around the carnage and felt horrified.

Nelasa - ''I feel sick... These deaths were not by the residents, too brutal even by House Khaxvis standards.'' Dragon - You freaks have standards? Nelasa - It's what keeps us from being no different from animals.

Suddenly, there was a squelching sound as Nelasa's foot stepped on and crushed a stray, bloodied tongue. She looked down and cringed at the sight.

Nelasa - ''Urgh! Sacred clutches... it is like something reached in and pulled their entrails out of their mouths. Dragon - ''With your people's implants and strengths, it would not surprise me if you lot were capable. Nelasa - ''Most of us... this is too savage for th-- Those of high birth.

One of the bodies was fresher than the others, though looked as if dead for at minimum a month. Its rib cage was showing with several small, vicious-looking insects festering where the lungs were. Nelasa almost retched at the sight, she turned away as one of the dragons scanned the insects with his armour’s equipment.

Cralia - I thought you inquisitors were supposed ot be tough? Nelasa - It's only my first mission.... Dragon - This body was killed somewhat recently, give me a moment to work out what these creatures are.

Suddenly, they heard something fall behind them.They darted round to see that a bloodied body, partially decayed, had dropped from the ceiling where many other bodies had been left to rot and bleed, their bones torn and twisted to dig into the walls and ceiling to keep them up. Some of them had been impaled in murals of what were once revered members of House Khaxvis. One of the dragons looked up and could not believe his eyes.

Dragon - ''What in the void.... This wasn't simply a slaughter.'' Nelasa - Who would do something like this? Dragon - ''This place is a bloodbath. Whatever killed these people I... I dread to think.''

As they looked around, Dantarus, one of the dragons forced open a door and headed inside a security office. He worked the consoles in the room to uncover security footage dating back to the attack. He called Nelasa inside who joined him as he played security footage dating from May. On the video, there was footage of a large Zazae hybrid wrenching the door off the entrance before the camera turned to static and then later the image cleared to show the hybrid smashing the head of a Khaxvis against a forcefield from the outside

Nelasa - ''No... no no no not him, anyone but.. Him.''

Dantarus turned his head to look at her with curiosity.

Dantarus - You know him? Nelasa - ''Not personally, but i have heard of him. Shortly before Vokarus's death, he recruited a Zazane hybrid by the name of "Kol Daren". That's all I really know. Dantarus - There's footage here dating more recently, I'll see if I can bring it up.

On a more recent video, dated at least three months later, there was footage of Khaxvis, walking around mindlessly, drenched in blood with some of them having their wings broken or completely ripped off, before they all turned their heads to see strange-looking Zazane creatures leap from the shadows, taking them out of the camera sight. There was no sound to this file, but it was obvious that the victims subsequently suffered extreme pain before death.

Nelasa left Dantarus to search through the security files while she led the group into the tunnels beneath the surface. As they entered the tunnel, Nelasa and the rest of her group could feel an imaginary pain overwhelming their bodies, as if something horrifying had happened in these tunnels, the shortage of lighting contributed as what fixtures remained intact flickered from a power drain.

Cralia - ''Gah! What is going on? Team, add infrared layer when things get dark. We want no surprises.'' Nelasa - ''I sense much pain... and suffering.''

On a Knife Edge
The team headed down, as they travelled Nelasa noticed a bolted door that had been sealed from the inside and called for the others to cut it open. Priming plasma torches, the dragons set to cut a hole in the armoured door, which was covered in blood writing, though strangely it was repeatedly one sentence over and over. Nelasa asked for the team to give her room o read the text in high dracid, however the way it was written suggested that whoever did so was in extreme panic.

Nelasa – It reads “Drakon has abandoned us, our faith wasted and exploited; we ask him for help in our time of desperate need, he sends us death as his answer.” Dragon - ''At first I would have said this is karmic but... looking at the evidence I would say you people deserved better than this; A hangman's noose, decapitation or gunshot; anything else, not this.'' Nelasa - Is that sympathy for my former house I hear? Dragon - ''Drakon teaches that we are ALL his children. Usurper or not, some would agree this feud has gone on for long enough.''

After cutting a hole, one of them thrusted his foot, using the power enhanced by his body-glove to kick the reinforced door open to peer inside. The light was dim and they saw Khaxvis members who were laying down, seemingly sleeping inside the cold room, with no other entrance inside. The tema checked for lifesigns and called for them to wake up but they did not respond. They had all died recently, signs showing it had happened within the last week or so, and the Dragons could smell something lingering in the air; toxic gas, deployed from vents at the corners of the room.

Dragon - ''Damnation... Suits read secure, that gas will pose no threat.'' Nelasa – ''Gassed... Was it self-inflicted?'' Dragon - Better than dying out there.

He walked over to discover one of them had a holoimage recorder. Pressing a few buttons he turned it on to replay one of the more recent entries. A survivor wearing tattered clothes and possessing a pale complexion appeared as a hologram. He, was looking around the room after it had been locked from inside.

Tevatrus - ''This is...Tevatrus Khaxvis...Date is...I'm not so sure anymore...We managed to find this room, we figured it was the only place where...the monsters couldn't get us...Galicea! Stop crying...''

In the corner of the room, Nelasa noticed the body of a Khaxvis female embracing a child in a hug, slumped against the wall. Her lips were dry and her eyes were closed.

Dragon - Is there a recording to indicate if they were the ones that deployed the canisters?

The dragon holding the device pressed several buttons while Nelasa walked over to the body of the woman. The Khaxvis female appeared young, though she bore no family resemblance to the child she was holding, possibly another female's child who had suffered a worse fate.

Tevatrus - We...We don't know how long until dawn, but it wouldn't matter...The monsters outside, they've ravaged what hopes we have for food production...We were able to kill a few in the recent months, but for every one death...they gained around 20... Nelasa - If only we had come sooner! They might have had a chance! The bonds between us were strong... strong enough that this infant would accept her as his mother...

The device then played its final recordings.

Tevatrus - We...We may have a chance, if we're smart...But we...

He turned his head to see a larger Khaxvis forcing a child to his side with a horrid look in his eye.

Tevatrus - ''Aridakus! Don't!''

The video played on to show Aridakus attempting to do something horrid with the child, however several other Khaxvis managed to grab him and force him away as the child ran over to a young Khaxvis female; Galicea. She slumped down and cries with the child, holding him tightly.

Tevatrus - Insane bastard...

He then looked around as he heard a hissing sound, and then the holoimage displayed white gas being deployed from the corners of the room, from vents while the occupants watched in horror.

Tevatrus - ''This...This is not possible! No! No no no!''

They all turned their heads at the sounds of roaring coming up from the corridor outside, and Tevatrus turned to the other Khaxvis whispering to them to hold their breath, however as they did so the recording stopped, but it was clear what happened to them soon afterwards.

Cralia - ''It seems it was not as self-inflicted as we imagined. Damnation they could have held out longer.'' Dragon - What of the bodies? 2nd Dragon - ''We blow them all to the void. Antimatter bomb in the heart of the structure should clean up the mess.'' Nelasa - *comm* Dragon Danterus is the bomb where you are? Danterus - ''Affirmative, Mistress. I have the charge with me now, heading to your location.''

Nelasa nodded and peered outside the room, as she did there was the sound of footsteps coming from outside; slow steps. She ducked out of sight and peered to see A Khaxvis, with dull eyes, blank expression and his wings ripped away to leave only stumps at the top of his upper back. He was walking up the corridor, dried blood covered his teeth and lips as he shivered a little. As he approached Nelasa could hear him muttering to himself, his fingers twitched as he walked, somewhat ignoring or rather not noticing Nelasa. She stepped forward and grabbed his arms in an attempt to comfort him.

Nelasa - Can you hear me? Cralia - Nelasa is someone out there?

The Khaxvis looked at Nelasa and muttered more before he forced her hands away and fiddled with his fingers.

Nelana - I am here to help.

The Khaxvis continuously recited words and phrases that spoke of damnation, and tried to walk past Nelasa. She continued to try and step in front of him but to no avail. He turned his head and drifted mindlessly into the room, uttering the same phrase over and over; ''“Nothing will last forever. When the all-giving sun gives out its last beam of light, so too will it be engulfed, and all will be eternally still”''. Cralia drew her pistol as he recited the phrase one last time. He placed a gentle hand in a corpse he was staring at and suddenly, he wrenched flesh away from the corpse and dug his jaws into it, wrenching away flesh to feast on it. He was like an animal as Cralia looked in surprise. Cannibalism was not a horror to Draconis, however in most cases the cannibal had to respect the body of the dead. This khaxvis did no such thing and treated it as another dead animal.

Cralia - May paradise await you.

She fired into his eye, disintergrating a tube of energy through his head and destroyed a large chunk of his brain. He collapsed ot the floor with his mouth stuffed with the flesh of one of the corpses; Gralia’s corpse. Nelasa punched Cralia in the stomach as she seethed with rage. Bending over, Cralia looked up with a smile.

Cralia - ''I knew it, couldn't stay hating these animals forever could you! You just HAD to help them. He was lost Nelasa; a prisoner of his own mind.'' Nelasa - You killed him, he could have been saved!'' Cralia - I was being merciful!

Nighmare in Zazane form
As they argued, Dantarus peeked around the corner of the door into the room.

Cralia - He tore the flesh from her body like an animal. Dragon - Ah, brother, good.

Their relief was short-lived. To their shock, Dantarus's head was lifted into the air, seemingly never attached to a body even before peeking into the room.

Cralia - ''Okay.... something is not right.'' Dragon - ''Not right? Our brother's head is in the air!''

Dantarus' head was lifted via his spine, from a force above the door. One of the dragons muttered to himself and walked towards the door. He drew a broadsword as he closed on the arch. Suddenly, as he reached the threshold, a hand was sent straight through the Dragon's head, bursting through his skull and lifted him into the air. Growling and the tearing of flesh was then heard, before the Dragon's body was dropped, a large hole in his head. One of the other dragons began to seethe with rage

Nelasa - No no no! Dragon 2 - ''No... No.. Whoever's there I'LL KILL YOU!''

A dark voice was heard that recited the words "Kranndung", the same words the other dragon had muttered before being punched through the skull. The second dragon ran out and looked around to find the source of the voice.

Dragon 2 - When I find you I'll rip your skull out of your head, we'll see how you like it!

A very muscular Zazane-like creature with bony spikes piercing from its skin dropped in front of the Dragon. As it stood up, it rose to became clearly taller than the dragon who, with a fierce roar, plunged his sword towards the Zazane’s stomach only for it to grab it by the blade and rip it away from its hilt. It then grabbed the Dragon's head at both sides with him snarling and grunting. The Zazane gave a tooth-filled smile, saying "We'll see how you like it" before then moulding the Dragon's head like clay in his hands. The dragon let out a brief muffled scream as his head; helmet included, was reshaped and left limp. Cralia aimed her pistol and fired several shots only to see the Zazane leap out of sight. It left the soldier's body to drop with his head practically destroyed and his skull crushed. Nelasa was paralysed with fear; She had hardly seen anything like it and as she stood, Cralia cautiously walked towards the body.

Nelasa - ''That creature... Its mind was... so disturbing.'' Cralia - Notice how it could only repeat what we said? Nelasa - ''You mean like a baby learning to talk? No... Impossible...'' Cralia - This place turned to hell in a few months, and these Zazane were running around within a few weeks of Kol's arrival.

Another voice rang through Nelasa’s intercom; it was Zarlik, who had last been with Dantarus.''

Zarlik - ''Nelasa! Are you alive down there?'' Nelasa - We're alive, however we have sustained casualties. Zarlik - Same on my end, I had personally witnessed Dantarus' head get ripped away from his spine by some abomination that I don't want to call Zazane! Nelasa - ''We believe that same abomination came after us. It used Dantarus' head as a lure to kill one Dragon and then... reshaped the skull of another.'' Zarlik - Let me guess, it repeated what they were saying? Nelasa - Yes. Zarlik - ''I personally felt insulted after it looked to me and said "get the shyrak out of this place". I hate being mocked.'' Cralia - ''I can see your reasoning. Look, Dragon-brother Erivus' head was like clay to the thing. I couldn't tell if it was killing or playing, probably both.'' Zarlik - ''It had the mind of a baby, yet the physique of a monster. That...scares even me.'' Cralia - It scares all of us. Nelasa - ''We discovered some of the surviving Khaxvis became like the walking dead; trance-like state, slow movement, many of those in such a state had their wings either broken or torn off... I'm not sure how many turned to cannibalism.'' Zarlik - Do you think that the shyrak-eating scum Kol is still here? Nelasa - ''I'm positive. I can feel his presence even here.'' Zarlik - ''You say they have become like the walking dead, any signs of necrosis? Decomposition? We don't want another undead uprising on our hands.'' Nelasa - ''None, they simply acted like it. Emergent from pshycological trauma most-likely.'' Zarlik - ''I see. Well you wouldn't believe what I have found.'' Nelasa - What is it? Zarlik - Failed experiments, an underground corridor, possibly waste disposal, filled with underdeveloped, half-developed and even stillborn Zazane abominations, ranging from looking near identical to squid. Nelasa - Wait, squid? Zarlik - Elongated limbs and tails, large eyes on torso with no visible head, want to come here and see for yourself? Nelasa - On second thoughts I would rather not.... Zarlik - ''Well, what's our next plan of action? Carry on or get out of here while we still can? Care to call a vote?'' Nelasa - Dantarus was carrying antimatter explosives with the intention of detonating them in the facility's heart. Cralia - Since he lost his head, were you able to recover them, sir? Zarlik - I was able to retrieve one, if that. Cralia - ''Good enough. Nerasa has provided us with co-ordinates to a dining hall, can you meet us there?'' Zarlik - If I can live long enough then I shall meet you the—

The comms on his side were abruptly cut-off. Cralia barked frantically into the comm. unit to see if the inquisitor could hear her.

Nerasa - ''If we can't get the charges then we should try apprehending Kol Daren. Otherwise we— Cralia - ''We give the all-clear to glass the region. Nerasa - WHAT!? Cralia - ''Lady, you might be an inquisitor-in-training but I have had it with your sympathies. Any Khaxvis still alive is either mutilated or insane.'' Nerasa - ''I will aquire the charges from the inquisitor. The rest of you secure the dining hall. We know from the recording these things are killable.'' Dragon - Didn't it take a small army to take down one of them? Nerasa - ''We can manage. Blood Dragons are the best and Inquisitors take on armies alone.'' Cralia - Take a pair with you, just to be sure.

Nerasa nodded and two dragons headed towards the waste disposal chamber. They descended feeling cautious for any more ambushes.