OF THESEUS

I was still frozen in shock as I tried to compute both her words and the situation this I just thrusted myself into. Breath Ade. You have gone through worse. You have seen worse.

My breathing steadily got into control, and the pain from my aching head faded. Indeed I had seen worse, I should fulfill the reason I risked my life to come here.

Saving a life.

Time to be a hero Ade, look at what is in front of you, and see what you can do to effect changes. I mentally punched myself and looked critically at the woman.

Well, as torture goes, this one was pretty unique. The stages and the props used for her torment seemed to convey a particular message.

for one, the form of torture used. It was not necessarily the icy water from the coldest depth of hell that hurt her, it was the blue flames that resided below her skin.

Was she like me?

She did not perish when her body was destroyed, but those chains made sure she was made whole everytime she was destroyed.

something seemed off about her method of torture, I could not place my finger on it.

Oh well, I have been thrust into a world of gods and monster, I should be getting used to the madness by now. I still had much to learn and discover.

But actions speak, and thoughts are silent.

I hurried to her side my footsteps ringing like bells on the floor, even kneeling she towered above me with about two feet or more, and I was a glorious 6'7. I guess even in this fantastical new world size matters!. why else do everything have to be at monumental proportions?.

A single blue eye stared at me through the shaggy mops of hair that covered her face.

"By all that is holy, a Nephilim still roams the planes"

Her voice when she was not screaming was sweet, like honeyed water, I could see myself listening to her for hours, lost in that auditory bliss. I swallowed literally pinching my legs to break me out of the mental lock her voice just placed me into. I didn't think there was any magic being used, it was just the most wholesome voice I have heard in my life.

I scratched my head as I grinned in what I felt was in a foolish manner " um.. Lady, I don't know what you mean, but lets focus on what's is important now. how do I free you?".

I observed the chain, it was thick, and the black miasma flowing through the links like ink, made me wary of even touching it.

She cocked her head " This chain feeds on my life Blood, take it out of me"

I peered at the length of the chain, tracing the ends that disappeared into the darkness. I don't know where those led, so I could only focus on the links wrapped around her body, especially the ends in her neck.

I tentatively touched the chain with a finger, I felt nothing but a slight chill. "hmm.. That's surprising". I wont be surprised if i had turned into a six limbed toad by touching it, my day could not get any weirder. A slight chill was a cakewalk.

Pulling my hand away left that digit behind. My hand shrivelled and it spread to my elbows before the degradation stopped.

I gazed at my arm in horror, my missing finger on the chain was assimilated and the chain glowed silver for a while.

A part of me hoped my hands would heal, after all this body of mine was far from normal, it did not heal, that slight thought of hope vanished.

the only consolation I had was the arm was still barely functional, I moved it and it shifted jerkily, it was slow to respond to my thought. Every command I gave my arm replied after a moment of lag.

"why the delays Nephilim, free me this instant"

Maybe torture causes cognitive dissonance?. Did she not see my arm?. To see the stark difference between healthy flesh and whittered arm filled me with a sense of gloom, I addressed her through gritted teeth "gee... Tough crowd!"

I was beginning to feel a slight irritation, but seeing how she had been tortured for gods know how long. some slacks can be given for bad behaviour, however I was not going to destroy my body for some mini giantess I did not know.

Some risk was acceptable in the name of goodwill, but destroying myself was pathetic, when I couldn't make a difference.

Like an ant, trying to stop a charging chariot. Futile!

I was beginning to reconsider my options, this was a very bad idea, I was toying around forces I could hardly comprehend, just the cry of this giant was tearing my body apart. what could have driven me to think I could help in this situation at all?. I was a normal seventeen years old dude, I had no business here.

" I want to see my father again"

I backed up , as another wave of cold was about to pour down, in a while the giant was frozen, but this time, when her body exploded she did not scream, only moaned. Even while her body was being horribly stiched together.

I banged my head with both my fist, trying the ignore the wooden response my desiccated arm transmitted to me. What was I doing?.

As far as I knew I was dead, my body destroyed in the stomach of a bultigin.

I was dead, I should no longer try to escape that fact.

I have been trying to normalise my experience. But this reality in which i was seeing my dead parents and baba, wasn't one where normality was assured.

This world is different, it played by different rules, and i could not hide inside my head, even if the action was a wrong one i had to always move forward.

Where's the fun in being dead, if we carry with us all the fears of life.

In life, as an ant, i wouldn't even consider the thought of stopping a chariot, but as a dead ant.... haa, I could at least try!.

what was the worst that could happen?... I summarily buried the host of replies from the thinking part of my mind.

I had left the mortal coil, I should be more daring, but not stupid, men conquered the world not with their fist, but with tools.

Let's take this process a step at a time.

I called out, " hey, lady. What can I call you?"

She paused for a while, apparently in thought.

"My foul name does not deserve to be spoken by your hallowed presence, O Nephilim"

"um.. Yeah,then you should call me by my name __Ade"

The lone eyes I could see twinkled "It would be my honour"

Sigh... " any idea where I can find something to cut your chains with" I showed her my desiccated arm " My dad went for milk. Didn't return... So my diet is clearly lacking".

Bite me folks, when it came to humour. I am clearly your guy.

She replied "the chains cannot be cut".

Well that leaves me with fewer to no option.

" it can only be pulled".

I am all for helping but I could not turn myself into sun dried roadkill. I touched that chain for a moment and my arm could compete in a mummys beauty contest, no way was I thinking of holding the chain with both my arms.

Apparently reading my thought she said, "you were only broken because you left the chain, until it is taken away from my lifeblood, it would ever sustain itself. It is a thing of greed and will only punish you when you leave it"

I looked at her, and tapped a beat on my desiccated arm with my good hand, the wooden sound sickened and fascinated me. Okay, if I got this right, I should be able to pull the chains from her body without destroying myself if I do it all in one go.

I remembered when I touched the chain it just felt cold, until I took my hand away, that was when I was invaded by the miasma. Could I trust her words?..

I laughed mockingly to myself, everything here in this place could destroy me, if there was a chance I could save this woman from a life of torture, by risking my soul, then it was worth it!. I did not have much to lose anyway. Or much to look forward to.

Thinking more about it was useless, I realised I had already made my decision.

"Please hold on for a while". I backed away, even with a single eye, i could see her panic. I gestured to her that I was not leaving by pointing to the circular hartch, she nodded. A new wave poured down, and again she did not scream when her body was taken apart.

My ears and sanity appreciated her effort.

" well she has played her part, its my turn now"

I licked dry lips, and braced myself, cleared all distracting thought from my mind, walked to her and held the chains, my fingers gripping between the links that penetrated her neck on both sides... It was freezing, and as I earnestly watched my hands, I saw no sign of destruction, I breath out in relief.

I angled myself to rest most of my weight on my arms, adjusted my footing and pulled. For a long horrifying moment if I was making any difference I did not feel it.

I gritted my teeth, my limits only exist in my mind, here my body would follow my will, and now what I wanted, no needed was for my body to pull this chains!.

A slow cry came from my mouth as I pulled harder, I felt a give!.

I nearly let go in elation before cold reason covered me. Doing so was consigning myself to a fate worse than death..... A Mummy!.

"Heave oh! Heave oh!" I am a pirate!. I yelled croakingly.

Don't look at me like that, I have to get my motivation somewhere dammit, and I see no one else pulling their weight around here.

slowly I felt the chain giving more and more, but a coldness had begun to travel up my arms into my body, and the deep recesses of my mind was telling me I had about thirty more seconds before the floodgates of icy hell was unleashed.

"I can do it... I wont let go, i needed only to pull a little more...."

" Its nearly done!" the elated voice of the woman cried out. I felt extra pumped up as I released a visceral roar and poured more of my self into the task.

A cry of shock abruptly wailed behind me.

"STOP IT, DO NOT RELEASE THAT BEAST"

Confused I turned behind me, my eyes had been closed all this while, when I was putting my all into tugging the chains, a lady with blue hair was at the opening, looking down at me in anger.

what did she mean?.. I was answered by a barely suppressed giggle from the kneeling woman I had been straining to set free.

I felt a load bear down on my chest, and I did not want to turn to that voice, and I briefly wondered at that moment why my only thought was that of disappointment.

"You have done well, child" a clawed hand seized my head, as a multi limbed spectacle unfolded itself in front of me "you are almost done, free me and I will devour your soul without pain!"

Sigh..."shit, I can't catch a break"