From Out of the Depths

And up above, on the rocky shore of the mysterious loch, the assembled amazons waited to see what would happen. Not a word was said or a whisper noised. The only sound that was heard was the eerie melody of the Muse Women, floating upon the breeze.

~ khkhkhkhkh... klklklklkl... khkhkhkhkh... klklklklkl... khkhkhkhkh... klklklklkl... ~

And then the surface of the lake stirred and small waves began to ripple out toward the shore. A moment more and, as if due to some great commotion far below, the dark waters turned white with froth and a tumult of bubbles burst like a dead man's scream from out of the churning waves. And then suddenly the waters exploded!

And with an oozing plop Frederigo D'Honaire landed face first into the muddy embankment. The lake had spit him out.

Amazed amazons gathered around him, wondering if he was dead. For a long moment he did not move, but then his body began to jerk and twist and he began to convulse. His arms slapped about as his body spasmed and shook. His face turned a bright pink and his eyes bulged from his head. The amazons recoiled as if he had the plague. But smiles were on their faces. The arrogant man had failed the Trial and now he suffered the consequences.

It was to their absolute astonishment then when he suddenly choked up a huge, yellow and green chunk o nasty throat slime and started to breath again. And to make matters worse, the horrible and unnaturally large phlegmatic ejaculation shot through the air and smacked the Serifi right in the middle of her forehead. But wait until you hear the best part. The slicky slimy saliva slozenge turned out to be the largest, shiniest, purest pearl the amazons had ever seen. Good ole Fred had passed the Trial after all!

Fred sputtered and coughed and finally cleared his throat out. He rose up on his shaky feet and looked about him. To his immense pleasure he saw that the amazons were completely and utterly infuriated. His amusement however was short-lived for he suddenly found a machete pressed against his throat. And two women, each with machetes of their own, were striding up to him with eyes ablaze and snarls on their lips. They stopped just as they reached him, raised their arms and then struck downward with their deadly blades!

Fred jerked and the machete at his throat bit into his skin. But the blades of the two women before him found their mark not in his flesh but in the ground at his feet. The third woman, who held the killing knife across his neck, moved around and joined the other two. Her bloodied blade she thrust into the ground four times and then she flung it into the lake. The trio then knelt at Fred's feet and with their heads bent low they began to utter strange and unearthly sounds. When they were done they raised their faces to Fred, but their faces were now hidden behind stark and half-formed, oddly shaped masks. And for the first time Fred heard the music of the Muse Women.

~ khkhkhkhkh... klklklklkl... khkhkhkhkh... klklklklkl... khkhkhkhkh... klklklklkl... ~

What did this mean, he asked himself. Why did he feel so... How did he feel? And why was Queen Astra walking toward him? What did she have in her hands? What did she want from him? And why did his neck itch so much?

Astra held out a mask and Fred took it. It was white and almost featureless. Sockets had been cut out for the eyes and small holes perforated its lower half. Blood red slashes crossed it on either side. Without any hesitation he put it on. Astra paused, she seemed uncertain of herself, and then she spoke. "You have passed the Trial of Water. You have taken the first step. You are welcomed into the company of K'waLi. No longer are you shn'zu, now you are... you are... " Astra faltered. And then she mumbled, "If you were a woman you would now be j'san."

Fred suddenly lunged forward and tore the two remaining machetes out of the ground. Raising his weapons into the air he stared Astra in the eye and winked. "Well guess what your highness, you're stuck with me being a man. So how about, oh I don't know, if I can't be a j'san I guess I'll just have to settle with being..." Fred cocked his head to one side and his eyes suddenly had an odd glint in them. "J'SON!" Fred shouted out the word like a call to arms, a challenge to the gods. And the ancient, wizened Serifi blanched at his voice and trembled. But only for a moment. And when the moment had passed her face once more took on the strict and terrible visage that her people knew so well. But deep inside, where none would ever venture, a part of her was suddenly very, very afraid.

1. The amazons were dumbstruck

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree