Chapter 53: Twisted Life

As the gazes of the corpse-eye pierced through the coffin everything rattled and shook, the rocks, Miss Fern and even Doctor Bones’ bones! They all felt like their very being was being peeled back, that all their innermost thoughts were being revealed, in the case of the rocks and Miss Fern, this was less of a deal than it seemed, after all, the outer and inner thoughts of the rocks weren’t much different. They didn’t really think much. As for Miss Fern there was indeed a terrifying reality to her innermost thoughts, her darkest secrets, all the romantic fantasies she came up with in her head!

Apart from magic and such powers, there’s many reasons natural telepaths are usually miserable people isn’t there?

Now, while the inner truths of the rocks and the vegetable were fairly trivial, Doctor Bones had entirely far too many secrets and worries stuffed in that skull of his. Of course, when the corpsesight wormed its way inside, there was sound that was half horse-snort, half phoenix and all noble.

Abruptly, the gaze paused in its curious advance. Doctor Bones had he skin, would have been sweating heavily as he felt the owner consider if it was worth attempting to look further. The corpse-eye thankfully withdrew its inspection. It was however still staring right at the coffin.

-Our apologies, we have been quite rude. In apology we shall call forth a sanctuary for strangers to talk in peace- the voice like air of a cypt seeped into everyone’s awareness.

The eyes of the corpses flickered in different colours and some manner of obscure and arcane pattern. Ghostly echos whispered from the dead lips of the eye’s bodies and there was an instant of otherness, as if one had looked into a mirror and did not recognise the face staring back. From the outside, it was as if the coffin and the corpse-eye had both vanished, in truth they were in a sealed space.

-Talk in peace eh? Only after you decided not to satisfy your curiosity forcefully… now what was it, ah yes- Doctor Bones thought.

-Rocks, set the coffin into High Aegis-

-Eh? What’s that?-

-Defence? Well, that’d be-

-Here right?-

-Oooo shiny-

The coffin flashed blue, and an ethereal azure coffin formed around the coffin itself. Nothing more, nothing less. From inside the coffin, nothing looked like it had changed.

“Uh, did that do anything?” Miss Fern doubted.

The corpse eye however quickly put distance between itself and the coffin, but even so, for a moment a blue flame had scourged its outside.

-We greet thee in peace, voyagers who dare to brave Necrobyssal. We are a Child of Hopeful Dead Quplikhe. If we have offended thee, then we shall depart-

-Rocks, voice transmission spell-

-Gotcha!-

-Rolling Director!-

-Greetings in peace, Great Quplikhe, I am Doctor Bones. Your curiosity is forgiven stay we may speak a while-

“Uwaah, does it really get to stay, its really creepy and gross” Miss Fern whispered in complaint.

The dead of Quplikhe smiled.

-Then we shall be bold Doctor. What brings you and your fascinating vessel to this realm where all is at the end of ends?-

“Uwaah, all of those corpses are panting in expectation. Creepy. Gross” Miss Fern complained.

-Talking with this sorta thing is bad news- One rock muttered

-Spooky bad news-

-If it has so many mouths, why does it only have one voice-

-I’m never sleeping again, ever-

-The eyes are the worst thing-

-Eyes are always a bad thing-

-Yeah, eyeless is best-

“Aren’t you guys just saying that because you have no eyes”

-Keh, busted-

-Wait, the Director doesn’t have eyeballs!-

-He’s got glowy things though-

Ignoring the nonsense chorus next to him, Doctor Bones continued to talk to Quplikhe.

-We’ve come to heal someone, a dimensional sigil guided us- Doctor Bones said, seeing no reason to hide his purpose.

-Remarkable. So, it is illness you seek. Most are beyond such, hmm. We are interested to see your work. A sigil… many such cries strike out from this place. Fools who know not that they can flee no more. Still, illness and a sigil… Look over there, that thorny mass, does something strike you as odd?-

Doctor Bones’ eyes flickered over the scenery below as soon as Quplikhe mentioned it. Not much time was spend to find what was spoken of. There rising above the dead and broken was something like a tree without leaves, a castle without windows or doors. It was composed of writhing black bladed brambles. Many of the dead were constantly attacking it, eating it. One reason for this was clear. The tangle was constantly growing.

The other reason?

In spite of being in the Necrobyssal, the brambles were alive.

-Life in death, but you can feel it can’t you, the sensation of sickness. A disease-