Chronicles of the Wolf: Of Wolves & Spiders

Chapter 22

The inside of this library was quite something. Massive pillars, massive rows and rows and rows of strange looking plaques along the walls. There were these massive bookcases, with huge tomes, they looked pristine and well maintained.

“Why does it look like someone has been taking care of this place?” I asked.

“Because I have Mr. Behemet,” someone said that made me jump in place and turn around. I was utterly shocked. An old man stood right next to me. He had this great white beard and long white hair, He wore a white robe and a staff that he was holding onto to support his weight.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“My implant says he’s Osiris,” Walker said. “But it’s telling me your dead.”

“Well young man last I checked I am perfectly alive.” The old man said.

“Osiris?” I said. “Aren’t you the master of the after-life.”

“A lot of races name me that for some reason, master of death, god of the underworld, rebirth and of the after-life.” the old man said. “That I had married my sister, and I had been killed by my brother Set.”

“You are also supposed to have green skin,” Walker spoke out.

“Green skin, that is a new one to me.” The old man said.

“How do you know me?” I asked realizing that he had said my name.

“Lord Hanuman told me you were coming,” The old man said.

“Hanuman again?” I said.

“So, you did meet him?” Walker said.

“You still have doubt about that.” I said.

“I see you have not shown the boy the burden you have.” The old man said, and I stared at him intently. “Yes, Hanuman told me about that too.”

“What’s he talking about?” Walker said.

“Hanuman wanted me to confirm you have what he thinks you have.” The old man said, and I held my satchel close to me. “It’s quite alright, this is not as dangerous as you think it is.”

“But it killed a friend of mine,” I said.

“Indeed, it did.” The old man said.

“Very well.” I said after the old man extended his hand to me again.

I pulled my satchel off my back and put it down. I sifted through it pulled out the cloth and from it I brought out the cursed medallion.

“Woah,” Walker said in awe. “What is it?”

“The Rasiea Ruh,” the old man said when he reached out at the medallion and held it in his hands.

“My implant doesn’t even recognize this.” Walker said.

“Nor it shouldn’t,” the old man said. He looked at the medallion intently. He looked at it in several different angles, he felt its weight and seemed to feel its temperature “This medallion belonged to Lord Vishnu.”

“Vishnu?” I said.

“He is the preserver and protector of the universe.” The old man said. “This thing my furry friend is something that used to be used to transfer spirits.”

“Come again?” I asked.

“Fallow me,” the old man said.

The old man scurried much faster than what one would think a man who looked as old as he did. Walker and I had trouble keeping up to him.

“What do you mean that it transfers spirits?” Walker said.

“I mean just that,” the old man said.

“That doesn’t explain why that thing was after that,” I said.

“What thing?” the old man said stopping and looking back at me.

“This silver suited thing,” I said.

“He says he has seen an Eltanin,” Walker said.

“Hanuman did not tell me anything about that,” the old man said he looked gaunt and full of terror.

“Why are you so terrified?” Walker asked.

“Because, my boy, I do not know how those creatures know about this.” The old man said. “We star builders never encountered them, until way after.”

“So, you are a star builder?” Walker said.

“That I am, I might be the last one besides Hanuman.” Osiris said. “And there are perhaps others. Hanuman is desperate to find them all.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Something terrible happened in this universe a long time ago.” Osiris said almost in a mystical way.

“Enough, old man I need to know what you know.” I said.

“I am afraid that I can only told you certain things.” Osiris said.

“Why is that?” Walker said.

“Because you are not yet aware enough to encounter such truths.” Osiris said, he sighed deeply and started by saying, “You don’t need to believe me, but what I say is true as true as you are alive.”

“We are listening,” I said.

“Those creatures, the ones you call the Eltanin,” Osiris started. “To put it simply they are not from around here.”

“Well that is evident, even I knew that when arrived on my planet.” I said.

“Yes, you would think this, as they are as bizarre as they come.” Osiris said. “But they are more than just that I am afraid. They are from very far from here.”

“How far?” Walker said.

“I cannot give you that answer.” Osiris said.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because we aren’t even sure,” Osiris said.

“But why does my race associate them with the constellation of the Dragon?” Walker asked.

“Yes, it is there where they first started to appear or so people have claimed.” Osiris said. “But you start hearing stories of different parts of the cosmos. We even met peoples of the neighboring galaxies who said that they had seen these creatures in those parts of those, we even talked to some of the 76 different planets that we knew about had civilizations. They all had some story about these creatures.”

“Their leader is something else,” Osiris started, and I looked over at him. I wondered what exactly he meant by that.

“You have seen him too?” I asked.

“No, I have only heard legends of him.” Osiris said and then he looked at me with this look of surprise. “You have encountered him?”

“I am not sure if he is the leader,” I started.

“Describe him,” Osiris said.

“Well he was…I can’t describe him.” I said.

“Humor me,” Osiris said.

“He was someone who everyone listened to, he had this look to him like he knew exactly what he was doing and how he was going to do it and he knew that everyone around him would follow him no matter what.” I said.

“That sounds terrifying,” Walker said.

“Indeed, it does,” Osiris said. “Creatures such as he exists only occasionally. A while ago there was a leader of a planet not far from here, who got into power by selling his families murder to the highest bitter. That leader went on and amassed a massive following, people were convinced he was the greatest ruler ever.”

“What happened to him?” Walker asked.

“That is besides the point what I was getting at was the fact that they come ever so often.” Osiris said.

“And you are saying that this creature is one such like that?” I asked.

“Indeed, I am,” Osiris said.

“So why would he be after this?” I asked.

“You saw what this does right?” Osiris said holding the medallion in his hands and I nodded. “I can only imagine what that creature wants to do with this. Come now I must show you something.”

The old man led us through the vast catacombs. They all looked in tip top shape, like the old man had kept it for millions of years.

“Have you heard of Sati?” Osiris asked as we continued.

“The goddess of fertility?” Walker said.

“Is that what she was reduced to?” Osiris said sighing heavily and shaking his head. “She was my elder sister, Hanuman knows this full well and this is perhaps he sent you to me.”

“He didn’t send us here,” I said.

“Oh, then how did you come here?” the old man asked.

“I mentioned this place to him,” Walker said.

“And what made you suggest that?” the old man said.

“I mentioned the invasion of my planet, and he said that this place was attacked by the same creatures.” I said.

“That they did,” The old man said.

“And yet it still stands?” I asked.

“Well, lad, that is the gag, they think they destroyed this place.” The Old man said. “But as you can see, it is still standing…Ah it’s up ahead.”

The old man continued walking for a short while and then he led us through a very long corridor, he looked out of the corridor and motioned us to follow us. We walked behind him, and I was struck in awe.

It was a massive mural. All the walls were covered in drawings, it showed different caricatures, different symbols and different beings. I felt my mouth gape open as I looked around. The old man walked forward and started heading to a set of drawings.

“Come now,” the old man said.

Walker and I were still in awe, but he broke us from our amazement.

“What is this place?” Walker asked.

“This is the vision of the Kaliyuga,” the old man said.

“You mean the great strife?” Walker asked.

“Indeed,” the old man said. “This was drawn by my sister a long time ago. It was this that she foresaw for the next 437,000 years. Now there is something I wanted to show you.”

The old man stopped in front of a series of murals. It showed a drawing of a platinum furred creature, with pointed ears and a muzzle. It had a female with black fur in his hands and a creature with a silver suit standing across from him. I looked at the mural and then looked back at the old man, and then at Walker.

“That looks like you,” Walker pointed out.

I followed the mural to the next one. The next mural showed the silver furred creature appearing what looked like the Ides of Rho, he was standing next to Hanuman who had a golden cape flowing in the air. It was the precise way that I had gotten here.

“Hanuman brought you here?” Walker said excitedly when he realized what this mural meant.

“Against my will, yes,” I said.

I looked over at the next mural, this was of the silver furred and a small boy. The small boy was holding onto a silver sliver in his hand that projected a map. This mural was showing something that literally just happened. Then the next one showed the young boy and the creature walking through the arc seeing the city ahead of them. The next mural showed them talking to an old man, the old man holding the medallion in his hands.

“What the devil is the meaning of this?” I asked.

“My sister predicted you coming here,” the old man said. “But that is not what I was going to show you, I wanted to show you this.”

The old man moved several murals over. It was a wall that had crumbled. There had been a mural there, but that must have been in some long-ago forgotten time. It was either that or it was purposely black.

“An empty wall?” I asked.

“Look at that one,” The old man pointed at the mural just before that.

It was a drawing of the same silver furred creature and the boy standing in front of a massive spider. I looked over at the old man questioningly.

“That is the temple of Damus,” the old man said.

“Is that what this map shows?” Walker said grabbing the sliver and pulling it apart and looking at the glyph on the bottom right hand side of the map again.

“Yes,” the old man said.

“Why would we go to this temple.” I asked.

“Tell me, what do you know about Damus?” the old man said.

“I never even heard of him before the boy mentioned him earlier.” I said.

“Perhaps his whole name would mean something to you,” Osiris said. “His code name was Anubis.”