Decisions

Originally posted on Tales of the Parodyverse.

Characters in this story are owned either by myself, or other posters on
the Board.

Amber St Clare crept quietly through the tunnels, cursing under her breath. The Manga Shoggoth had ducked out of a meeting, claiming to have been summoned. The meeting was adjourned whilst it answered its call (nobody was too keen on asking details), and so now this damned Obedience Brand was forcing her to follow and take notes.

She split her time between cursing the Brand, the Shoggoth and the slime and filth in the tunnels. Eventually, the Manga Shoggoth passed into an underground cavern, lit by what might have been called candlelight by anyone who was prepared to risk their sanity by looking at the candles. In the gloom the walls were barely visible, which was just as well since they held murals that seemed to twist the eye into seeing more than just three dimensions in a way Maurits Cornelis Escher might have appreciated.

Amber didn't notice the artwork, and barely took notice of the cavern. She was concentrating on the figures standing under the lights.

There were three figures. Two were female, in hooded white robes. The third was male, and wore clothes reminiscent of a sailor. In the background, just within the shadows, was a large, indefinite shape.

The Manga Shoggoth approached the group, and then stopped.

I have come. it said.

One of the females doffed her hood, revealing the face of the High Priestess of the Cult of the Shoggoth. With this identification, Amber was suddenly very glad that the other shape was shrouded in shadow.

The Parody Master's plans are starting to bear fruit. intoned the greater biomass of the Shoggoth. It is time for us to make decisions.

"Such as?" asked Ebony.

The situation in the Parodyverse is becoming incompatible with my aims. explained the Shoggoth. With the Parody Master taking control, it will become useless as a tool against the Great Old Ones. As a result, we are preparing to withdraw into the other universes, where the Parody Master is unable to follow.

"I would have thought he was powerful enough to..." started the male.

No, Blair. said the Manga Shoggoth. By his very nature he and his powers are limited to this universe. Rather like myself, these days. it noted ruefully.

Our paths are fixed. Unless the Parody Master is defeated, We must leave. Conversely, due to its contamination, our estranged biomass must stay. We feel, however, that the three of you deserve a choice.

"You can't fight the Parody Master?"

Won't fight. We gave my word to the first of the Messengers that we would leave life to develop on its own merits. Disposing of slavers is one thing, but involving myself here would be violating my word.

"Come with you and fight the insanely powerful and sanity-mangling Great Old Ones, or stay here and fight the insanely powerful Parody Master." commented the other female.

Exactly. noted the Manga Shoggoth. Kathryn has penetrated to the circulatory organ of the matter.

Silence filled the cavern, broken only by the faint drip of water.

At length, Blair broke the silence. "Well, I'm up for the Great Old Ones." he said. "I'd like another crack at Petar Tyolanh. Besides, you need someone to clean up after the twins."

"I'm with Blair." noted Kathryn.

Once more, silence reigned in the cavern.

"That leaves me to help deal with the Parody Master." Ebony noted.

You don't have to stay. replied the Manga Shoggoth. And my other half still needs you.

"Oh yes I do!" retorted Ebony. "Besides, I understand that the Parody Master has a High Priest following him around in his grubby little robes. I can feel a little theological debate coming on."

We all have our hobbies. agreed the Shoggoth, who tended to be in favour of very brief theological debates with the occasional High Priest of the Cult of the Shoggoth that popped up from time to time.

The Manga Shoggoth extended a pseudopod, which started to shimmer. As it shimmered, the stalk connecting it to the Manga Shoggoth thinned. The pseudopod shone with the sound of a thousand harps (badly tuned, admittedly), and sang in a lemon hue. The cavern was filled with the sound of a shimmering rainbow.

Finally, the pseudopod broke free of the Manga Shoggoth, and flowed towards the vast bulk in the shadows.

"If you can purify bits of yourself like that, why can't you completely purify yourself?" queried Kathryn.

All I have done is shunt the impurities around. An outside source is required to actually remove them.

"Well, if you are up to date, then we had best be off." stated Ebony. She was not one for goodbyes, but she took care to give both Blair and Kathryn a hug before she left. Whilst she was embracing Kathryn she whispered "Look after them...". A slightly tighter hug was her only answer.

Ebony and the Manga Shoggoth started back towards the tunnels. Amber scrambled to find some cover, finding it behind a fallen mural. True to the way her luck was running she ended up in a rather slimy puddle of water that had been collected from the drips from the roof. She watched as they entered the tunnel.

Wait!

They stopped. Amber's heart nearly stopped, then made up for it by going into overdrive.

We will keep the way open for as long as we can. Don't fight last stands unless you really have to - Although we can train another High Priestess on our own, we would prefer not to. Keep close to Greye, and let those who remember Bridgit advise you.

"I promise." smiled Ebony, and they disappeared into the darkness.

The cavern fell silent. Amber looked round her mural and saw the two remaining humans still standing there. She very slowly started to make her way to the tunnels...

...and found that she was stuck in place. The puddle she was crouched in welled up and flowed to the centre of the cavern.

Oddly enough, she was not as scared as she thought she would be. It said much for her position at the moment that the prospect of being torn apart by an Elder Creature was starting to look like one of her better options. At least it would all be over.

Blair and Kathryn looked at her dispassionately. The Shoggoth also looked at her dispassionately, but for slightly different reasons. At length, it spoke.

Forget. it said, as its biomass flowed around her.

"You are letting her live?" asked Kathryn.

Yes. One fitted with an Obedience Brand such as that cannot really be held responsible for their actions, and according to my estranged biomass this human is normally extremely loyal. Besides, removing her or her brand could be construed as interference.

"And not telling Ebony or ... your other self?" added Blair.

Of course not. The hidden traitor (unwilling or otherwise) is a staple of stories. And this is a universe built on stories. I don't think the Parody Master or his minions fully realise the forces they are playing with.

Amber took her place at the table just before the meeting resumed. Like everyone else, she had no idea what the Shoggoth had been doing, but she had been glad of the break. At least that damn Obedience Brand hadn't insisted on making her follow it. There were things that man really was not meant to know.