Ghost Story - Into the Abyss

by

Rich Gentile
And those who gaze too long into the Abyss,
beware, for the Abyss also gazes back at you
Nietzche

The Tempest swirled all about the small raft, it's misty black tendrils trying
to gain a foothold on the Ferrymans Raft and capsize both it and it's riders...
From all about them, came the howls and screams of Damned Souls,
reaching out, probing the emotional strength and stability of the Small Band
that dared to invade the Isle of Sorrows...
The Gloom was pervasive, and all-encompassing, limiting visibilty to less
than a score of yards, even taking into account the enhanced senses so
prevelant among the Restless Dead... So, in truth, much as it galled the small
Band, they were relying largely upon the Ferryman to warm them of
oncoming dangers and to steer them safely to their Destination...
For his part, however, the Ferryman remained unconcerened.. (At least as far
as the Troop could make out, what with the large hooded Cloak the
Ferryman wore!) He stood, rigid, steering the Troop towards their destiny..
Each time his Oar broke the murky "water", a soft moan of pain could be
heard from the Plasm the Raft was floating upon..
"Land Ho!" One of the 'Divers (In life, a rough and tumble thug named Osric
MacReady, in Death a rough and tumble HellDiver!) cried out.. And indeed,
just visible thorugh the Gloom could be seen the Harbor of the once-mighty
City of Stygia, beckoning to them like a Moth to a Flame...
Making no motion that he had even heard the frenzied cry, the Ferryman
continued poling through the Tempest towards the Harbour and the Fallen
City beyond...
***
Osric stood, motionless, looking down at the illimitable chasm that stood
before him, a Gateway to Madness and Terror. He stared, open-mouthed, at
the stairway that spiraled down into the Dark... A wave of pure fear rushed
through his Corpus, and he shivered as he looked into the Stygian Gloom
and thought of the mindless Horrors that awaited him and his company of
"Hell-Divers" at the bottom...

He stood, thinking of the historic things that had transpired in this area.....
Until recently, this site had been known as the "Venous Stair", located in the
very heart of Stygia, and it had been zealously guarded by Hierarchy
Legionnares. Rumor had it that Charon himself, the First Imperator, had
descended three times down these very steps, into the dark heart of the
Labrinyth to battle the Tides of Oblivion.. But, Then, the 6th Great
Maelstrom had descended upon the heart of the Dark Kingdom of Iron...
Now, with Charon gone, (Supposedly Transcended, though Osric didn't
believe a word of it.!) and the Underworld in an uproar, the Maelstrom still
raged, spewing it's fury throughout the Realms of the Dead, and, with each
passing hour, Stygia, the once- great City of the Dead, Heart of the
Underworld, continued it's slow, inexorable descent towards Oblivion...
Osric, goaded into movement by his Comrades-In-Arms, edged forward.. As
he approached, he fancied that he could see the very steps themselves
pulsating, as if in response to his footfalls.. Indeed, as he drew closer, Osric
fancied that he could see pink striations marbling the otherwise glassy black
steps... Striations that looked remarkably, in the dim light, like living,
Human Flesh..
Yet, even in it's grotesqueness. there was... something... about the chasm that
called to the assembled Company... Perhaps it was the ages-old lure of
Adventure and Treasure.. Or, perhaps it was the fact that they sought to
make a name for themselves by delving into the Fallen City; Or perhaps, just
perhaps, it was the chance to strike a blow against Oblivion right at it's very
source...
***