Journey Through darkness: The Tower Of Woe
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Circle Two: The tower of woe
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In continuation to Journey through darkness: Limbo
Down a jagged path beside the wanderers we followed upon a mass of bridge lowered long ago never to rise once more. Below our pass the dead tread upon lay a series of pits one after another in sinister design stacked in an unholy alliance. A great hole had lay in the earth where man could not touch nor see since the start of all good and evil. It was this massive hole that screaming souls plummeted towards in despair that from the highest point of the tower as they were flung unmercifully towards their doom. My guide had already searched my thoughts and doubt " Mortal what you feel now is that of truth. We have as of yet to journey our way through the sinister circles." as we passed within the iron gates a great storm had once more stirred above as balls of flame descended onto those most unfortunate to remain without shelter. There anguish was left unheard as my guide urged me onward with much haste " One must not remain however long in this place for treachery has it's ways about finding such weariness the traveler bestows." upon his words we entered a vast courtyard inhabited greatly by shadowed figures, their contempt silently murmured amongst one another their groups so tightly kept. " Of what purpose do these shadows serve for I see no punishment of any design awaiting them."
" Kings and queens of greatness serving their sins of conquest throughout the end of their line await their purpose with thin this citadel for when the whisper of the dark one falls upon them they too will rule once more the great dark armies of hell as they had once before their own in life. As they sought gluttonous power in life so shall they receive in the afterlife without end all for he who calls himself the true ruler of man." Without word any further ascended my guide and I upon a device ruled by iron gears as we were taken towards the highest point as far as would go amongst the shamed naked souls. So did we gather amongst many more who stood that in a twisting line towards a towering figure hidden within the shadows. " For that which you have taken was never enough so shall you never receive in the circle of greed!" From the same shadows came tail that of serpentine. To the air was a woman cast crudely for all to bear witness to. " Have pity upon me king of judgment!" she let out a cry. With a booming crack so did this figure vanish out towards open air and downward they fell to the pits of hell shrieking all the way. " The fates are set upon scale then weighed amongst sin that man has created and trespassed in life. Head now my words they suffer within the rings of nine the sins they had otherwise chosen: Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery. Minos with pleasure enjoyed far too great cast sinner upon sinner alike down whatever way."
Another was cast, this one man, with great speeds downward without pity as he too shared in the same fate. Past this line strode my guide without a glance upon the awaiting souls who watched such a spectacle before them. I too moved upon his path merely following with much haste as my feet would let. " To where now do you take us serpent?" and he unto me " There is yet another way, a hidden path without common referral. I thought it only proper you view if only in short the reasoning of Hades." So did our actions bring unwanted attention from one whom should not be offended. With a deep wail deafening all within so did the voice of Minos crack the very stone of the walls. " Go no further and still be it you a serpent and...mortal?" from those shadows came the peering face of a giant man, his face of ruin and burnt flesh boundlessly scorched yet renewed. " Few have tempted passage without my final consent, do you dare make mockery of my say or judgment? Fate have it you now enter my doors and fate will yet again have it I will not be denied my say otherwise in where you are lead!" my guide whom had remained silent until now let out a roar of laughter as if overcome with an insatiable fit " Surely you jest now, King Minos for your eyes have not been withered to dust. Do you not see that this mortal and I are unlike that which you have grown so common to?"
these words curled the great lip of Minos in a great scowl " You dare to belittle me within my own tower of woe? Were you not already judged filth I would see you on your way to the very bottom of the pit! Satan would feed upon your flesh until the end of all that is time! My eyes have sought many to their rightful place and will see to it you nor this mortal pass any other way than by my judge and tail!" " Be that as it may King Minos you would bring great error in your say. You are blind this time. Draw your course wisely from now as Heaven has punished you, surely it would again should you deny us passage on such a holy journey!" The serpent spoke with such anger and swiftness in his voice it dared to even shift the gaze of Minos unto me. " Serpent you surprise me as such filth would never be allowed otherwise into divine light. I see it now, it's purity is bright and I king Minos the overseer of judgment will allow to you passage this time. Be that as it may however this journey you will not have it but my way!" By the tail both my guide and I were swept with such force before we had our say " You are cast into the pit of Carnal and Lust! Be rid of my sight forever more!"
thus were we cast out downward without pause through the burning smoke and fires deep towards a ring devoured by great storms hiding it's contents away. I had come to soon learn as time went on such physical laws of nature that governed the earth and it's reasoning were denied existence beyond the flames for as we fell and plummeted through the choking clouds did we slow in our trail of descent. " Look onward for what you will glimpse is the very second upper portion of hell!" and glimpse I did if not only a moments breath as I witnessed a vast plane weathered on the brink of collapse as a raging storm swept through every crack and crevice that was hidden within. Far below did I bare witness to an orgy of human and demon alike in a bloody carnage of what was twisted pleasure and certainly pain. Bodies of flesh mountainous and high stabbed to the wall wailing as great spines that of rock stabbed within their soiled and bloodied phalluses and so forth in an animalistic fashion. Men mated with harpies, their own flesh torn open by their great claws that defiled any such thing they touched only to eventually spew forth the entrails of the poor soul who forcefully engaged with them. " I looked away from such in sickening agony " Does it not please you of such a sight? The sins of mankind all lain here in a divine gander of solace it provides even beyond the gates! Lecherous sinners lost In their own desires of the flesh lost their sight of the true divine purpose now remain here forever more. "
" It brings me no pleasure nor joy Serpent. I feel only pain and pity for such souls as these." " This pity you may carry on as far as time you wish it. There is but an eternal ocean of pain and servitude within this realm of darkness." with our moment of final descent did I witness most of all the women who were forced into positions never possibly imagined, their limbs in such a way it would appear they would be yanked off the body as of any moment longer! Their cries echoed throughout even the storms as if a rivalry had been waged which would outlast one the other. Our feet had come to rest on the stone yet be that it deceived it felt that of skin than earth! A great wind shrieked as loud it dare try, body after another was dragged through the wretched sky all followed and set upon by the abomination that was the harpies infants born anew to feed upon their flesh and tear them to bits. An endless cycle of renewal was this for the harpies that had boundless fortune content to pray upon without worry. I could stand no more and forced from me my pity.
Such a soul as mine could not have enough room a thousand lifetimes to carry the remorse. So began our treacherous walk amongst the vast carnage and waste of many bodies in lament and madness reaching out as if for aid. " Have you no pity for I who wallow in misery and suffering? Have all the good in the world vanished?" a man with such a voice so shrill writhed in his torture " I curse you! I curse you! Do not leave!" his head lowered as his words had turned to mere gibberish lacking intellect. " Look not behind you as these words I mention." said the serpent as if having heard not a word the man had said " We draw the curiosity of the harpies that have watched us now for some time." my heart had began such a stirring as my thoughts were set upon by images of my own gruesome place in such a pit. " Relinquish all thoughts you hold now Mortal. This destination is not your own, not yet. The harpies as you see are without sight as they are so reliant of their faith in smell only the wicked would give. To them you tread as if non existent. Their curiosity is set upon me alone." as time crept inch by inch however I found such wretched beasts remained at a distance as if of fear.
" Do you not sense their cowardice? Be it known none would dare intrude upon me without cause for I, a serpent would devour them without thought otherwise!" these words erected a great show of self pleasure uncontainable or so my guide displayed. Eventually our company was parted with, the Harpies and ours as we had neared upon a great hole. From out came a great repulsive gas as great as poison and thick as death. I had withdrew in detestation unable to breath such foul an odor. " It smells of a thousand deaths!" I cried " If only a minute I pity your short knowledge for far worse than you could imagine lay in the ring of Gluttony." my guide took seat beside me " It is here we shall remain in pause for your acceptance of such a stench." from our venture had my body grown sore and my soul diminished with fatigue. Sweat was removed from my brow onto the fleshy earth that drank of it. I was blind of my own exhaustion that had set long ago at the foot of our journey which now had come to surpass even my own anxieties of haste in this tomb of damnation. All the while sat silently my guide who showed no such signs as I bestow as if a mockery of my weakness."
Tell me serpent.. How is it you carry such strength?" and he unto me " With ease do I display such. As I a guide to you have passed such a fiendish pit and many more beyond time of your mortal understanding." remain we did near that foul hole and nauseated had I been countless times until my very sense of smell had grown bitter and dulled to detect no more. Rested had I been long enough. So did the roots of my sidetrack take leave as I stood before my guide. " Oh guide and serpent let us pause no longer. I have readied myself for the ring that lay ahead!" Now too stood my guide who gave a dark smile as if of encouragement and answered " Neigh. You are not." and so began our secondary descent through this great hole and off towards darkness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To be continued*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~