This page will showcase original fiction starring Hannibal King!
If you have any urges to write pulp style adventures starring Hannibal please feel free to send submissions to the contact address on the home page. I will put up any submissions received!
Each story will stay up until completed and then be replaced with a new adventure. Feel free to print these adventures and keep them.
HANNIBAL KING and the BRIDE of the DEMON LORD
PART ONE -
By George S Elder
CHAPTER ONE - FROM THE DEPTHS!
A crack of thunder rumbled across the sky like a freight train pulling into heaven with another cargo of souls. Hannibal King slouched through the driving rain, his hat taking the brunt of the rain, but his cigar had been thrown away a few streets back. Uselessly wet. He looked around at the monolithic buildings surrounding him and felt his heart sink. He hated Manhattan; hell he hated New York. Most people called it the city that never sleeps, in his book it was the city that never stopped trying to kill you. Every time he had come to this city someone had tried to kill him. But given his lifestyle and line of work most places were the same.
Tonight the entire city seemed to be under cover. It was the quietest that he had ever seen the avenues, boulevards and alleyways of this city. It was unusual, but refreshing. He hadn't had to tense his shoulders as he bustled past throngs of people. Even here in Times Square, where all the fruitcakes and crazy's gathered it was quiet.
King glanced at his watch. It was still relatively early - a few minutes before midnight. There should still be people around, but damned if there was. He began to feel the refreshing aspects of the situation drain away. His trench coat felt heavy with rainwater, but this weight was complimented by the nickel-plated beretta's he had slung under each of his arms. Something's were still refreshing.
The thunder rolled around the night sky again.
King glanced up at the sky, it was heavy with portentous clouds, but there had been no lightening. Suddenly he saw something out of the corner of his eye. A figure darting through the rain soaked streets, barely illuminated by the sickly glow cast by the sodium streetlights. King instinctively opened up his trench coat, providing easy access to his guns.
The figure was running towards him. Her hair plastered across her shoulders by the relentless rainfall. Her white dress was tattered looking and the rain had almost welded it to her shapely body. The woman glanced over her shoulder as she ran, but King could see no one pursuing her. He narrowed his eyes and grasped the hilts of both his pistols with the hands on the opposite side of each one. The woman ran towards him and King could see the abject terror in her eyes and he slowly brought the pistols from the holsters, which housed them.
Something bad was happening. He looked at his watch. It was only seconds to midnight. The woman rushed towards him - a glimmer of hope seemed to touch her expression. And then it was midnight.
The ground suddenly seemed to fall from King's feet and he keeled over onto his knees. His hat fell on the ground and the streetlight above him illuminated his baldpate. Hannibal looked ahead with piercing blue eyes and grimaced.
"What the hell?" he murmured as another wave shook the ground around him. An earthquake in Manhattan seemed more than a little unlikely, but here he was experiencing it. Windows above him shattered and shards of broken glass rained down onto the streets. King scrambled to his feet and noticed that the rain was turning to steam before it hot the ground in the centre of Times Square. He slipped the safety catches off of both his pistols and watched as the woman got up from her knees and looked at him with imploring eyes.
Suddenly the tarmac erupted behind her and a brilliant red light shone from under the ground. It was the colour of molten rock and the ground was rent in two by the force of this eruption. The woman screamed and fell to the ground once more - King started running towards her as five or six black shapes emerged from the fissure. The figures rose and seemed to hover in the shimmering heat haze. King heard the buzzing of flies and winced as the smell of brimstone touched his nose. The shapes, which on closer inspection were humanoid, landed and started scuttling towards the fallen woman. King raised both his guns and without stopping he started firing at the creatures. One of them was cut down instantly in the hail of bullets - it screeched in agony before melting into the rainwater. A thick viscous puddle of green pus like goo was all that remained of the creature. The buzzing became more agitated and King fired another volley of shots. One of the creatures clutched its arm, which had almost been severed by the bullets. It looked at King with fiercely glowing eyes and ripped its injured arm off at the shoulder socket. King watched in disbelief, as another arm seemed to start growing almost immediately. He shot a bullet straight into the creature's forehead before the arm was formed and it too melted into vile soup. The woman screamed as two of the creatures took off and descended on her - King wheeled around and started blasting at them. His bullets ripped through the closest ones torso - green goo spattered the ground behind it and the creature screamed. The noise was a high pitched screech and the surviving creatures joined in the screech in unison. As if feeling their companions pain. King didn't hesitate; he reloaded his guns and continued blasting at them. The bullets cut a swathe of destruction through these subterranean interlopers and within a few moments they too were melting into the ground. King spun around, his trench coat billowing behind him the rain running down his stern face, droplets of water gathering in his four-day-old stubble. He raised both of his guns at the surviving creatures and smiled grimly,
"Hey, how's it goin'?" he snarled and tightened his fingers on the triggers of his berreta's. The creatures exchanged looks and in unison the started hovering towards him. The unearthly buzzing became louder, penetrating King's mind. The recoil and blast from his weapons shattered the monotonous buzzing. One of the creatures jerked backwards as in subject to invisible puppet strings. The second, however, swooped onto King and knocked him to the ground. The guns span out of his hands and clattered to the edge of the road. King looked at the creature and saw that it had dripping mandibles, which were stretching open. A clear fluid dripping from them. He winced as a drop of this stuff dripped onto his shoulder and started burning through his coat. Only the tough leather of his shoulder holster stopping him from receiving a nasty burn. King reached into his coat, where a large bowie knife was hidden in a sewn in sheath. He grit his teeth as he brought the blade out and swung it in a smooth arc, the blade catching the reflection of a sudden flash of lightning as it cut through the creatures throat, almost severing it's inhuman head. He pushed it off of him as it began to melt like its companions and grimaced as he felt the solid mass become liquefied as he thrust it away.
He clambered to his feet and cautiously moved forward, the puddles, which had been the creatures from the fissure bubbling and frothing. The red glow had died from the huge crack that had rent the street in two and the buzzing had ceased with the obliteration of the last of the attackers. King slowly holstered his guns and held a reassuring hand out for the woman, who in turn looked at him gratefully and took it.
"Hi, my name's Hannibal King!" he said in a calm voice, his Scottish burr sounding mellow and reassuring "You must be Dr. Hamilton!"
The woman looked shocked and King smiled. She was gorgeous; her eyes were clear and bright. The irises one of the most beautiful shades of blue that he had ever seen. Her hair was long, and had it not been plastered over her shoulders King reckoned that it would have been soft and full of life.
"How did . . ." she began.
"Your ex colleague Wilfred Summers sent me to look for you!" he explained "Now, we'd better get the Hell out of here . . . if you'll pardon the expression?" he added ruefully after glancing at the huge, gaping fissure. Sophie Hamilton looked over her shoulder and felt the cold hand of fear chill her blood. King moved over and picked up his hat, he placed it firmly on his head and looked at her.
CHAPTER TWO - A STRANGE TALE!
"Officials have no firm explanation as to the cause of the explosion which caused millions of pounds of damage to Times Square just after midnight. Emergency services have, miraculously, found few people who have been injured or were killed. However Commissioner Jackson of the NYPD has stated that in a place such as Times Square it would be nigh impossible to account for everyone at the scene . . ."
The radio relayed the story with gleeful urgency. King and Sophie were not interested; they had after all been there and saw that it hadn't been an explosion, which had caused the damage. The diner that they sat in was still fairly busy, even though it was three in the morning. Sophie had borrowed King's coat to keep her body warm and concealed from the prying eyes of the scumbags who dominated this part of the Bronx.
"I just don't know how you knew that I'd be here Mr. King?" Sophie sipped her tea gratefully; oblivious to the fact that it was almost undrinkable. King finished his coffee and took a cigar out of his shirt pocket.
"Call me Hannibal!" he drawled "To tell you the truth sweetheart! I don't know how I knew you'd be there either. I just did!"
Sophie watched him with sleepy eyes as he struck a match. The flare caught her attention for a second and she jerked her hand forward' spilling her tea over the table and smashing the cup off the floor.
"Hey, watch it sister!" the diner's owner hollered from behind his counter. King glared at the man with a scowl etched onto his features. The owner just started reading his newspaper, muttering some half heard obscenity under his breath.
"Wilfred told me that you vanished from Colorado three weeks ago. Where have you been Sophie?" King looked at her.
"Three weeks ago?" she looked at him and her expression faltered briefly "I was in Colorado yesterday!" she finished in a quiet, unsure voice.
King looked at her and blew a lazy, but perfect smoke ring.
"According to the newspapers and the notes of your expedition you and your party set off three weeks ago. On the 13th of July to be precise."
"What's the date today?" her voice seemed very far away to King and to be frank he was a little worried.
"It's the fourth of August Dr. Hamilton." He held his hand up to indicate that he wanted a refill and the owner thought briefly about flipping him the finger. But there was something about Hannibal's demeanour that gave him second thoughts. He picked up the coffee-pot and ambled over to the table.
"Okay Dr. Hamilton. Give me your events of what's happened!" he looked at her and she smiled slightly.
"Please, call me Sophie." King nodded at this and waited for her to continue "Well, I'm a Vulcanologist and I was asked to investigate a long extinct volcanic crater in Colorado. It's called "Old Nick's Maw" and there's been no sign of activity in years, in fact since people started settling there. However four weeks ago, or should that be seven weeks ago, three men were found burnt to a crisp inside the mouth of the fissure. The local sheriff called in the FBI thinking it maybe some kind of ritual killing but when the bodies were found to be three petty criminals from Chicago the case was virtually dropped. The federal agents assumed that it was some kind of gangland execution and even though the area was searched for clues nothing was found. Then a couple of nights later a local farmer discovered that all of the fish in a lake on his land had been killed and later it transpired that they had been boiled alive. A local philanthropist called me, and a team of other experts in the area to investigate. He thought that "Old Nick's Maw" may be readying to erupt."
King sipped his coffee and looked at her. She was unconsciously hugging herself and he spoke softly.
"Go on Sophie"
This seemed to snap her out of her private reveries and she nodded.
"There was four of us and a local pot holer who was acting as our guide. We went in and found out pretty quickly that there was no sign of volcanic activity or any geological upset for that matter. However we saw something even more peculiar. Along the floor and walls of the fissure, etched into the stone, were long deep grooves. These were straighter than anything Mother Nature has ever produced and they led further into the body of the mountain. One of my companions, Dr. Frederick Strasse decided that they warranted investigation and like a bunch of idiots we agreed. We followed the tunnel for what seemed like miles, the only illumination coming from the lamps on our helmets. After a few hours we found paintings on the walls. These were like Neolithic decorations, but they were still very fresh looking."
"How fresh?" King interrupted and Sophie smiled sardonically.
"Hannibal, they were still wet!" she paused to let her comment be absorbed by the adventurer and then she continued "Well, obviously this had excited us and we continued downwards, fully expecting to find some long lost tribe of cave men. As we travelled deeper underground things started to get warmer and a purple light illuminated the walls. Strasse stopped us and told us to hush, he had heard something and strained to hear exactly what it was. After a few moments I began to hear it too, it was the beating of drums. To be honest Hannibal, my heart was almost in my mouth with excitement. We moved forward, our guide Pete had brought a rifle in case of bears and he cocked it and held it at the ready. We had been walking for hours and I couldn't hazard a guess as to how deep we were but it didn't matter. We were about to see . . ." Sophie's voice trailed off and she gazed into King's coffee cup. King watched her and allowed her time to gather her thoughts and emotions.
"We were about to see something from the very depths of Hell!" she gazed into his eyes and he could see the terror and impotent fury housed within her soul. King looked at her, attempting to urge her to continue with his expression.
"We came to the edge of, what looked like a subterranean quarry and saw hundreds of troglodytes working at the rock face. These . . . men were hammering at the sides of the quarry and I saw one fall. One of those flying creatures hovered over to him and fell on the poor wretch. The man thrashed about and howled in agony but he was soon killed by the creature, disembowelled by it. Pete, bless him, raised his rifle and shot at the creature but the bullet missed it. The thing took off and hovered towards us, and so did five of his kind. Pete reloaded and fired again and Hannibal I swear I saw the bullet rip off the creature's leg but the limb started reforming. We tried to run back the way we came but the creatures cornered us. I have never been so afraid Hannibal. Two of them grabbed Pete and hauled him into the air . . . they . . . they . . . " Sophie's voice faltered for a second but when she continued she appeared to have new resolve "They flew in opposite directions and Pete was . . . he was ripped in two like a paper doll. The rest of us were herded down towards the quarry. I was numbed by our guides gruesome death and I could here one of our party sobbing. We were led past the troglodytes, some of whom I noticed were wearing the remains of modern clothing and into a tunnel at the other end of the quarry. There was light everywhere and we were marched up some steps and into a vast underground structure. Those flying creatures were everywhere, watching us with their inhuman eyes. We were led into what can only be described as a throne room and it was here that I saw him!"
King paused and looked at her. The radio, tired of the news was playing some big band numbers and Sophie gazed into her glass of water.
"Who did you see Sophie?" King asked and when she looked at him, her eyes were stained with tears.
"I can't remember Hannibal. I honestly can't remember anything else. The next thing that is clear to me is seeing you in that street just before those creatures arrived. I've lost three weeks of my life!"
CHAPTER THREE - A SECOND INCURSION!
King looked at his watch. It was almost dawn and Sophie was still sleeping. They had left the diner an hour and a half ago and walked to Kings rented car, Sophie had fallen asleep almost immediately in the passenger seat and he had decided not to drive anywhere. The city was coming to life, even though it was never quiet - except for in Times Square last night he mused silently to himself. King looked at the piece of paper that had been pushed under his door - scrawled on it was
"Times Square - Midnight! Sophie Hamilton will be there!"
When he had been asked to find her, a favour to his best friend Wilfred, King had assumed that she was dead, killed in a caving accident. Or that she had been kidnapped by someone, God knows he'd faced his fair share of kidnappers in his time. The other option he'd considered had been that she'd disappeared deliberately. What he saw crawling out of the hole last night had shaken each of his theories to pieces, like a dog with an old rag. King folded the paper and put it in his shirt pocket.
Sophie's story had been, to say the very least, bizarre. King smiled grimly and lit another cigar; those buzzing creatures had been bizarre. Hell, the whole story was more than a little bizarre he mused as he lazily blew a cigar smoke ring. He looked at Sophie and took a moment to study her. There was no denying she was a beauty. Her hair was drier now and had taken on a natural honey colour and her mouth parted slightly in her sleep. Her lips were not too full, but had enough shape to make her mouth attractive.
"No!" she whispered and frowned ever so slightly. King leaned forward to wake her up, but her expression stopped him in his tracks. Sophie was terrified and King instinctively grabbed his guns. Something bad was about to happen. He didn't know how he knew he just did. A dog in the street sat down and started to whine, pawing the ground pathetically. A bunch of pigeons took flight from a ledge half way up a near by building. Kings grip on his pistols tightened. Sophie's face was etched with fear and her eyes were flickering wildly under her eyelids.
"Sophie?" King said as gently as he could.
Her eyes snapped open and she stared out into the night.
"Orpheus!" she screamed "Orpheus!"
Then, the night exploded!
King felt the car lurch backwards and saw the hood of the car raise into the air until he was looking skywards. The vehicle felt as if it were buckling under immense pressure and King knew he had to get them both out. He opened the driver's door and grasped Sophie's hand. The vehicle had begun to get very hot and he leapt from the vehicle, dragging his ward with him. They fell about ten feet onto the ground and King looked over his shoulder at the car. It span backwards as he watched and smashed into the side of a building, the car roof caved in and King realised that a second earlier and both his and Sophie's heads would have been shattered like eggs. He scrambled to his feet and quickly drew both of his guns and held them at the ready. Underneath where his car had been was another large fissure in the tarmac of the road. The strange buzzing noise was getting stronger, probably amplified by the echoing effect of the huge rent in the ground. Sophie stood behind King, placing one of her hands on his shoulder for reassurance; it was something he wasn't to sure that he could offer. Beads of sweat were gathering on Kings forehead and he tightened his fingers on the triggers of his weapons. An eerie purple glow started pulsing from inside the fissure and King raised his guns - preparing to blow whatever came out into pieces. This time was different though. The street was fairly crowded and onlookers were everywhere - the sky behind the buildings was beginning to be coloured by the first tentative rays of sunlight. King narrowed his eyes and watched grimly as the first few "fly-men" started hovering out of the fissure. He started blasting with his guns and watched with dark satisfaction as a number of the ungodly creatures were punched out of the air by his bullets. King fired until he heard the hollow click of empty bullet chambers - he watched as the "fly-men" swarmed from their subterranean lair.
"Damn!" he hissed and grabbed Sophie's hand. They turned to run but saw five fly-men swooping down towards them. King crouched and as one of the creatures hovered over him, he leapt up and grabbed its leg. With a grunt he swung the creature sharply to the left. The fly-man collided with two of its companions from the depths and they crashed to the ground, landing in a misshapen heap. King turned in time to see a fourth creature heading towards him, he ducked and rolled, avoiding the fly-man's clutches. However, it wheeled around in the air and headed back towards him. King tensed himself and readied to attack the thing - suddenly his world exploded into one of pain. King staggered forward and landed on his knees. A second wave of pain washed over him and he lurched forward onto his elbows. Above him a fifth fly-man hovered, this one holding a lance in its claws. The lance pulsed and King writhed on the sidewalk in agony, as it seemed to vibrate every bone in his body. He looked through narrowing eyes and saw two of the creature's grab Sophie's arms and haul her towards the fissure.
And then darkness washed over him, welcoming him into oblivion with open arms.
As King lay unconscious on the street - the fly-men went about the short and gruesome task of destroying all evidence of their small but destructive invasion force. They darted and flitted about the air, which was thick with sulphur and corralled each and every witness. With their lances they destroyed car after car, building after building and person after person until the only two surface dwellers left were Hannibal King and Sophie Hamilton.
The fly-men grabbed their prisoners and carried them through the smoke filled sky and down into the depths of the fissure.
And then the street exploded. This would later be blamed on another gas leak and the corpses found whose bones were liquidised would be honoured by a mistaken city and empty cheques of compensation would be paid to grieving families.
CHAPTER FOUR - INTO THE DEPTHS
King woke slowly - his body felt as though he had been run over by a steamroller and his shoulders and arms ached dully, but it was still damned painful. He opened his eyes and tried to look around, but his eyes had not yet become accustomed to the pervading nebulous gloom that enveloped him. He cursed under his breath as he came to realise that his arms were being held fast by chains. It was not the first time that King would be in this situation and it probably wouldn't be the last, but it was more than a nuisance. In fact, it could come pretty close to spoiling his day. The room in which he was imprisoned (if it could be called a room) was round in structure. In fact as his eyes began to see more it suddenly dawned on him that he seemed to be being held inside a stone funnel. The ground beneath him was soft and seemed to be comprised of dirt. Not soil over a floor, but soil alone. There were no windows and no apparent light source, yet the relief of the stone walls around him was thrown into sharp relief by an eerie pulsating red glow. King checked his bonds, but they were too sturdy and secure to break and too tightly fastened to slip free from. He relaxed his shoulders and hung slightly above the ground, concentrating on the sounds that surrounded him. There was a deep, rhythmic sound that reverberated around the curious stone funnel and King guessed that perhaps it was some form of a generator. There were also short sharp whining sounds that punctuated the steady sound - to Kings ears it sounded like some kind of drilling was taking place.
He heard the sharp click of a lock being opened and a door in the side of the funnel slid open. The entire interior suddenly seemed to explode in light and King shut his eyes in an attempt to shield his irises.
"Greetings Hannibal King!" a voice boomed "Welcome to my kingdom! The world of Dr. Orpheus!"
King winced as he opened his eyes.
"Nice place you have here!" he said lightly, too lightly if his host's reaction was any gauge. King felt his ribs almost cave in as a large baton was swiped into his chest. He wheezed and looked at the men who had walked in to his cell. They were three in number and two of them looked like troglodytes. They were huge and stooped, greasy long hair matted their simian skulls and their eyes were hooded under a sloping forehead and heavy eyebrows. Both of these men were wearing the remnants of black clothing and King could see the occasional flash of silver as they shifted uneasily. Silver that was under tarnished lumps of metal that could once have been buttons or insignia. The third man was a tall and imposing figure, he stood over his guards by a full foot and his slicked back hair was iron grey, however his Van dyke beard was pure white through and through. The man was wearing dark read clothes, but a voluminous black cloak that reached the floor hid his figure. He gazed at King with steely pale blue eyes and smiled a sharks smile.
"Yes, it is rather impressive isn't it?" his voice rolled around the room like thunder and King watched as the man signalled his guards.
"You will join us for dinner Mr. King!" Orpheus spoke as he swept towards the door.
"Us?" King asked suspiciously as the Troglodytes unfettered his arms.
"Yes, my Queen and I!" Orpheus glanced over his shoulder "You have met my betrothed haven't you? My drones found you with her on the surface!"
Orpheus began to laugh and King watched him with dark eyes as he swept out into the hallways beyond the funnel. The mocking laughter echoing around the caverns, as if reaching for infinity.
CHAPTER FIVE - ORPHEUS!
King was marched by three troglodytes into a huge cavern. He looked around; taking in the opulence that surrounded him. The cave had been transformed into a huge throne room. The walls of the cavern had been covered in gold, whether it was paint or not remained a mystery to King. The floor had been smoothed and a sumptuous length of red velvet carpet ran along the entire length of the room. The walls were adorned with paintings and portraits. King recognised many of them and couldn't help but wonder whether they were real or fakes. The room was illuminated by the strange glow that permeated the entirety of this underground city, but was accentuated by huge chandeliers hanging from the caverns ceiling. Kings captors pushed him forward and he reacted by spinning around and punching one of the beast men in the jaw. It howled with anger and swiped a powerful arm to the side, throwing King against the wall. The troglodyte bounded over to him and picked up a piece of boulder, raising it high and getting ready to dash it off of King's head. The adventurer winced and waited for the killing blow. He heard a curious hollow 'whoooommmppphhh' and looked up as the troglodyte's head imploded. King looked on in horror as the headless corpse sank slowly to its knees and then fell to the floor. The surviving beast men grabbed King and hauled him to his feet. They dragged him forwards toward a huge table that ran the width of the rear of the cave. Orpheus lazed on a large throne style chair and languidly watched the proceedings. His finger was poised over a red button, King presumed that this was what saved his life. On the throne next to Orpheus sat Sophie. She was bound tightly to the chair, her hands tied at the small of her back and a coil of rope wound tightly around her body, harnessing her to the chair. She looked at King with imploring eyes; a piece of cloth was tied between her teeth and knotted at the nape of her neck, under her hair. King looked at her and tensed himself, ready to leap across the table and grab Orpheus' neck. However, the manacles on his feet and hands would have made the job difficult, if not impossible and he realised that he would merely succeed in getting himself killed. He glared at Orpheus and noticed that the villain had three long scratches down one side of his face and King could guess why Sophie had been bound so tightly to the chair.
"Welcome King!" Orpheus sneered "I'm glad you could join us!" he patted Sophie on the shoulder and she shuddered under his touch.
"So, what's with the ropes? Mrs Orpheus playing a little too hard to handle?" King said in a tone calculated to annoy Orpheus. Sophie looked at him and he surreptitiously gave her a reassuring wink.
"My wife will learn in time." Orpheus oozed as he stood up and leaned over the table "Once her spirit has been broken, she will accept her role in my kingdom. And if she doesn't then I have use of a new slave! But come, sit and we shall break bread together. I'm sure that you have many questions!"
"I'll sit with you as soon as Sophie's been untied!" King said in a level voice. Orpheus glared at him, but King held his stare and smiled slightly. The villain stood straight and looked at King and then at Sophie. Finally, after what seemed like hours he nodded.
"So be it!" Orpheus snapped his fingers and a Troglodyte moved over to Sophie. The beast man grabbed the ropes in one hand and yanked them apart. Sophie removed her gag and gasped for air.
"Hannibal?" she began.
"Be quiet woman!" Orpheus growled "Now Mr. King, be seated. I have great delicacies to feed you and wondrous tales to tell!"
Orpheus gestured expansively and King was manhandled towards the seat next to him. The Troglodytes dumped King on the chair and moved back - not too far, but far enough to give them space. King looked at the table, set out before him was some golden cutlery. He appraised the knife, deciding if it would be of any use, but deciding to bide his time.
"Do not try anything brave Mr. King. In my kingdom brave translates as stupid. There is no escape, none at all." Orpheus said in a low, convincing voice. King looked at Sophie and smiled.
"Sophie managed to escape!" he said lightly and was rewarded by a slight smile from her.
"My queen did venture from the kingdom, but her actions were misguided and she was delivered safely back to me. Also, it gave my forces some experience of the surface world and that in itself will prove to be very valuable!" Orpheus picked up a goblet of red wine and took a sip "Please Mr. King, have a drink. It really is very pleasant!"
King picked up his goblet and took a sip. Much to his surprise the wine was fantastic - he looked at Orpheus who merely smiled.
"From this direction you have easy access to many of the worlds finest wine cellars!"
"So, Orpheus, what is this place?" King decided that idle chit chat wasn't really appropriate. He looked at Orpheus with raised eyebrows.
"This is my kingdom! The underworld, Hades, Hell . . . these are just some names used by mortal men. Others have given us more scientific names Aghartha, Shamballa and so on. It is the future Mr. King, it is time that we fell onto the surface with a vengeance unseen since the Angel of Death swept through Egypt!"
"Oh?" King replied in mocking tones. Orpheus' eyes flashed with cold fury and his lips curled in a hateful sneer.
"Do not mock me King!" he snarled "You have seen what my troops can do. That was but a fraction of my power, I have things at my disposal that you would not be able to imagine. Horrors that would drive you insane if you were merely to gaze upon them. Creatures that could tear you . . ."
"What's for dinner Orpheus? I'm starving!" King interrupted.
Orpheus paused for a second, clearly taken aback by King's impudence.
"I presume this is the meal of a condemned man?" King asked and was rewarded by a mute nod from Orpheus "Fine, well, I don't want to appear rude or anything but if I'm to have a last meal, I could do without the mad rhetoric!" King sipped his wine and then looked at Orpheus.
"Last meal . . . yes!" he clapped his hands and two beautiful women brought in silver platters laden with food. The placed the trays onto the table and looked fearfully at Orpheus as the dished out the food. King noticed that they were incredibly white, almost pale blue and the women's eyes were wider than usual. He was stunned to see that they had no irises or pupils. The women were obviously fearful of Orpheus and the palpable sense of relief they gave off when he dismissed them filled the room.
"Please Mr King help yourself to whatever takes your fancy!" he said as he broke some bread from a huge loaf and dipped it into a plate of soup. King was loath to eat anything provided by this godless bastard, but he reasoned that he would need strength and sustenance if he were to survive the next few hours. He started eating the soup that the women had laid before him. His bonds were still hindering his actions, but he could move enough. Much to Kings surprise the food was delicious. It was unlike anything he had eaten before, but if he were forced to make comparisons he would liken it to mushroom soup.
"Tomorrow is my birthday Mr. King! You will be a major part of the celebrations!" Orpheus intoned casually as he sipped his soup "You will fight in the Arena of Tears! And you will not survive!"
King looked at Orpheus as he heard Sophie gasp.
To be continued . . .
