the tast force studied the tablet once again ; there was definatly a weakspot, possibly a full blown tear in realisty, near by, but they couldn't actually *find* it. The readings all indicated a spike in holy energy, but it couldn't seem to find the location of it, going haywire around a now worm patch of grass. as soon as they got close, it woluld sudenly read the tear was 20-30 yrads behind them.
over and over and over.
[A] was trying to map out the onomially, walking a slow circle where the readings remained a conistant 15 years, while the rest of the team scouted the area for other clues. {b} was trying to determ if it was an up or down issure, while [C] was breaking out luns in what was looking to be the center of [a]'s march. [d] amd [e] where collecting other samples from the area, and [f] and [g] ran though other programs to try and figure out the next step.
"are we reading lei lines, perhaps," [f] spoke up suddenly, shoung his screen to [g]. it was a ar mapping of lei lines based on GPS - and it looked like [c] was sitting on an overlap of several.
[g] took the pad, using the virtual overlay to scan the area curiously, while [e] hsook his head in the negartive. "it's possibly the two react to each other, but the lei lines should registar at all on the occult scanner."
Occult... [b] shickered. they where pretty sure they where traking an 'etherial' tear, but as far as human's where conserned, both where a nuisance. but if there where any angels or demons left, they would be mightly offended at the lack of distintion. regarless of the originals, the team was there to seal the tear shut,a nd fill it in if nessisary. they petrealnatural creatures had lost the war, and where no longer allowed in this realm. this was just... inssuarance, t make sure no one had an bright ideas.
[d] had stopped, and was starting off to one of the distant landmarks curisously, never breaking gaze as they started to shuffle sizeways back tot he group.
"What do you see," [f] ask worried.
"No, nothing like that... it's jsut.." he pointed to the hills in the distance. "Does thtat look familour?"
It was a pretty view, a lake with rolling hills behind it, mountians in te distance. picturesc. but... nothing anymore noteworthy than any boss ross painting. [thomas kincade?}
but [f] was shuffling though their tablet, intently looking for something. the view had clearly sparked a amemory, and finally, he held the tablet around for them to see. all but [a] and [c] gathered around.
it was watercolour form some kind of children's fairy tale story, an older one, mid 21th centurly. [g] vaguely remembered it, but more best they'd written a report about the atuhor - a well respeccted astro-physiaisti, who wrone one story, based on a tale their father had told her grwing up - a father that mysterously vanished when they where a ounge adult. Dr. D. Young, and the story had something to do with a door though space.
the cover was diantly a painting of the veiw before them, like the artist had stood right there where they ahd set up to paint. [f] scrolled a bit int he file, "artist was a genteleman named A. Younh, painted in 2023. oh - this must be Dr young's father, she used it later for the once physical publiscation of her story a few decades later."
"I wondering it this is where he set his story then, the once with the door, her ein the firld."
[a], who had finished the circle, looked over it supiciously, while back to the picutre on [f]'s tablet. "What find of door?"
"it was a romeo and juliet like srot, fueding familys, coubple cuahgt in the mix. ends trsgically." [b] piped up
"But with a door?"
"more like repunsal," [f] interjected, "locked away, never to be seen again,, but instea dof a tower that anybody could try to climb, it was a door though sace."
"Dr Young said it was her insteration to go into astor-physists," [g] added, "A door in a space. there might actually be somehing there to the story, we used a lot of her early theires to actaully close hte tears."
"What of the tear is behind the door," [a] asked, and they all went quite.
"So how do we open the door...."
[f] flipped htought the file, "in the story, they use a witch and the witchfinder that found her, and then an occult abdicated king and an etheral prince who serve the world. the four of them open the door, but they can only manage it once."
"well, we con't had a witch or her boyfriend, and we defiatly don't have any monarchy."
"No," [c] mussed, picing up their supplies, adn looking a the spot they had been sitting. the center of [a]'s cricle, and the overlap of all the lei lines, "But we have something the poeple of the 21st centry did not - technology."
-----
They rig up a reverasal of the closing of tears, but mix the frecianceies of post holy and hellish rips.
htere is indead a door.
the air inside is cold and dreary, it;s like stepping into a dark cave, forggoten to time.
with only a few steps, they can see it opens into a great cavern - and there at the top is the holy tear, a fill rip, sure enough, water - liekly blessed - dripping down to form an ugle mess or anstalagmight in the room's center.
what's strange it the the foor is level and flat, and debite the cneter, relaitiyl clear. the only ofeh debris there is a.. plaque.
"Deciver of Heaven.
" Traitor to Hell.
half the group sets about to reding their equpiment to close the tear, looking at hwat they'll need to fill this room. [f] can't stop but ponder the sign, as the rest document the strangeness of this room, not their earth, but not of heaven or hell either. like.. earth adjacent.
"there's a man here...." [e] whisperes, pinting to the stalagmight light up under the faint light from above. their flashlight is pointed that way too, and there is a pair of legs sticking out of hte stone. they have boots on, and then tan skin tight slacks, and...
no.. that's not fabric or boot. that's... flesh..
and scales.
Tha'ts a demon.
they've nevr seen an angel or demon - they'd all been killed in the war before nay of them had been born. horrible, angry cruel things, they'd been told.
this one is only visbale fromt he waist down, smooth hairless skin broken by black and red patches until mid calf there is all scales. it's easy to misake the feet for boots, there are no toes, and the bones are hidden under unfamilor muscles.
as they approc, the realise the stalagmight is not as it apears - ther ei definatly mineral desposit, but it's formed around a stature and a stone slab one which the demon has been chained. the cuffs are visible in the gaps in the carving and deposists, and soon [d], who is so far the one only brave neough - or stupid enough - to apprach, can see the form of someone , humanish..., strached out inside the stucture.
the cone form from the floow is mostly hollow, and the staure still retains an insane ammount of detail to it where the water has not touched. it's almost lifelike, right down to the poors on the stautes face and te fibers tot he feathers on it's wings. the left wing makes up the top o hte stalagmight, riased high to redirct the water downt he starues back, and over to the sides away from the figure bound in the middle. the staures right ring makes it hard to observe the demon, tucked up around it almost protectvly.
[c] has followed htem up, and is inspecting the chains on the sides, bounsing the demon's wrists.
"What are you ding?" some one hissed at him as the sound of rattling chain overwhealms the dripping.
"I think i can get theese off, if we can get this whole mess outside..."
"We're not taking it outside!" [b] says, looking at him like he's gone mad.
"What, you you just going to fll the room up with them still in here?" {c} asks.
no one says anythign for a long moment. "its... it's a demon, though." [d] says fianlly, trying to rationalised the htoguht.
"in the.. in the sotry, the man that was locke dint he room, it's becuase he fouhgt against his faimly." [g] whispered, looking back to [f] still looking at the plaque.
"even if it is a demon.. we can't jsut leave it here, all alone... alive." [f] said finally, looking aorund the cavern, "trapped forever.... we can't be those kinds of people."
----
"don't let it get wet," [c] warns, as they cut the base of the stone free fromt he ground, shifting it in place lsightly as the rig it up to move out to the warm sun soacked field taunting them outside the 'door' in reality. he's lead the team in cutting it loose, trying to preseve the staure too, as much as he can. [f], not sure why, as cut the plague free, and it waits outside with their gear.
once the massive structure is free, [a] leads the rest of the tearm in closing the tear, carefully monitering the 'door' to make sure they don't acidently short it out,; they done't want to be trapped either, though, [c], [b], [d], and [g] wait outside to open it again should it come to that.
Well, [b],[d], ad [g] wait. [c] is fiddling with the chains again.
soone, there tear is sealed, and they are filling the room with a foam that will harden into concreate, to prevent naything from trying to open it again on this side.
the dorr ir closed, and they turn to see that the demon is free, sitting naked in the grass, looking lost nad confused. firghtened. chidlike.
the dark it's been in has done it no favours, leaivng it pale and covered in sores. it's eyes are closed tighyl, and it's hunded in onitself, as [c] whispered to it.
it's a very dangous thing they're all allowed to happen. demon's haven't been on earth in a very long time, and hte last htey they where, it was a literal war.
while it is vague human shapped, with thin ratty and notted hair on it;s head, it lacks any typical human -or mamal - features, no nipples, no body hair, no belly button, no genitalia.
it's skin is patchy, showing ewither cales or open woulds, and there are black claws on it's fingers.
it's eyes, when they are open, are yellow, btu the light clearly hurts,a nd they mostly have them squeezed shut. [e] takes off their ballcap and fights it over rtty hair, helping shade the creatures face. other than [c], it's the first anyone of the group gets to approaching the creature, and it flinches away from them.
scared is also worrysome, because scared creatures will lash out to defend themselfs, and while it's understandable, if this things does lash out, it will make it harder to ague against it's euthinization.
do they want that? should it be allowed to live? where will they hid it?
"What's you nae?" [e] asks gently. she'd made the attmepts to get her waterbottle, thinking to offer a drink as a show os kindness, but [c] stops her apputly, shaking his head empatically in the negative.
the creature des not answer her, only curls up tighter.
everaylly, as they start moving away to get ready to head back home - the demon disappears.
it's crawled back up under the wings of the statue, shedding it's limbs as it goes, coing up in the familour darkness.
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