෴Mercator෴

෴Hugo෴

෴෴෴ ෴෴෴ ෴෴෴

Grim

෴෴෴ ෴෴෴ ෴෴෴

A soft bell chimed in his ears, over and over. The man on the bed turned over several times, even hiding his head under the pillow. Each time, the sound seemed to find him, as though wind chimes were being rung right next to his ears.

The sound finally made Hugo wake up all the way. He rolled over in bed and looked around. He got up and rubbed his eyes. Getting out of bed, he flexed his neck around to work out some kinks, and then looked at the room. He felt as though he were really seeing it for the first time. He loosened his belt a few notches, letting out a sigh of relief as he did so.

A light came on in the hallway outside his room. He poked his head out and looked around. Next door he found Marcus fast asleep. He searched for another few minutes before finding the room Adele was in. Javier was in the room next to hers. They were all sleeping peacefully. He gave each of them a few shakes. They all woke up, but then quickly rolled back over and nodded off again.

Satisfied that everyone was safe and sound, he explored the area. Something about the whole situation was putting him a little on edge. He thought about waking the others up, but then the chimes rang again, this time down the hall toward the lights.

Hugo held his hands up in a loose boxer’s guard and willed his blades on. When ignited, thin shafts of heated plasma at the end of his fists snapped to life, forming a spectral X shape that glowed a faint orange in front of him.

“Eh, you guys rest up. I’ll check things out around here.” he said to his sleeping companions. He let the plasma blades fade away and continued down the hallway with more confidence. Soon the pulsing lights and ringing chimes led him to the dining hall. The stale scent of food lingered in the air. He had a vague memory of ice cream somewhere nearby.

He wandered over to the freezer. He lifted the lid and smiled. It was full of pint-sized tubs in various flavors. He closed the freezer and continued looking around the room. There was a lot to see he hadn’t noticed before.

He looked at a mural on one wall. It depicted some kind of battle. Swarms of small creatures fought against seven giant creatures. Each one of the large beings looked unique, majestic even. Every one of the seven were clearly heroic beings of dominant power and stature. Against them was an army of small creatures bearing ill formed crude weapons, led by a hideous spider-like monster. The small scurrying creatures arrayed against them were represented as being not just tiny, but also somehow contemptible. The expressions of noble distaste on each of the seven heroes' faces were clear, while the small swarm was faceless, and portrayed as simply undeserving of identity. Studying the details, Hugo noticed that clearly one of these small beings cared about the others, swooping in to save the wounded in the nick of time. The way the mural represented many battles, it was clear this savior creature, a cackling hag, denying the justice itself by pulling those despicable enemies away from the righteous wrath of the 7 heroes, was just as vile a creature as the spider thing that led them.

Hugo noticed that the mural was, as far as he could tell, utterly seamless. Running his fingers across the surface, it was smooth as glass. If there was a gap between any of the tiles, it was too small to see or even feel.

The next mural depicted the spider-like monster again. Every line and shade showed this creature to be a powerful malefactor. In each scene, the monstrous thing was locked in battle with one of the seven heroes. In each battle, the hideous many-legged monstrosity would, with the aid of another club wielding evil minion, or the cackling hag, or the faceless army, somehow defeat or drive back the heroic champion through vile trickery and deceit.

Hugo shook his head in bewilderment, wondering what kind of creature had so many legs, and why the long-haired human looking creature would help it.

“Do you like my artwork?” Mercator asked from over his shoulder.

Hugo whirled, startled and scared that the massive creature had somehow snuck up on him so thoroughly.

Hugo forced a smile up at the vast being. “Uh, yes sir, I mean, honored host. It is quite—”

“Now, now, call me Mercator. There’s no reason to stay so fixated on being a guest, or my being a host. Why not simply be friends that are staying with me until you’re ready?”

Hugo cocked his head to the side, unsure what it was that seemed so wrong about that.

Mercator smirked, revealing a large tusk on one side of his mouth. He gestured with his enormous arm and clawed hand, encompassing all the murals. “My artwork. These images are, as you say, a labor of love, for me. You're the only living person that has ever seen them. Please, tell me what you think.”

Hugo gulped and looked way up at Mercator. Mercator seemed to realize his closeness and took a step back.

Hugo smiled an unsteady smile, “Well, the artwork is amazing. I don’t know if I understand it entirely, but I’m not sure a machine could do this any better than you have. It’s technically amazing, and the story told in pictures doesn’t even need words, it’s obvious what’s happening there.”

Mercator purred, reminiscent of a house cat the size of an actual house. “So, tell me what you think is happening here?”

Hugo explained what he had gotten from the many exquisitely rendered scenes.

Mercator smiled widely. “Excellent insights. Not completely correct, but you have the meat of it. Your insight is deeper than I’d hoped, er, expected.”

He clapped the man on the shoulder and led him from the room. “I’d like to show you the rest of my art collection. I think you’ll find it most engaging.”

The casual grip and nudge from Mercator was effectively a gentle but unstoppable force to Hugo. The young man accompanied Mercator deeper into his home, proceeding away from the guest quarters.

Finally, Mercator let go of him and continued on ahead. Hugo noted the written sign in front of him, warning guests to keep out. Mercator stood a few feet away, looking at another mural. Hugo couldn't quite make it out. He looked at the sign, then at Mercator’s welcoming stance, and entered the room.

This mural showed the spider-creature battling other monstrous things. Giant lupine creatures, a many-headed monster with a ravenous appetite for blood, a snake so large it could swallow him in a single gulp. The spider’s victory was left uncertain in these images. The artwork was beyond reproach. Hugo effusively told Mercator how impressed he was at every opportunity.

Mercator accepted his praise with smiles and good cheer. They moved to the other wall. This time the images were closer in, more intimate. It showed Mercator and the spider in combat that ended not with one of them falling, but an uneasy ceasefire between them.

The last group of scenes didn’t seem to have anything to do with the rest. It was a simple series of imagines that portrayed domestic tranquility. Hugo marveled aloud at the shades and ambiance in the image. The images told a story in reverse. It began with some kind of dinner party for others like Mercator. The next tile showed Mercator in a kitchen, preparing to serve what had to be a meal for many guests. Here he was placing a baking tray into his oven, there he was stirring a large pot atop his flaming stove. In the next scene, he was butchering several skinned animals, no bigger than half his height.

Hugo looked at the next panel where Mercator was cheerfully disemboweling a naked human, suspended upside down on meat hooks driven through its ankles. He couldn't help but take in the scene in its entirety before turning to look at Mercator in fear and confusion.

Mercator smiled reassuringly, “Go ahead, look at the next one.”

Hugo nervously moved so he could attempt to monitor the giant behind him and the wall ahead of him. The images were two, the first showed a human and Mercator, both facing the very wall he was looking at. The next showed—

Hugo realized what was coming and didn’t waste another second. His plasma blades snapped to life as he turned to fight. Before he could complete the turn, Mercator’s fist drove his head to the wall, knocking him unconscious with precise power and speed far beyond human.

“Fear not little human. I will not demean you by making your death quick or easy.” Mercator rumbled.

Later, when Hugo awoke in the larder without his arms, all he could do was scream.