The shoggoth carried me towards the trench. I tried struggling but to no avail, it only made my situation worse as the shoggoth tightened its hold of me. I planned to use a grenade to at least loosen or destroy the tentacle that was binding me but En told me not to do it since it would only bring me harm than good if I try to blow the tentacle off, he even said that it might aggravate the shoggoth and consume me instead.
Eclaireuse even tried to overuse her soul force to strengthen the barrier but it did not work, the shoggoth's tentacle still pass through her barrier. Looking around me, I saw other shoggoths still hunting, purging all remaining nightmare origin that had failed to run away.
"En can you try and communicate with the shoggoth?"
"I'll try but don't get your hopes up."
"Eclaireuse, please lessen the barrier to about half a meter around me, conserve your energy, we might need it in the long run."
"Understood, kid."
I tried thinking of other ways to escape from the shoggoth's grasp, but none came inside my mind.
I had some thoughts to cut the tentacle but that needed an artifact with a stronger soul force than Eclaireuse. Strengthening me using my energy would only tighten the shoggoth's grasp and might cause an accident once I run out of energy; I don't want to pass out inside the abyss.
"Phil, I tried communicating with the shoggoth, but its consciousness is broken it kept on repeating the words "Eliminate all corruption" inside its mind."
"Dang it, will I be eliminated? Try asking it again, ask what it wants to do with me."
I clenched my hands and tried to reach towards the pouch containing the marbles, even though En warned me that it would be dangerous to use them, I might as well use them, even though I might end up severely injured at least I'll have a chance to try and run away.
"En, how is it?"
"Wait, it's still talking. Okay got it. It does not know how to treat you so it will bring you to its master."
"What? This thing has a master? Is it the thing that was trying to escape and caused the maelstrom?"
"No, it shouldn't be. Since it was task to eliminate the corruption and not spread it."
"Why would a being born from corruption try to destroy the thing that had given it its soul?"
"I don't know, only the master of the shoggoth should know."
"Hopefully that thing understands that I am not one of those nasty corruptions."
"I'll try to reason to it if it tries to eliminate you."
"Thank you then."
The shoggoth carried me towards the crack on the ceiling of the lower abyss. Guarding the crack were numerous shoggoths, they looked at me with their eyes as the shoggoth that was carrying me walked past them.
After a few moments the shoggoth that was carrying me stopped on its tracks. It then started to vibrate as a low hum could be heard from where I was located.
"What is it trying to do En?"
"It's calling for its master."
After a few second after the shoggoth stopped to vibrate, a high pitched scream answered. I tried to cover my ears but remembered that I was still bound by the tentacle, I winged from the high pitch scream and my head started to ache, thankfully the scream only lasted for a couple of seconds, if not my ears would be bleeding and I would be partially deaf.
A white shoggoth appeared from the crack of the ceiling. It was at least 3 times larger than the normal shoggoths that was guarding the ceiling from any escapees. The shoggoths that was surrounding the one that was carrying me made way for its master, while the shoggoth that was carrying me tried to bow towards it, at least that was what I think it was trying to do since it had no legs or head to try and bow towards its master.
I could see the miasma receding as the white shoggoth made its way towards me. As it got closer I could see that it has 3 pairs of arms at the center of its body, it was strangely human and unlike the limbs that I had seen with the nightmare origins during my travels, the arms from the white shoggoth could be compared to those models with beautiful hands.
At the center of its arms was a white face. At first I thought it was strangely beautiful, but the closer the white shoggoth got the clearer I saw the face. It was a mask, but it was strangely familiar. The mask had its eyes close like it was sleeping, it was smiling gently as if having a good dream, the snow white brow and long white lashes added to the beauty and mystery to the realistic mask.
The white shoggoth was now in front of me, and instead of feeling dread or fear, I was strangely calm, I was at peace, like everything was going to be okay.
I could hear En's voice inside my head but I did not listen to him, Eclaireuse was with him too, trying to speak to me but all I did was smile.
The white shoggoth came closer to me, It put its mask close to my face, I felt it looking at me through its mask. It tilted its face to the side as its arms moved to touch my face. It ordered the shoggoth that was binding me to release its grasp. I could have tried to run away just then, I could even hear En trying to tell me to run away. But I kept on looking at the mask. I could feel as if I'm home, that I was wanted, that I am safe, as long I am by her side.
The white shoggoth opened its arms like wanting a hug, I myself, opened my arms as well. I stared at the mask as if it was all I could think off, I could hear En and Eclaireuse shouting on the background but I could not understand what they were trying to say.
I was getting closer towards the shoggoth, a mere meter of distance for a hug, but that, that was when it happened.
It was as if time stood still. Deep from the abyss, a deep and loud bellow was heard. The miasma churned and turned darker as it exploded outwards, the shoggoths were stunned while some of them flew due to the fast expansion of the miasma. I, who was floating near the white shoggoth, was affected as well. I saw the white shoggoth trying to catch me and protect me from the explosion, it reached its arms towards me and so did I, but it was too late, only a mere inch before I could grasp her hand but I flew away due to the explosion and hit my back on the ceiling.
My head was aching and my ears were ringing, I was out of breath due to the impact. The barrier that Eclaireuse had made almost shattered as I watched it vibrate quickly and cracks started to appear. En was trying to stabilize my mind as maddening whispers due to the bellow invaded my head. I was surprise on myself how I had a little of sanity left to see the nightmare origins that were coming out from the depths of the lower abyss. They were rushing like mad towards the shoggoths and soon a battle started, thankfully I was blown a couple of miles away from the fight, but strangely I could feel the white shoggoth staring at me, she was staring at me sadly, she wanted to come for my rescue but due to her duties she could not. I was starting to pass out as I saw the battle that had ensued, shoggoths were tearing the nightmare origins in pieces while nightmare origins mob a single shoggoth and was overwhelming it with numbers, the white shoggoth stopped looking at me and was commanding the battle and was actively participating in destroying the nightmare origins that came on its way. That was what I last saw before I passed out.
'Clank…Clank…Clank'
I woke up due to the sound of chains clanking with each other. I clutched my aching head and tried to stand up when En's voice echoed inside my head.
"Shhh… Don't stand up. Slowly hide in that cave there."
I noticed that I was not protected by Eclaireuse's barrier anymore but instead my whole body was coated by some kind of black substance.
"Don't dawdle Phil! Hurry up or your energy is going to deplete"
I looked at my energy bar that was slowly going down. Knowing that something was amiss, I heeded En's advice and quickly and silently hid the cave that he had pointed.
I arrived in the cave without any trouble and started questioning En.
"Where are we En?"
I asked as I sighed in relief, Eclaireuse was inside my shirt, she somehow floated inside so that she won't be separated when I was unconscious.
"Well, we are in the deepest part of the abyss."
"What happened to Eclaireuse? Why isn't she using her barrier?"
"I ask her to stop her barrier, we don't want to be seen by that thing outside."
"Thing? That clanking sound?"
"Well, how about you use your remaining energy and peek outside."
I frowned in confusion but did what En just said.
My eyes went wide as I saw a somewhat humanoid figure. It was massive and taller than any mountains I have seen. Its body was rotting and some of its flesh had fallen off. Its head was like a tree but withered and black goo was seeping out like sap from a tree. A large mouth was located near its abdomen, it whispered and howled incoherently, eyes dotted all over its body, some had rotted off while others were crying the same black goo that was seeping out of its head. The black goo pooled near its feet as it slowly turned into the miasma.
This massive monstrosity was being held by set massive chains. The chains were impaled all over its body impeding the monstrosity to move, the chains would clang, as the monstrosity tried to move and escape. As the monstrosity tried to escape the chains would then tighten squeezing out the part that was bound letting more black goo to seep out from the monstrosity, the monstrosity howled in pain and tried to raise its head upward only to suffer a punishment as the chains glowed and strange writing and symbol glowed from it, the chains then moved as if being pulled by something as the monstrosity was forced to kneel on the ground.
"En, what is that thing?"
My voice was shaking as I asked En the origin of the monstrosity.
"The cause of the maelstrom. The source of miasma. What remains of the fallen outer god. The prisoner of the abyss of dreams."