Anon Tae - The Arrival - Chapter 4

Gunter dismounted and began removing the saddle and bridle. Imhotep whinnied and pawed at the ground. " I know , I know.. I've got something for you." Gunter said as he rummaged through his sack for the oats he had brought along. Giving Imhotep a handful seemed to calm him, and after brushing him and checking his hooves, he let him wander off into the lush green grass.

"How much further is it Por?" The old man had been taking care of his own extremely large Stallion and was fighting with the stallion trying to shove his nose away from the sack he had packed... The horse, named after the mythical city of CarTerradin seemed to be winning the fight. " How much furth..well.. were here." The old man pointed with a long cane shaped somewhat like a withered piece of driftwood. It fit the palm of his hand precisely, and had a polished metal tip at the end that shined like bright gold. The tip pointed to an archway that was carved out of a huge black stone by a stream that passed through the center of it.. The archway was large enough for four Horseman to ride through abreast. The streambed was covered with black rocks, polished smooth from years of tumbling in the stream. The water was crystal clear, and seemed to bubble up out of a spring not far away.

"You must pass through that archway to enter the Anon Tae. Be warned Gunter, Do not turn back, you must pass through the archway completely.. turning back in the middle of it is death." At that.. the old man set about building a fire and preparing his meal..

Gunter sat at the edge of the stream for a great while, contemplating what he might find in that archway, wondering how turning back could bring death. As the sun started to settle on the tops of the hills to the west, Gunter roseand removed his sword and then stepped into the streambed. The water was icy, and seeped into his leather boots immediately, he started to turn back to the shore to remove them.. then remembered the old mans warning.. was he considered started already? Would stepping back onto the shore be turning back? He decided not to risk it and contined with the boots filling completely with the frigid water. As he passed underneath the stone arch he noticed tiny carvings on the face of the boulder. So small that they were not visible from a distance, but looked like they were glowing with a faint blue glow from where he was, he wanted to stop to examine them, to try to decipher what they meant. He could see meaning in some of them..even some that seemed to resemble his own name, and Por's as well. He should tell Por about this discovery.. he needed to go back to .. catching himself before he turned.. he realized the subtle nature of the attack. His mind was mesmerized by the runes, and had almost done their bidding, turned around and walked away. He wondered how close to death he had just come.

He forced himself to take another step through the archway and felt his foot step on something slippery that moved when he put his weight down. Then another slippery brush against his ankle. He looked down to see hundreds of water wisp snakes in the water around his feet. Panic took him.. He must have stepped on a nest of the small vipers.. he was going to die even if he didn't turn back.. he looked down again, The water was thick with them.. too many of them in fact.. he realized the flaw then.. water wisp snakes only lived together for the first two weeks of their lives.. You would never see this many together without them fighting with each other.. they were territorial. He calmed himself realizing the illusion. Taking a deep breath he steadied his nerves. Feeling confident now.. he stepped forward again waiting for the next terrifying illusion that he could ignore..

He was struck in the head by a stick. He fell forward face first into the water head reeling.. had Por snuck up on him while he pondered the snakes? Another blow to his side.. he felt his rib crack, looking up he could see himself standing there as a child, holding the branch he used to beat billy barchridge. The child form of himself was kicking him, and beating him with blows all over his body. He was about to fight back, but realized the child form was behind him.. he would have to turn back to fight.. He got to his feet as the child form struck him again and again on his legs and back...had he hit billy that many times? The Bully had picked on his friends for years..he had no chioice but to stick up for them..he was proud he had done it.. One blow to his kidney caused him to lose control of his bladder.. not so proud now, another blow to the head dizzying him, he fought off the blackness, he could have found another way he realized..another blow to the leg..he heard the bone crack.. this was unecessary.. He staggered to step forward, the wounds were gone, the pain was still there but he was somewhere else.. and the child form was older.. but it was still him, and he screamed when he saw what he was about to do..

Por Fell asleep that evening and awoke the next morning.. hunted for breakfast and lunch. He wrote some in a book that he had been trying to finish. "The Adventures of Jane Farstrider". And fell asleep doing it.. That evening he waited by the stream for Gunter to emerge from the arch.. he did not. He fell asleep there and went about the same routine the next day.. and again waited at the arch for him to emerge. It continued this way until on the fifth day, during lunch he heard a splash in the stream. Hurrying over, He raised Gunter up out of the water, and carried him unconscious to the fire. he layed him down there and dried him off, put warm blankets around him and tried to dribble some water into his mouth forcing him to swallow it. After he had done all he could do.. he sat down and waited.

Hours later, Gunter stirred in his blankets. His stomache was screaming for food. Por gave him the leftovers from lunch, a hot dinner plate, and the last of the bread and cheese slices they had brought in their packs. He ate it all, and looked in the packs for more...



After he had finally given up on finding more food, he sat down in the blankets again. Gunter having sated his hunger enough to think.. began to weep into his hands.. Por spoke gently "I barely survived my trip through the archway.. I was unconscious for weeks after it. It changes your perspective, commiting all the sins of your lifetime against yourself..You realize the power we all posess to harm.. you either learn from it or die in the archway.. none I have heard come out and repeat those sins.. You have been cleansed my son.. it is a blessing."

Gunter kept weeping.. and did not speak for days.


~From the Cherubim Knights Archive~
A record of the cleansing.

I am really enjoying this....and it has Gunter's name, lol. Thanks for putting this lore together!

Lady