LET ME OUT!

          The only answer the Dark Lord got back was His own thunderous echo. The gateway was closed. The forcefield held strong and true. He was to be trapped in this limbo forever. Well, it was more of a dark, gloomy cavern than some sort of total oblivion. In any other circumstance, He could almost feel at home in this terrible place. Pure nature, pure wilderness untouched by the unclean hand of Mankind. But He, the mighty Lord of plants, animals and minerals, He, an almighty god who had once been appeased and recognised as the God, had been cast out; expelled, beaten, defeated. He had been exiled from the very world that he helped create. The one whom the People of the Hammer called their saviour, the one known as "Builder" had defeated and imprisoned Him in this retched place. He, whom was feared so much by this new entity known as "Man", was now forgotten. The Trickster of the Ages stormed back and forth through the dark cave, smashing rock and dirt as He passed it. He could not tolerate incarceration.

          No, He said. They cannot expel Me so easily. They can not cast Me out and forget. I shall return. I shall return and crush those who hurt My children and banished Me to this netherworld. He sped up His pace, now galloping with His mighty hooves, up the rugged path paved down the centre of the cavern, smashing pieces of rock with His fist in some sort of furious determination. Woe be to him that defies the tree, for he shall be cast out into the world through the veils of rain and fire. Their rebellion will not go unchallenged. Their useless tools will not save them from My wrath, nor will their petty saviour. I shall return and they will bow to Me! I shall teach them to dismiss their true lord and to think themselves the rightful rulers of the world! He cantered up onto the highest rockface, and looked down upon the murky silence that even then seemed to stare back at Him with a cold indifference. He raised His clawed fist to symbolize His declaration.

          I shall have My revenge!

          And with this proclamation, the Dark Lord raised His arms high above His head and waved them from side to side, swooping up and down, left to right, stirring the hidden energy from the elements and releasing them from the confines of the corporeal world. The air around Him, the rock beneath His feet, the water trickling down deep into the ground, the fire roaring deep within the chasm He looked down upon; they all succumbed to the Lord's power and did as He bade. He began consuming the power held deep within them, bringing their unearthly wiles to life and summoning all the magic He had within Him to complete the spell.

          Listen as I raise My hands,
          Elements, hear My commands.
          Fire, water, earth and air,
          Turn this cave into My lair!
          Sprout you now, from 'neath the earth,
          Children wake, I give thee birth!

          At His very command, the ground rumbled, and things happened very suddenly. Fissures opened up beneath the ground, spurting lava to and fro. Gusts of fire shot out from the fissures of burning rock, engulfing the cave in glorious flames. The flames began to take on a mind of their own, as if they were coming to life at the Trickster's very command. Strange orbs of fire and smoke rose from the lava, roaring out into the darkness.

          A torrent of water came pouring out of the ground, spraying everywhere, and the droplets that touched the ground froze immediately, crystallizing into lethal, forbidding ice. The bulk of the water continued to flow upward, defying gravity itself. It poured onto the ceiling, as if it didn't know it wasn't settling on the ground. After a few moments an upside-down lake of sorts began to form on the top of the cave, constantly being fed by the waterfall. Plants began to sprout out of the virgin soil, growing at an exponential rate, including one that wouldn't stop growing.

          First it was the size of a simple weed, then a shrub, then a bush, and then a tree. Soon it had grown to the top of the cave, reaching a height no other plant had ever reached before. And still it grew, pushing the rock higher and higher, forming vines from its branches that clung to everything, to every nook and cranny of the gothic place.

          The spurts of lava produced entire rivers of running fire, melting the rock surrounding it and feeding the fiery liquid. Globs of molten liquid shot out from edifices of rock and flowed around the circumference of the cave, ending up in the same place before falling back down the cracks, sometimes to be shot up once again. The result was a massive ring of fire streaming through giant trenches of deformed and reformed rock, stretching for miles.

          Then the most astonishing part of the spell began. Out of the ground, unearthly seedlings began to sprout, writhing around furiously like newborn snakes, continually growing and changing form. They began to form limbs, arms and legs. They wriggled free from their roots, but they were stuck to the ground, immobile, as if some kind of natural membrane held them down.

          Each hideous creation took on its own form. Some turned deep blue and formed gills, crab-like claws, and a hammer-like head. Some stayed the same colour green and grew vicious talons instead of arms, with razor-sharp ends on the underside. And some become enormous red arachnids, with savage jaws and hideously long legs.

          There were dozens of these things; then hundreds; thousands; tens of thousands. The fact that there were so many of them lying around made it clear just how enormous the cave was. They had to be miles underground. And the Trickster could feel that this wasn't the Earth. Not the Earth He knew. He could smell it in the air, feel it in His bones: this was not His land.

          After they had recovered from the agony and torment of their birth, they all pulled themselves free of the skin-like material fastening them to the ground, rose slowly to their feet, and turned wearily to their master, awaiting His commands.

          Through all of this, the Dark Lord smiled boldly, a smile of anticipation and self-gratification. His hands rested proudly on His hips. He would rise again, and the world of men would tremble at His feet.

          Now, My children, go you -- go you and build Me a new gateway. Open you the link between this world and Mine, and break you down the forcefield that keepeth Me here. We will take back the world that was taken away from us. We will have our redemption!

          As expected, the creatures gave no roar of appraisal to their Lord's commands. Instead they groaned and squealed, clicked and hissed, the only noises they knew how to make. They all turned around and began their horrible work.