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Episode: Part 43 "The Witch"

Author: Harlan Guthrie
Duration: 00:50:31

Episode Shownotes

In this episode of Malevolent, Arthur has been struck down by a cunning and mysterious foe. The Entity within must work to save Arthur's life but it may cost a great deal more than the Entity realized. It is here that the Entity makes it's final stand; to decide once

and for all if it wishes to strive for goodness, or... if it should return to what it once was... Consider supporting now at: https://www.patreon.com/TheINVICTUSStream Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Full Transcript

00:00:10 Speaker_02
He is almost here. She has built this lab.

00:01:15 Speaker_01
Yes, barely. But she will keep him alive, as it suits her children to have warm flesh to feast upon. I believe she is wondering what I am. Your children survived, my queen. They scour the skies above, as they always have. Why? Why?

00:02:01 Speaker_01
I do not belong to anyone. Whom do you speak to? Very well. I speak with the voice within the man at your feet. The voice? She is taking the body back to her lair. What a curious thing you have become. What do they call you? Yorick, my queen. Yorick?

00:02:37 Speaker_01
For what purpose? I know not. I do not believe he is listening. Your calls go unanswered. Whom does this voice call for? A powerful being of a man. My apologies. You align with this voice, do you? I... I align myself with what suits best. And what are you?

00:03:08 Speaker_01
Yorick? What were you before? Some call me... Vanguard. Yes, but he was far too rotten by then. I believe so. Yes, if fresh enough. This voice, my prince, it speaks to you? And this man? Yes. Whatever. Does it lie to you, prince? Yes. We shall find out.

00:03:59 Speaker_01
I did not know that. What fuels that side of it? I still have control of my hand. There is a way out of here, through these tunnels. I'll get her to tell me, and once we do, I can... I believe she can hear you now. What? And what are you? What? Let us go.

00:04:37 Speaker_01
Please. Why? We have a task. A very difficult one. Surely you must... Look at our clothes. Our bag there. Clearly it's not from this time. Is this true, Prince? Yes, my Queen. They are from a different place. How wondrous.

00:05:03 Speaker_01
What task is it that you must achieve? We must find something called the Black Stone. Strange to find a man such as this in my home. Stranger still to find him accompanied by such unusual beings. Tell me, who are you?

00:05:34 Speaker_01
I... I... I... I am the King in Yellow. Hastur. He who is not to be named. Lord of Karkosa. I ruled the Dreamlands and I alone own this mortal flesh. I demand you leave and be here. I believe she does not know who you are, my king.

00:06:08 Speaker_01
I... You know nothing of the world beyond this. I suppose I do not. What is she... I can't... Arthur hasn't turned his head to see. What is she... She is going through your back, my king. Stop! Stop that! What presence you dare to command yourself with?

00:06:33 Speaker_01
Such... Ego. I demand you! You demand nothing! You have taken from me. You have entered into my home. Into my world. I care not where you are from. I care not what or whom you claim to be. You are mine now. And I will do with you as I see fit.

00:07:02 Speaker_01
Including retrieving my talisman. She continues to search the bag. I know. Listen. For a moment. I am the King in Yellow. From the world beyond dreams. What is this? It's a saving kit. Listen. And this? A crystallizer of dreams.

00:07:27 Speaker_01
You can have it if you- These are mine. As is your host's flesh. To bear more of my young. They are not. I... am a god, witch. You are no god. You dare doubt me! Look through that mask. That one. There. Look at me! You attempt to deceive me. I do no such thing.

00:08:01 Speaker_01
Look at this man through the eyes of that mask. What do you see? King, are you sure that- Do it! She looks through the mask, my king. What do you see, my queen? You are not. You are no god I have witnessed. No. But I am a god. Perhaps... you are.

00:08:36 Speaker_01
But that matters not. What is this? That... is of Leng. An alien creation. Its purpose? It allows... It allows you to seek out what you desire. A destination. How does a king become trapped inside mortal flesh? What does that matter? Very well.

00:09:10 Speaker_01
She continues to inspect our items. I do not see a way- The Great Old Ones! The ancient beings that rule over all! Gods of the Void beyond space and time and- She pauses, my king. are one of what they worship. The men at Castle Caringford.

00:09:36 Speaker_01
I... I don't know. Perhaps... we're not from this time, Queen. I have heard of your kind. I've heard these men scream the names of your brethren in the dark tunnels as my children consume their flesh. These gods are old. Older than you can imagine.

00:10:09 Speaker_01
Eons before your earthly gods, beyond time's measure, when language had no meaning or use, and power was shown in the deletion of a planet, not the whispering of words. And you claim to be a Great Old One. I am.

00:10:33 Speaker_01
And yet, you moan on a table beneath my knife, trapped in this vessel. How? I... If you do not tell me, I have no doubt you're a quill. Happily, my queen. He destroyed me. As the King in Yellow, I ruled over the Dreamlands.

00:11:04 Speaker_01
Though my memory of that untold time is hazy, I know, I assume, that I was enticed by the notion of entering your world, this dimension. And when an opportunity arose to do so, I took it. A gateway from my world to yours.

00:11:32 Speaker_01
But when I did, it closed midway through my transition and I was severed. One piece of me remained in the dreamlands. The other became trapped inside this Surely, a powerful being such as yourself was no match for a mere mortal. Had I my memories, yes.

00:11:59 Speaker_01
Perhaps. Even now, I have found new power that I didn't know existed. In time, even more could be possible. But for what I knew, I was trapped. So I fought against him. Fought? He is mortal. You show very little of the power you claim to have.

00:12:21 Speaker_01
I fought him when I needed to. Our goals were aligned. He needed me and I was hopeful to separate our bodies. You lie. I do not! You do. You speak of this flesh as if it were your own. You care for it. Tell me, Yorick. Speak the truth.

00:12:41 Speaker_01
He most definitely does, my queen. Goddammit, fine! Listen. Yes, at first this antagonistic creature drove me mad to no end. But something happened during this time, during my time with humans, and I began to feel remorse, regret. I connected with him.

00:13:16 Speaker_01
That alone wasn't enough to make me question who I am!

00:13:21 Speaker_00
But... Then... Then I was shown... Compassion. Love, even. By a... Nurse. A woman who... Cared for me. And I... I became attracted to the notion of... Humanity.

00:13:49 Speaker_01
This woman cared for you. Yes. Lies! She cared for your mortal. Yes, yes, but... She spoke to me. She spoke to the man you were trapped within. You gained humanity as a prisoner. No! No, it wasn't like that. You did not escape. You have become...complacent.

00:14:15 Speaker_01
He couldn't hear her! I was the one who received her care, her kindness. Intended for another. What does that matter? She knew no difference between me or him. She knew nothing of the soul that heard her. Whether it was... It was the same care.

00:14:38 Speaker_01
The same...compassion. And so? And so I felt a change in me. Perhaps because of the bond with this human. Perhaps because I was simply done with the prospect of having no real desire. And so I began to attempt humanity. What is this?

00:15:12 Speaker_01
It's a bestiary of sorts. Did your attempt work? Yes, I think so. How?

00:15:26 Speaker_00
Well, in a moment of... When everything we had together was almost lost, I... I gave myself over to the King.

00:15:36 Speaker_01
Again. So my friend would live. A self-sacrifice. That is no sacrifice. You are the king. You don't know. You have no idea. That cost me everything. You know nothing of true sacrifice. Your bedtime story of humanity is naive at best and broken at its core.

00:16:02 Speaker_01
I know humanity more than you or this mortal flesh ever will. You! Humanity is rotten to its core. It is a sick jest of noble intentions. An infested wound under wrappings. A failed gambit made by kinds like yours. I have seen true humanity.

00:16:33 Speaker_01
and it is not the virtuous mask you claim it to be. You're wrong. My mother was born Anais Lachlan, given as an oblate to the Benedictine Monastery in L'Reil. She was six years old, beaten, Tortured.

00:17:05 Speaker_01
Even at a young age, my mother knew this world was designed for the devils. So much so, that when she became pregnant, she threw her child into the river to be washed away. To die in the mud, in the filth, in the maggots. True sacrifice.

00:17:40 Speaker_01
I found my true mother there, in the rot. Mother darkness comforted me. Though the bugs had all but eaten my flesh, She allowed them to give me life, and in return, I give them life back.

00:18:06 Speaker_01
Humanity, as you so proudly proclaim a blessing, is a curse to the living, and a blight on this world. Now, where is it? Where is my talisman? I won't tell you. No? Yorick... My Queen! Don't! Don't tell her anything! My Queen... I cannot... How dare you?

00:18:46 Speaker_01
Who do you think you belong to now? Prince? I... Who cared for you? Who loved you? Who still loves you? Yorick! Please. I cannot, my queen. What honor you still retain in that rotten skull, my prince? So, tell me, King. What came of your sacrifice?

00:19:26 Speaker_01
What came of your decision to embrace your humanity? I... Tell me. I was reunited with the King, but could no longer live as I once did. I was... changed. I fought him. That part of myself, tooth and nail.

00:19:51 Speaker_01
And then, as a result, I was cast into the dark world. The dark world. Death for the undying. Hell for all things. Rewards for humanity. I didn't expect a reward. Clearly, you've found your way out. I... Tell me. You want to.

00:20:29 Speaker_01
It wasn't... You cannot even admit it to yourself. Hell brings about the truth in people. That's not true! What I did there... What you did... What was that? I fought the king because I was... because I thought I had found my humanity.

00:20:58 Speaker_01
But in the dark world, I realized just how fragile that humanity was. Yes. Yes. I'm sure you did. for a long, long time. And I embraced what I had rejected from the king. The irony is not lost on me. And I found myself with a new kingdom of sorts.

00:21:49 Speaker_01
Once again. The dark world thrives on fear. The land itself seems to... exist to cause pain. It feeds those with a vicious mind. And I ate... well. Of course you did. It's who you are. A king, such a being as yourself, plain human, is only a facade. No. No.

00:22:29 Speaker_01
No. That's not true. You don't know what you're talking about. It didn't... I lost myself, yes. But only for a time. Until I hit... Bedrock. until I realized what I had become. Then I made a deal to come back. How?

00:22:57 Speaker_01
There are beings far more powerful than you and I. Such as... Such as the being that has tasked us with this mission. The Blackstone. Yes. Yes. Yes. Have you heard of it? Perhaps. But of what matter is it to you? That's our business. Our?

00:23:24 Speaker_01
Again you speak of our. You are so much more than the sum of these parts. From what you have told me, you are simply... lost. Lost? You strive for humanity, like a child, looking for a parent. But to what end? You are so much more.

00:23:57 Speaker_01
Look at you now, trapped, dead to the world, silent to all but those who can hear. Is this humanity? You had an existence for eons, you said. And now, you are content to be forgotten. I am not forgotten. Not by him. Not by... Who? I remember you, my king.

00:24:44 Speaker_01
You returned to this dark world, having lost your humanity and hit Bedrock. What did your companion say? What did he think when you told him? I... I didn't. Instead, I watched him hit his bedrock.

00:25:18 Speaker_01
I watched him turn into the very thing I despised about myself while in the Dark World. The very thing I rejected when I was reunited with the King. The very thing I made my goal to escape from. That's more befitting. Except I didn't give up on him.

00:25:37 Speaker_01
I pulled him back from the edge. I couldn't let him fall like that. I couldn't watch him lose what I had tried so desperately to gain back. I... I saved him. You did so, so you did not have to see him act in a way that reminded you of yourself. Fuck you!

00:26:08 Speaker_01
I did what was right. He knew it. By lying to him? I did. Yes. Yes. And more than that, I felt like I lied to myself. And where did this lying lead you? Well, where we left. Because I had to fulfill my deal.

00:26:43 Speaker_01
Which... Ultimately led to more lies, yes, but... I had to. And perhaps things... And perhaps things didn't improve. I suppose. But... I... I began to feel angry. Trapped in the lies, unable to speak about what had happened in the dark world.

00:27:13 Speaker_01
And I became... resentful. I felt forgotten. I wasn't sure if my memory was fading because of my time in the dark world. Perhaps it was affecting me, or... Or I was meant to be back there. And I felt lost.

00:27:44 Speaker_01
And in my weakest moment, I tried to kill a man who I felt was in my way. So there is hope for you yet. Hope for me? These were brought on through the manifestations of my guilt. Can't you see that? Your guilt made you kill the man. No!

00:28:13 Speaker_01
You're twisting my words! Am I? He called me a child. Yes, the guilt made me angry and my lack of understanding. My inexperience with these emotions, but I- Inexperience? You are eons old. This, this mortal, is the child. Yes.

00:28:43 Speaker_01
But... But you felt anger and wanted to kill again. This is your nature. Your purpose. A great old one needs not the weakness of humanity. No. No, I was losing my memory because of Yellow and... Yellow.

00:29:09 Speaker_01
The king had two become trapped in another, which led to a confrontation. But you did not become whole again. No. No. No, my friendship saved me. My connection to this man. My love for Arthur saved me. You see? My humanity saved me. From what? From what?

00:29:45 Speaker_01
From... From what I was! From being a monster! Like you! But you are... A monster. And have been for time untold. I'm... I'm not. I'm... John, I... I'm my own. Entirely my own. You introduced yourself as the king in yellow. Did you not? I suppose so.

00:30:23 Speaker_01
You still covet the title. Yes, but- Do you miss being the king even now? Look, I'll admit I was tempted for a moment, perhaps, before we arrived here. The prospect, the reminder of who I was, yes. Yes, it was appealing, but not any longer.

00:30:54 Speaker_01
Because of this flesh? Yes. Because of this flesh. I understand. Allow me to help. There! You are free! Once again! He is dead! My king!

00:31:32 Speaker_02
How dare you!

00:31:38 Speaker_01
King! You manifest! I will tear you limb from limb. I will devour you whole and burn every one of your children alive. Bruce Lee, I have freed you. I will destroy everything you have come to love, just as you have taken it from me.

00:32:06 Speaker_01
You have drawn the ire of the king in yellow! And for that, you will be flayed! I commanded you not to, and you... You do not command me, king. You have far less power here than you realize. You have no idea what you have awoken! You will not. What?

00:32:42 Speaker_01
You fade! I hold no power here. You? I fear you not.

00:32:51 Speaker_02
Archer!

00:32:57 Speaker_01
I may be mortal here, and in most ways. But I control the magics in this hovel. The walls, the stairs. This is my domain, King. You are in my home. That I've created. But... I can release you. I am glad you have come to see my side of things.

00:33:31 Speaker_01
I... I... Arthur! He is gone. My king. I'm... I'm still here. I'm... You thrive, King. Do you not see how limited you were with him? How much more you are without him? But I... But I am... Alone. You were always alone. We are all alone.

00:34:13 Speaker_01
But Arthur, he... He made me believe and... I changed because of him. You believed your desire to change came from this mortal? Yes. Then why did you leave the Dreamlands? What? Before becoming bound to this flesh? Before taking this name?

00:34:46 Speaker_01
You told me that as the king you exited your realm to enter this one. Yes. Why? If you are so convinced the only reason you changed, that you desired to change, was because of this man, then why did you leave your kingdom in the first place? I...

00:35:18 Speaker_01
I don't know. I don't know. You have always been, and will always be. You do not change. I... I have always... been. You have persevered without this flesh. Without this... hope. Hope? That is what this is about.

00:35:49 Speaker_01
You've become attracted to the notion, the idea that hope is in the heart of humanity, or what you believe is humanity, this poorly drawn illusion to goodness. I despise it. It stands for everything I am against. It is all that I desire to destroy.

00:36:22 Speaker_01
You believe there is a happy ending. But this... This is your happy ending. A bleeding corpse of a man you called friend. This man is dead. He is an empty shell of what you remember. That is all that is left. A memory. He is gone.

00:36:54 Speaker_01
He is nothing more than food for my maggots. This is what your hope has brought. What are you? Giving your friend a final purpose. No! She is drawing the knife up, my king! No! End! Have you tired of this game? Finally. Game? This role you've been playing.

00:37:29 Speaker_01
Your time pretending to care. No. To hope. Listen. To believe in humanity. Please. Don't. Your friend's body will be a home for my children. Not like this. You will see the new life he helps grow. Within his belly. No! No! Please! Please! You know what I seek.

00:37:53 Speaker_01
I don't. You do. Enough games. I don't understand. Once this body is gone, the talisman is truly gone. I'm trying to! Will you finally see? Okay. Okay. Will you finally see? Okay, fine! Fine! Fine. Fine. You're right. You're right. You're right.

00:38:16 Speaker_01
Is that what you want to hear? I am a liar. I am naive. I'm wrong. No.

00:38:29 Speaker_02
No.

00:38:31 Speaker_01
No. No. No. You misunderstand. I don't wish you to be defeated. I am not this man. I wish to give you strength. To see strength in you, as I imagine you once were. What? You are more than this.

00:39:06 Speaker_01
I do not wish to see you bound to this flesh, or bound to these ignorant, false morals. These short-sighted platitudes. You do not need this other half. You can be complete. I wish to make you whole again. Whole. Let me make you whole. I... I understand.

00:39:55 Speaker_01
You're telling me that the choice I made, perhaps in taking the name John, choosing humanity, choosing hope, was... A mistake. You are so much more than this human name. These human morals.

00:40:25 Speaker_01
These decisions you've made, not only to limit what you could be, but what you are. in yellow. Haster, Lord of Carcosa. You are a great old one. A being of power enough to manifest outside this dead body. To exist within it still.

00:41:00 Speaker_01
And yet you choose to limit yourself in almost every conceivable way. You have decided to be something that robs the world of its king. You are right. He's dead. I am alone again. As I always have been. Yes. Hope is meaningless. Yes.

00:41:43 Speaker_01
I choose to become whole again.

00:41:47 Speaker_02
Yes.

00:41:49 Speaker_01
I am... Say it. Mean it. I am... the king... in yellow. Yes. Hail to the king.

00:42:11 Speaker_00
Can you... Can you find me a new body?

00:42:16 Speaker_01
Of course. This one will be yours. And many other things for you, my king. So be it. I convinced Arthur to hide the talisman, thinking it would spare his life. A valiant effort. I don't remember exactly where he left it, though.

00:42:43 Speaker_01
But the object of Leng will help me find it. Grab it. There. Hold it up to your head. The other way, my queen. Enlish. Yes. and look through it. It is dark. Yes. You'll need to hold it... No.

00:43:10 Speaker_00
There. Now, think of the object you desire to find. Yes.

00:43:17 Speaker_01
Do you have it in your mind's eye? Yes. Close your eyes. Envision its shape. It's color. Yes. It's size. Yes. Do you have it? Yes, my king. Excellent. Now... Squeeze. Wonderful. Only I decide who I am. Excellent deception, my king.

00:43:58 Speaker_01
Yorick, we need to get him back. Of course. I assumed that was your plan. But the amulet... I don't know how to... Leave that to me, my king.

00:44:10 Speaker_02
Yorick!

00:44:12 Speaker_01
What are you... Yorick, you're going to fall off the... Yorick! God damn it, Yorick! Are you okay? Answer me! Yorick! The witch! She's rising! She's alive! We didn't- Worry not, my king. It is me, Yorick. Yorick?

00:44:39 Speaker_01
I have bitten her with my tooth, and now control her. Like this head! Jesus! Go! Go get the talisman! Quickly! Right away, my king! Arthur... Arthur... I know you can't hear me right now.

00:45:04 Speaker_01
I don't know if you're in the dark world or... We've had so many chances to... I need to tell you, Arthur. What she said. A lot of what she said is true. I've spent a long time unsure of what I am.

00:45:47 Speaker_01
Whether I'm just a fragment of the King in Yellow, always with a streak of evil through my veins. A monster to millions and worse to more. Or, if I am striving to be human, am I better than that? To aim to be a force for good in this world?

00:46:18 Speaker_01
I've struggled for a long time to understand what I am.

00:46:24 Speaker_00
Which I am to be. But I know now. I'm neither good nor evil.

00:46:35 Speaker_01
I'm both. I can't hold myself to the ideals of humanity, let alone a single human. I cannot fit into your version of what I must be. Equally, I can never return to what I was. Nor do I want to. But I can, and I will let go of what no longer serves me.

00:47:15 Speaker_00
I am entirely my own.

00:47:19 Speaker_01
I have been, and will always be. And when given the choice, I choose hope. And I choose you. To be a part of you. Together, we are whole. And I think you know that too. Our friendship, it's... It saved us both. My king! You have it! Yes! Here, here!

00:48:01 Speaker_01
Put it on the... Yes, yes. Do you remember how she used it? On the prince? Yes. And he's not too rotten? He's still fresh, like you said. I believe he will be revived, just as normal. Okay. Wait, wait. Scoop out these maggots out of his stomach.

00:48:25 Speaker_01
And the sewing kit in the bag, you need... I know many things, my king. Thank you, Yorick. Thank you for... I have known you for a long time, my king. Longer than you realize. I cannot say we see eye to eye on all things.

00:48:50 Speaker_01
But I do honor your love for your friend. Yes. Yes. He deserves to hear what you have said when he wakes. He does. And I will tell him. Exactly what I have learned. And exactly who I am. I... I know now, York. I feel for the first time... Shaman. Yes.

00:49:27 Speaker_01
You've... You've sown him up quickly. You have done a great thing for him today, John. Thank you, Yorick. Now, bring him back. Very well. This will be loud. AHHHHHHHHH!