A blighted land, an empty world, a moment to reflect...
Summary[]
John and Arthur continue their journey through the Dark World, coming upon a blighted farm, a funeral for John Doe, and a crablike city that hangs high in the air. It is there that they rejoin with their old friend Yorick, who has an escape plan – if only they can find new bodies. At a citadel made of bones, John reveals that he once killed every version of Arthur he could find.
Synopsis[]
They traverse through the Dark World. The blight that covers the land reminds John of the dream he had in England. A black webbing covers the ground, similar to what covered Frederick’s chest, and they press on. Though Arthur presses John to reveal his secret, John decides to tell him when he knows they won’t be interrupted. The conversation turns to the Dollmaker, who John has not heard of.
Ahead, a cyclone appears through a break in the clouds. They head into the eye of it and stumble upon a farm entirely covered in blight. In the field, John describes severed cow heads with twisted horns, with eyes that still seem to follow them. When they briefly head into the barn, John notes that it seems more akin to a reconstruction of a child’s memory. Skulls and skeletons linger under the webbing. There are also vegetables, but the roots are like a child’s finger – complete with fingernails.
These distortions are common in the Dark World. John describes his first experience: filled with rage beyond measure. Other people were unable to experience any emotion at all.
John spots a creature when they exit the barn. It carries a large sack on its back, lacks ears or a mouth, and collects skulls from under the webbing. It feeds the skulls into its sack, whereupon something in the sack grinds up the bone. The creature continuously leaves behind a dusty trail.
After they briefly debate speaking to it, they ultimately let the creature pass. Together, they reaffirm their desire to lay low and focus on leaving. Arthur asks how John left the Dark World the first time. John explains that, when someone held his book, he had the opportunity to return to the living world. Emily refused to, but Arthur did not.
Eventually, they re-enter the blighted mist and head towards the bell. Arthur probes John for information, but John is largely unsure about whether he had a body and whether there are other gods beside Kayne. John remains silent when Arthur asks if other versions of himself exist here.
They stumble upon a funeral and a stone slab coffin. Inscribed on it is the name ‘John Doe’. Before they open the body, Arthur asks John to give a eulogy for himself.
John accepts, and delivers one. He speaks to his ability to feel compassion, empathy, and love. He describes his choice to adopt the name John Doe, and how he saw Lilly the nurse as a mother. He talks about his guilt for his actions, and he reflects upon his relationship with Arthur. Ultimately, John reaffirms his desire to be better, and that he died incomplete and without an answer for his life’s pursuits. However, so does everyone else. He also died in the presence of his best friend, who he hopes knows how much he means to John.
Arthur praises John’s eulogy. In the coffin is not John’s body. They move onto the concrete forest. There, concrete columns appear to be cut by hand, with some impact dents. John struggles to peer between the columns with the gas mask, and ultimately, Arthur removes it.
Only then does John see that the columns move. They are supported on spider-like legs. Quickly, they dodge the pillars and exit onto a seaside cliff. John guides Arthur into climbing down the cliff-face, in front of a huge, unnaturally still ocean.
A bizarre sight hangs in the sky: a horseshoe-crab like creature floats, anchored onto the surface of the ocean by chains. It is the size of a city. As John describes it, the bell sounds from the floating crab city. While they finish climbing down, John realizes that the ‘ladder’ they climb down is actually a series of exposed coffins.
John ponders whether they should try to enjoy themselves, rather than pursue a potentially hopeless request. Arthur wants to focus onward. When John asks whether Arthur would stop and treasure moments with Faroe, were she with him, Arthur refuses to engage with hypotheticals.
They find one of the anchors. Just before Arthur climbs, he asks John whether he believes Faroe is in the Dark World. John replies in the negative. Along the chain, he admits that even if she was in the Dark World, Arthur wouldn’t stop in his quest. Faroe deserves everything, and Arthur would not rob her chance for a full life. He bemoans that most of his life was spent kicking the can down the road: Bella, Daniel, and Parker.
John says that Arthur has changed, and Arthur agrees – Faroe deserves the best version of himself. Together, they reach the city.
The skyscrapers are the legs of the creature and the floor as the underbelly, riveted exoskeleton with hill-like mounds. They discover a mundane bell in a fractal web, which stretches all the way to the top of the legs – like antenna.
Arthur takes the bell. Part of the creature’s chest splits open, revealing a tongue. A secondary mouth opens and speaks. It is Yorick, their lost friend. This creature is his true form. Arthur apologies for Yorick’s death, but Yorick says that it is unnecessary. Nor is Yorick concerned that his true form is imprisoned, as this is the case for all Vanguards. He also states that, in a way, Arthur has already freed him. Yorick made the bell and has already made plans to return them to their world and prevent Kayne’s plans from coming to fruition.
Only one step remains: acquiring bodies for John and Arthur. Yorick is confident that they can escape, as Malam escaped once before. However, he escaped without a body, and so became a revenant that wanders the in-between realm (the Hollow). Yorick will prevent this by making sure they both have bodies, which will also separate them from one another.
Yorick has already found a body for John, in the Bone Citadel. He guides them there. John desperately tries to tell Arthur something, but Yorick interrupts. He suggests that they use the Dollmaker to make a body for Arthur.
When they reach the Bone Citadel, Yorick retreats to allow John and Arthur to speak. John describes the citadel as a cathedral built from bones, pain, misery, anger, resentment, and hate. His body, that of Hastur, is draped across the throne. Arthur prompts him to continue, and John admits that he hunted and killed in the Dark World. Rather than directionless killing, he had targets in mind.
He hunted and killed every version of Arthur he could find. It is Arthur’s bones he used to make the citadel.
Votes[]
- Chapter 266: Make Contact [186] / Leave it be [230]
- Chapter 267: Open the Coffin [257] / Leave it be [149]
- Chapter 268: Remove the Mask [199] / Keep the Mask On [184]
- Chapter 269: Yes, I think she's here [110] / No, I don't think she's here [266]
- Chapter 270: No vote.
