Damon’s eyes flickered open, and the first thing he felt was a throbbing pain in his head. He tried to remember what had happened to him, but his mind was clouded, as if somebody had placed a heavy fog over his thoughts. “Damn I feel like someone shoved my head in a washing machine last night”
He looked around the room and realised it was damp, and he had a strange feeling like he was underground. Feeling the cold sense of solid rock beneath him he starts to roll over slowly and get up. He fumbled around in the dark for his phone, which he luckily found in his pocket. As he tapped the flashlight button and shone the light around, Damon realized he was wearing all black smart shoes and smart shoes. That was odd he thought. Then it hit him, he was on his stag do!
Damon's heart began to race as he tried to piece together his memories. He recalled being out with his friends for his stag do, but everything after that was hazy.
Breathing heavily, Damon stood up and felt a cold damp air on his face. His surroundings were unfamiliar, and he felt like he was in a tunnel leading to someplace unknown.
Stumbling in the dark he trips up and smacks his head into a wall, the sound echoes.
“Mother…..” he angrily huffs out.
Carefully this time he tentatively stumbles further down the tunnel, he felt markings on the walls that made no sense. The markings looked like ancient hieroglyphics. Nothing added up and so he came to the only conclusion that made sense.
“Okay guys this isn’t funny, wherever you’ve dropped me is bloody dangerous. Let’s call it a funny prank and get out of here, I’m already soaking, it’s bloody cold and this is not how I meant to spend the morning after my bachelor party”, though in his head he could think of a few times a drunken night out had ended in a similar situation not to mention that time in Paris. Thinking logically the only explanation for ending up somewhere so strange must be down to his best mate Jamie pulling some prank again. ‘Points for the décor’ he thought, ‘he really went all out this time’.
The tunnel seemed to stretch on endlessly, and with each step he took, Damon's began to fill with doubt which quickly transformed to fear. Faster and faster, he walked, until he stumbled and fell through a wall of vines. The thick, overgrown vines almost black in colour obstructed his view but now he saw.
He landed on a rocky ledge and looked out, gasping at the unbelievable sight before him. Damon saw a massive city, encased entirely within a mountain. The city was made entirely of purplish black rock with scarlet red pulsing veins running through it. The city seemed to be alive, despite being in ruins, with small crumbling structures and towering pillars of rock jutting out from the black sea of stone. Damon could see a tall castle in the centre of the city, the only building still standing, with a single tower containing a slow, red-beating heart that pulsed with the veins in the rock.
He could barely see the ceiling, as it disappeared into the darkness above his vision. The city was calling out to him, but he couldn't decide whether he wanted to answer, or even if he could. With a deep sense of unease, Damon became convinced he was hallucinating, dreaming, or even worse, he had lost his mind.
Damon tried to make sense of it all, but his mind was in chaos. He looked down at his clothing and saw they were the same shirt and jeans from his stag do but ratty and worn as if they’d be aged 5 years.
‘Bing’
*New notifications available*
The message pops into existence right in front of him, ‘ay’ he thought almost slipping again. Waving his hand in front of his face like trying to clean a dirty window, slowly at first, then the panic sets in that there are words hanging in his vision. He spins his head looking side to side manically switching to up and down trying in vain to clear his vision.
Damon stops dead eyes closed, feeling dizzy his eyelids creep open while begging the universe to please let this mean his drink was spiked and not that he’s going crazy. Still, there right in front of his face, hovering ominously are the words in a gold and black box, an aura of ancient power practically leaking from it the longer he looked. He froze and stared at it for what seemed like a small glimpse of eternity and then as if by instinct Damon said the word “Open”.
His voice sounded out like the beginning of a ritual and his being felt a thunderclap in the distance that caused a primal panic. It was the panic of someone watching a tidal wave second from wiping out their existence or an astronaut that just had their tether cut and watched as they spun into the endless void.
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As quickly as it came it was over and replaced by cheering and trumpets all around him. He flinched stumbling again before setting his feet with some more strength this time.
The first message appeared in gold writing over a beautiful galaxy background with a large slowly rotating planet in the middle. The world was a mix of the purest nature and lively blues of the ocean, orbiting the planet were two balls of light, one on either side. It seemed two miniature, yet powerful stars were orbiting the planet and not the other way around. The first was bright like the sun and the second a stormy dark orange that didn’t seem to let out nearly as much light. Another strange feature was the clouds of the planet, a misty purple alien sky.
The whole message had a peaceful yet powerful aura. It whispered of being alive for untold ages. It rocked his being, feeling the message rather than hearing it, it was the silent promise of an ancient power resting peacefully.
The message read:
*Welcome Traveller 05*
Congratulations, you have arrived on Proxima!
You have traveled far, through the fabric of the universe, what you do now is up to you.
Live, Fight, Create, Destroy, Proxima sees all.
As if the universe had read his mind and it knew he’d read the first message, the next popped up straight after.
[Error 404] -Portal feedback overload-
Trajectory changed to the previous breach [Error]
Destination corrupted
Trajectory rerouted to the previous breach
Temporary event horizon established
Transfer successful – Welcome Traveller 05
Location DarkScar City
The message fades and disappears, leaving him with a profound sense of shock and horror. He wasn’t in London anymore, not in England, not even planet on the right planet!
The first message had rocked his being, the second message started all out panic and then the third was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Damon’s legs fell under him, all strength gone. He fell forward and cried on his knees as he thought of his friends, his family, and his soon-to-be wife. They’d never even know what happened.
He stayed like that and cried himself to sleep through exhaustion. When he woke up he stayed still for a few more minutes before he started to accept his situation and thought ‘Crying helps no one and I need to get my bearings if this is my situation now’.
As he got up, he noticed something strange. He could see various bars on the top of his vision, monitoring his stats, vitality, magic, and durability.
Damon pinched himself, but he didn't wake up. He looked at his hands and saw that they looked different. They looked more solid than before. He wasn't hallucinating. He was somehow in a surreal, alternate world, and he needed to figure out what was going on.
Suddenly, a quest box popped up in his vision, and Damon gave out a very undignified yelp. The title read, "Damon Verses Evil: Part 1" The quest box warned that the city had been corrupted by dark magic and that an evil being was lurking within it.
Damon Verses Evil: Part 1
Once a grand and mystical city, it now lies in ruin hidden in a great valley that once opened to the surface of the earth. The city is made entirely of a dark, obsidian-like stone that is shot through with deep red veins, giving the entire place an eerie feeling of malevolence. The stone was created by dark magic long ago, seeking to imbue the city with power and strength that was unmatched by any other in the land. The magic succeeded but at a terrible cost.
Red veins of blood run through the stone, creating a living city that seems to breathe and pulse with an evil life all its own. The streets and buildings are empty of people, and shadows lurk around every corner.
Objective: Find the cause of the evil and recruit help in routing it out
Reward: Ownership of the city
Penalty: Death
Damon didn't know what to make of this. Was this real? Was he a hero or a victim of someone's twisted game? He realized he had a decision to make about his future, he could keep freaking out or get on it and see what happens. The threat of death helped him focus. ‘I better get magic powers’ he thought, then muttered: “please god, no cape or spandex”. He straightened his back and got stuck in.
Despite the deep sense of unease, Damon cautiously utilized his newly obtained willpower and made his way toward the path leading to the city. As he walked, he noticed the soft glow that emanated from crystal formations on the walls of the tunnel, casting faint light in the surrounding dark. They seemed to hum with gentle light, making him feel more at ease which only served to bring up his guard and paranoia.
As he came down from the ledge, he saw a path leading down and around to the front of the city. He walked down the winding path and gazed at the city noticing strange features in the buildings. Small details that were surreal to think of, like mirrors reflecting nothing and doors that didn't make sense. It all felt so unreal yet somehow felt so real at the same time.
It was about halfway down that the relaxing stroll took a turn. Suddenly, Damon felt the presence of someone, or something, following him. He turned around slowly and saw a being that did not belong.