[Hemp+1] = Twine (Hemp, 0.1-15kg) + [Hammer] (Stone) + [Knife] (Flint) + [Workench] (Any)
----------------------------------------
Just a little further… He only had to go a little more…
Jay sliced through the slime, the strength of his [Power Attack] crushing through it with ease. As the smaller pieces began to congeal back together, he dragged his torch down low. The slime chunks hissed as it disintegrated, leaving the core in its wake.
He scooped up the core and kept moving, ignoring the heckling radio he’d left below. That monstrous voice continued to jeer him, still as a mutated version of Desmond.
“My magic goes stronger through blood and misery,” it explained, and you’ve been feeding me something fierce. Keep ‘em coming, Jay. It’s been a real good day of sacrifice!”
Jay stumbled a few steps, his legs quaking. This couldn’t be true. He couldn’t have walked into a trap like this!
Yet, as he rounded the stairwell again and ascended another flight, the radio remained right where he’d left it, the flashing battery light like a glowing red eye.
“Where you think you’re going, fam?” it asked. “We’re just having fun down here!”
“Shut up!” Jay snapped. It took everything in him to keep from throwing this piece of shit radio down the bottomless pit. As much as he wanted to, he still needed it if he wanted to have a shot at contacting the others.
Where the hell were they?
The demon voice hmph’d. “That’s no way to talk to me. We’ve been getting real acquainted all day, and you’re almost at the bottom, I swear.”
Jay scoffed. “You’re lying.”
It laughed. “Aye, you got me. Oh well, looks like you’ve gotten a bit too smart to be fun. About time we finish this, yeah?”
The ground quaked. Jay watched without words as the darkness swirled around, now above and below, as if tightening against the torch’s light. Wisps of black smoke encroached even more, and whispers began to echo out. Groans, moans, hisses, and yelps rolled out from the darkness. Shadows slithered against itself, with creatures taking form beneath.
Hair-covered fangs exploded from the darkness as a spider the size of a dog lurched out, straight for his face. Jay tilted and [Pushed], sending the monster into the pit beneath. It hissed in rage before disappearing.
But no sooner was this monster defeated that a second came through, this one a hound formed from bones and gore sewn together. Jay cried in pain as the teeth sunk into his gauntlet.
Snap.
The strength of the lizardscale finally gave way, disappearing into dust as Jay watched on. He [Pushed] in counter, followed by a quick [Slash]. The hellhound recoiled from the hit but did not go down.
Can’t keep this up. He turned around and ran down the stairs, descending deeper into the shadows.
…Only to see that more monsters were coming the other way. Ghouls, gargoyles, giant ants. All manners of creatures were manifesting in the shadows, intent on hunting him down.
“Told you, mate,” the radio continued. “Gonna be a rough one to ‘ya, innit?”
Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
Before the monsters could lock him down, he [Stampeded] through, knocking many into the pit on his way back up the stairs. Moans dwindled as they fell into darkness.
This was bad. Very, very bad. Jay had put himself into a quagmire by trusting what he thought was his friend on the radio. The deeper he sunk into this trap, the worse it would get. He watched the doorway above as he rounded the stairwell, again and again. No matter how hard he tried, it came no closer. Only farther.
The monsters kept coming too, and because of the loop, Jay could never evade them for long. His [Pushes] degraded into shoves as his energy wore out, and he could no longer [Stampede] to keep from getting swarmed. These creatures seemed to be near-infinite now, attacking from any angle they could.
And the entity pretending to be Desmond mocked him the whole way through, its hideous voice crackling through the radio’s speaker.
Jay gasped as a ghoul chomped down on his shoulder. No, there was no way out of this.
He would not be able to escape without help.
A beam of light flickered to life below. Jay froze, seeing the sudden shift.
“What’s this then?” the radio asked.
Jay stared on. Though the bottomless pit continued to be black as night, incandescent beams swirled around the stair’s path, branching off to a side door that had never been there before. The monsters recoiled where the light touched them. Smoke hissed out where their bodies took the hit.
This way, a thin, slithering whisper rang out. I will protect you.
“Oh, you don’t want to go down there, Jay!” the radio pleaded.
“And why not?” Jay asked.
“Trust me, mate. You’re best off out here.”
Oh, really? Jay cracked his knuckles and [Stampeded], bashing the monsters aside. He quickly tossed his torch and drew his shield, twisting around so as to not be blindsided. The monsters continued to flinch, even as they tried to inch forth. To no avail, the light had formed a protective barrier.
Jay kept his shield raised as he started to inch back, entering [Trace] to block anything else before it could come.
The radio groaned. “Listen, Jay, my friend. I think we’ve gotten off to a bad start. I know that I can be a bit of a cunt, alright, but you and I can still make this work! Look, I’ll give you exit, right now!”
He glanced to the side. Out of nowhere, the doorway up was right nearby, less than half a flight away. The bright morning sun flickered through the door, and the gentle wind flowing through.
But Jay merely grunted. “Not falling for your trap.”
“I’m serious!” the radio sobbed. “You’re right here. But if you go down there, you’ll be stuck. For real, mate! You don’t want to make a deal with him. It’ll be the end for us both!”
Jay kept moving. He might not have known where this new ally would go, but he’d seen enough to know what’d happen if he stayed.
The entity in the radio continued to berate him, but it fell on deaf ears. Jay backed up slowly, his shield interposed between himself and the group of monsters. They watched in collective horror as he dipped into the light behind. It slowly enveloped his form as he stepped over the threshold.
And then he was swallowed whole.
* * *
Police sirens blared through distant streets, skyscrapers rose around, and swarms of pedestrians flooded the sidewalk, pushing this way and that.
And Jay Reis stood in the center, blinking in shock. Wait, what!?
He looked around. Just seconds before, he had been at the base of that cairn, fighting against monsters before stepping into a veil of light. But now he was standing in a city, surrounded by hundreds – no, thousands – of other people. How the hell could this have happened!?
Cars honked in the street, planes glided above, traffic signals flashed on, and a diaspora of shouts and conversations conflicted against themselves, a dissonant chatter he’d somehow forgotten. After spending so much time isolated and alone, the city was more than he could bear. It took minutes before he could reorient himself.
This has to be a dream. Jay looked at the other pedestrians. Surely, one of them would have an answer. He grabbed the nearest one and looked her in the eye, thinking the only rational question that came to mind. “Excuse me, do you know what day it is?”
“Fuck off!” the lady snapped and shoved herself free. She kept walking, now with a scowl on her face as she turned the corner.
Jay scratched his head, trying to figure out if he’d gained more or less information about his circumstances.
That response… Could go either way, he decided. City life was rough.
Then he looked at himself and remembered. Despite everything happening around him, he was still clad in blood-coated lizardscale armor, with raw hemp clothes beneath, and a backpack of tools on hand. It took another moment for his brain to fully process the impossibility of those two events, leading to the obvious answer that he had, in fact, completely lost his mind again.
He pulled his Guide free. His eyes widened as he checked his Stats.
Sanity – 93/100
That isn’t right. Even though he’d gone from fighting through an endless dungeon that always reduced his sanity, it had not budged an inch.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
And yet, the maddening display did not relent. Folks continued to buzz about, ignoring the armor-clad man with medieval weaponry as though it was just another day.
A thought crossed his mind. He could test the artificiality of this place by murdering a few folks. Lop off their heads and see how the environment responded.
But what if this was real? Cops would shoot him on the spot, for starters.
Then again, how could it be real? How could he be standing in a city right now, after everything that had happened? That was just as ridiculous as if it was a dream, if not moreso.
Jay buried his face in his blood-soaked palm. Regardless of how he’d entered this scenario, he was here in this moment, and could only do his best to see it through.
He walked down the street, sword in hand and shield raised for defense. The other people merely shoved past him, ignoring the fact that he was ready to cut them down with the slightest provocation. Jay crept onward as though he was still clearing the dungeon.
He might actually be doing that, anyway.
But then he turned the bend, and his heart sank. Despite rounding a corner in broad daylight, the road in front was the exact same one he had just left. He turned around, and saw the image repeated upon itself. Then he looked down adjacent streets, and recognized the same effect. No matter which way he turned, he was still in the same street.
Yep. Still in the dungeon. At least that much had been settled.
He moved to cross the street, sword and shield still in hand.
A truck horn roared nearby.
Jay tilted his head just as a multi-ton behemoth rushed at him. Its grill was like a shark’s mouth, and the wheels hissed against the pavement, ready to swallow him whole. Headlamps bent inward, staring without mercy for the life they wished to claim. The unavoidable demon had returned to finish what it had started.
Jay raised his shield and [Braced], intent on nullifying any damage this bastard might try to inflict.
It did not matter. The truck whizzed by, again missing him by mere inches.
He exhaled, feeling a lingering sense of déjà vu as his life was spared. Yet again, it appeared that his arch nemesis could not quite defeat him yet.
Wait, that’s right… Jay looked around this street corner with fresh eyes. Though the tumultuous city was a mix of chaotic repetition, this block was unforgettable and would forever be etched into his mind.
How could it not? This was where Jay had been during the earthquake that killed him.
The street, the lights, the people, the buildings. All that was missing for him was the collapsing building itself.
And then it was there.
A building stood across the street, perhaps eight stories tall, a mix of brick and marble pillars intersecting along their length. The windows sparkled with a crystalline sheen, with white sheer curtains fluttering behind. The foundation was made of concrete, and a set of rotating doors spun lazily below, light spilling out from within.
His heart skipped a beat. This was it. His bane. His executioner. The building that had ended his life.
Another veil of light flowed out from its ghost-like doorway, almost invitingly.
With all the caution he could muster, Jay advanced into these new depths, slipping beyond the veil, sword and shield still at hand.
Only to find himself confronted by an ever-more jarring sight. Gilded artwork lined the length of the lobby, their frames sparkling beneath chandeliers encased by gemstones. His armored feet clattered against marble tiles, breaking only for the Afghan rugs that ran between. A facade of orange wood stretched into the distance before disappearing where the pathways split.
“Good evening, sir,” an old male voice hailed nearby.
But when Jay turned his head, he did not see an old man.
This creature might have been dressed in an immaculate, black three-piece suit, with a silver keychain flowing from a pocket, and a bow tie on top. But the head stood devoid of features, save for a tiny mustache that could have been scribbled on. Everything else, from the mouth to nose, to eyes, to ears, to hair, could not be seen. Like a mannequin tinted gray, it was still as a statue.
Until it tilted its head, of course, with the tiny recesses where its eyes should have been focusing right on him. “Are you alright, sir?”
“I don’t…” Jay started, fumbling with his words. “I didn’t… What are you?”
“I am the Attendant, of course,” it explained. “Will you be joining the Master, sir?”
“I don’t understand… What?”
“You have entered the Manor by your own free will, have you not?”
Jay blinked. “I guess so. Why?”
“Because this is the Master’s Nightrealm Manor, and he wishes to know if you will be joining him.”
“The ‘master’? Who? What is he the master of?”
“This Manor, of course.”
“Huh?”
It nodded. “You have entered the Master’s Nightrealm Manor, and while your presence is appreciated, he wishes to know if you will be joining as a patron.”
Jay looked around the fancy hotel lobby, at the talking mannequin, and back out the entrance he had come, hoping that some extra clues might shed light on what had happened.
“Let me understand this, Mr. Attendant…” he ran a finger on his thumb. “You’re saying that I have been teleported into some kind of transdimensional realm, and the master of this space wants to know if I’d like to see him?”
It stared blankly for a moment, if “stared blankly” were the right words for a creature that lacked eyes or facial expressions.
“No,” it said. “This is the Master’s Nightrealm Manor, and he wishes to know if you’ll be joining him.”
This was starting to give Jay a headache. “I don’t know. Sure?”
“Thank you for your patronage,” the creature said. “Would you like to see the Master now, or would you prefer to visit your chambers?”
“I guess I’ll see the Master then?” Jay answered, not fully sure. It wasn’t like he could do much else.
“Thank you, sir.” The Attendant bowed its head and stepped forth, raising a hand to usher the way.
Jay followed behind, his shield still raised. He didn’t know what in the fuck was going on, but he sure as hell wasn’t about to get jumped by another flying spider while it happened.
The Attendant’s motions were methodical to the point of inhuman as it walked down the hall, its feet making neither sound nor impression against the marble tiles beneath. Jay kept a healthy distance, still not convinced that this guy wasn’t about to attack him.
Then Jay’s eyes fell on the gilded artwork beside them. Though the exteriors were polished and clean beyond reproach, the paintings displayed nothing but grotesque imagery. Monstrosities with far too many limbs, their faces trapped in exaggerated moans as they bathed in rivers of blood. Ruined landscapes of darkened spires snaking beneath crimson skies, with flayed bodies crucified against their twisted frames. Some depicted humans transformed into chimeras, with multiple heads from different races, all mingling together in lecherous debauchery. These were profaned sights. Visual chaos for the sake of hysteria. An affront to rationality itself.
And Jay watched on, unsure what to make of these horrific sights. The further they moved, the more pronounced the illustrations became. He could not stare, and yet he could not turn either. Not against such unfettered madness.
“The Master awaits, sir,” the Attendant suddenly said, bowing his head forth.
Jay stared at the next door. Like the rest of this strange hotel, the walls were framed with timber, and elegant symbols had been etched along their length. He recognized these symbols. They were in the cairns that he’d raided before.
He opened the door with a creak.
Jay’s vision drowned under the sheer ostentatious display in front. While the rest of this surreal hotel was pristine white, this room was lined with wood and artwork from top to bottom. More paintings covered the walls where pillars weren’t rising, a burgundy carpet rolled across the main floor, and a sprawling fresco sat at the ceiling’s center where the archways met, depicting another outlandish display of alien creatures feasting on each other. Whether in a great battle, a satanic orgy, or some combination of both, one could not say. Flames flickered from the fireplace, diaphanous sheets swayed against windows veiled by more bright light, and sofas sat across the center, their ribbed surface made of turquoise velour.
Only the back of “The Master” could be seen on this sofa. His oiled black hair was combed to the side as he turned his head, ever so slightly. Not enough to catch his face, but enough to make his awareness known.
“Come in, have a seat,” the Master said, cold and clear as a melting glacier. “You have nothing to fear, Jay Reis…” He chuckled.
“Unless you count fear itself, of course.”
Name: Jay Reis (Copper Age)
Vitality – 8/43 (Wounded+3)
Hunger – 60/72
Thirst – 16/24
Fatigue – 39/48
Sanity – 93/100
Main Crafts: Alchemy 0, Armor Crafting 2, Base Building 2, Cooking 1, Medicine 1, Tailoring 1, Tool Crafting 2, Weapon Crafting 2.
Weapon Crafts: Axes 3, Bows 4, Clubs 3, Daggers 3, Spears 5, Swords 5.
Armor Crafts: Heavy Armor 5, Light Armor 2, Medium Armor 0, Shields 5.
Armor Skills:
Heavy Armor: [Push], [Stampede]
Light Armor: [Dash]
Shield: [Brace], [Track]
Weapon Skills:
Axes: [Chop]
Bows: [Sharpshooter], [Longshot]
Clubs: [Bash]
Daggers: [Slice]
Spears: [Thrust], [Sweep]
Swords: [Power Attack], [Slash]
Armor:
[Lizardscale Helmet+2] (Hardened+1), (Reinforced+2)
[Lizardscale Chestpiece+4] (Hardened+1), (Reinforced+2)
[Lizardscale Leggings+2] (Hardened+1), (Reinforced+2)
[Lizardscale Boots+2] (Hardened+1), (Reinforced+2)
[Scaled Roundshield+4] (Hardened+1), (Reinforced+2)
Weapons:
[Copper Sword] (Hardened), (Reinforced+1), (Stable)
[Wooden Bow+3] (Reinforced+2)
[Basic Leather Quiver]: Contains 20 [Flinthead Arrows]
[9mm Semi-Automatic Pistol] (Accurate+2), (Quick): Contains 5 [9mm Cartridge] (JHP)
Tools:
[Copper Knife]
[Copper Axe]
[Copper Hammer]
[Copper Pickaxe]