[Meat Stew] = Meat (level 11+, 0.2-0.6kg) + Herbs (Any, 0.05-0.15kg) + Water (Fresh, 0.3-0.9L) + [Bowl] (Any, 1L) + [Campfire] (Any, 370-380°K)
----------------------------------------
Jay swallowed the lump in his throat and walked up to his host.
Soft classical music hit a crescendo in the backdrop of the strange hotel, interrupted only by the meticulous click of a grandfather clock. He reached his seat on an opposing sofa. Its delicate surface conformed to his armored chassis with ease.
He wasn’t sure what the “Master” would look like – hell, he wasn’t sure what this guy would be – but this was something else.
A middle-aged man sat across, his skin a pale beige, even as his hardened brow showed the tiniest creases from age. His gaunt cheeks were clean-shaven, leaving only thick black eyebrows beneath his otherwise clean hairline. He wore a three-piece suit like the Attendant before, black and crisp, as though tailor-made for him. Only the vest had color, a light cognac brown with swirls along the design. Their buttons glinted in the light of the fire.
But it was the eyes that sucked Jay in. Slanted, dark, and piercing. Like looking into the mouth of a cave… The bottom of a well… A night sky without stars… These pupils watched him back with cold indifference as if sucking his very life force by mere contact alone.
“Good evening, Jay Reis,” he said.
“Are you the Master?” Jay blurted out, his mouth failing to produce any other sounds.
Those piercing eyes narrowed. “That Attendant is quite the poor chauffeur to not provide my real name. I am Tül’Rah, Fifth of the Anlok Caste, and Master of this Nightrealm Manor.”
Jay blinked. “Huh?”
“These are meaningless trivialities to an Expatriate such as yourself.”
So this isn’t a dream, Jay considered.
“But it is,” the man said, eyes piercing deep. “This dream is just not your own.”
“You can read my thoughts?”
“It is more accurate to say that you’re incapable of shielding yourself from mine.”
Jay looked around the fancy room again. “And ‘here’ is some kind of dream?”
“One might think this place to be a mere drop in an endless chaotic sea, but where drops fall, bubbles form, and it is within those bubbles where worlds become whole. Like all things that have ever been, the Manor exists until it does not.”
Jay tried to wrap his head around those words, but it felt more like a haiku than an explanation, and he found himself more lost than before.
“Can you at least tell me what you are?” Jay asked, hoping for a better answer.
Tül’Rah grinned wide, his mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth that were anything but human. “I am but a simple Wyrm.”
Jay flinched, recognizing the name. He’d read all about them in the Guide. They were one of the reasons in which sanity would plummet.
Those black, sharpened eyes narrowed into his own, and Jay felt so pitifully small. Was this thing on the same level as Natura?
“You can rest assured,” Tül’Rah said. “If I wished to bring you harm, the act would have been performed already. But doing so would make me an ill host.”
“Why did you bring me here then?” Jay asked.
He raised an eyebrow. “It is you who came to me, Jay Reis. Have you already forgotten?”
He grimaced. “I guess I just don’t understand what is happening here. I was in an endless dungeon fighting monsters, and then I saw a light and went for it. Are you saying that this was when I came to you?”
“That is one perspective. Another might be that your mind had been ensnared by a vile creature who sent you into its nightmare, and you found the path to somewhere else. One brighter and yet darker. Outside the Annwyn dream, within the Nightrealm itself.” He smiled, those hideous teeth exposed again. “Not an easy task for such a fresh Expatriate. Your Will To Live must be quite strong to find its way here.”
Jay shuddered. If the loop had been part of some nightmare, and he’d managed to escape somewhere else, this was also a dream. But then again, this Wyrm creature had also said that Annwyn was a dream, so did that mean he was out?
“Only your mind,” Tül’Rah filled in. “Your body remains in that cairn where it was left, slowly being consumed from the inside out. A truly unfortunate fate.”
“But you said that Annwyn was a dream too.”
“It is.”
“Then how can my body be there if it’s not real?”
He chuckled. “Humans and your narrow-minded thinking. I’ll never understand why the Brood Mother chose your race. Has it ever occurred to you that your precious ‘reality’ is but a different bubble? That your life on Earth was no more than another dream?”
His eyes widened. This was starting to get a little too meta…
Jay took a step back, considering what he’d been told. He was in a dream – or reality, tough to say which right now – and had been to a different one when he delved through the cairn. One that wasn’t part of Annwyn. So, something had to have happened to cause it. But what?
Another deduction came to mind. If this Wyrm could create a dream like this, then perhaps the same had happened before. Everything started after he first defeated the gargoyle. He’d gone all the way to the end of the hall before something wriggled up his side. Could that have been an–
The Wyrm scoffed. “Do not conflate me with that inarticulate, barbarous creature. It is a mere larvae whom has come to believe it has already sprouted wings. A feral breed attached to lesser stock.” He wrinkled his nose at the thought. “You are only correct in your base assumptions. A feral Wyrm sent you into a nightmare without end, and it was only through reaching the base of the bottomless pit that your soul came to my Manor here.”
At least his assumptions had been confirmed. A feral Wyrm had sprung its maddening trap, and in the depths of that crisis, Jay somehow went into another dream where this one lived. And yet, how could this have all happened from a single dungeon run?
His host’s black eyes twinkled. “When you clamber through the darkness where the nightmares lie, would it be a surprise that one would find you back?”
Jay grimaced. Man, that was getting really creepy. Just how much could this thing read his mind?
“All of it,” Tül’Rah explained, “including what is to come. To answer your next question, your choices are quite simple.”
“My choices?”
“Now that you understand how this come about, you’re wondering what can be done to rectify this crisis.”
Jay nodded. True to form, Tül’Rah had asked before he could even think of it.
He was too clever for his own good.
His host raised a white-gloved finger. “The first: your body is brought to this Manor, where it is to remain until your soul withers. The world you witnessed beyond these walls would be yours again, and your memory of all that has passed since your Expatriation would be wiped. This is tantamount to a second chance at your former life, a dream that will last until its natural end. However, doing so cedes your soul to me, to be absorbed when the time is right.”
He raised another finger. “The second option is to return whence you came. You will be at the mercy of that feral Wyrm, and whether you can escape its madness or not will come of your own volition.”
He raised another finger. “And the last is a mix of both. I will give you the means to escape the Wyrm’s mental grip, but your patronage to me must be extended to Annwyn’s dream. This will permanently align your soul with mine, in this dream or any other, and you will bear my Curse.”
Jay winced. The last time he’d heard about a Curse, it was against Desmond, permanently reducing his maximum sanity. Would something like this be similar?
Tül’Rah chuckled, his dark eyes once again piercing deep. “No, I am far more kind than my cousin. The price I instill onto my patrons is far more subtle. A simple tax to be levied thrice a day in the form of a small totem, built in my name.”
“And if I don’t?” Jay asked.
The shadow grew deeper. “Then you would suffer the fate of the Curse.” He leaned back and clasped his gloved hands. The fireplace flickered bright. “These are your choices. Which will you take?”
Jay stroked his chin, considering the options available, even as he felt a general sense of unease.
The first was the most straightforward. Get reborn into Earth, living the life he’d lost. He’d eventually be consumed by this creature, but from the sound of things, that fate was not so bad compared to the others. If this universe was expansive as this Wyrm implied, then why not hide his head in the sand?
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
The second was tougher. Leaving this sanctuary and jumping back into the fight without a plan. The way these Wyrms operated was at a level he couldn’t compete with in his current form, so it seemed nigh impossible to escape the dungeon nightmare.
The last choice, however… This created an interesting circumstance. A perfect escape from the trap he’d fallen into, but with a cost that he’d later suffer, perhaps indefinitely. All he had to do was play along.
“I choose…” Jay started.
Tül’Rah leaned an inch forth. “Yes?”
You don’t want to make a deal with him, the other Wyrm had said. It’ll be the end for us both! Jay grimaced, seeing the fire in Tül’Rah’s eyes. The third option was clearly the most tantalizing, but forced him into becoming this monster’s thrall. Was this really the best he could do?
Something inside Jay snapped.
“I choose: Fuck you!”
The Wyrm recoiled, as if slapped. “What did you say to me, human?”
He crossed his arms. “You heard me.”
Tül’Rah bared his teeth, their razor-like shape spreading wide before splitting into a thousand finer chunks. Jay flinched despite himself, feeling the raw aura of this monster radiate out. Like he was a mere fly about to get crushed under a world-encompassing foot. Just how strong was this creature?
He’s not omniscient, that’s for sure. With that realization, Jay fought through the crippling fear and held firm, even as tears formed without control.
“Don’t care who or what you are,” Jay started. “You’re no different than the first Wyrm that trapped me, so I’ll say it again: fuck you.”
His eye twitched. “Is that so?”
“Yes. I started this day by jumping into a cairn in search of more loot, and if what you say is true, I was caught in a trap I couldn’t escape. You know what made its nightmare so impossible? There were no choices. I could only follow its commands or sit in place. Every other decision was blocked. In the end, that was how it won. By robbing me of a fighting chance.
“Hell, in a way, that’s how I ended up on Annwyn in the first place. I was trapped in a hospital without hope, slowly drifting away, with no way out but a certain death. Then I heard voices that threw me right into this meat grinder, with all the shit that came with it, and I was told it was some ‘Grand Bargain’.”
He scoffed, his contempt rising as he put the pieces together. “These aren’t real choices. They are puppet strings from gods who want to see the rest of us puny humans dance.
“And you know what else? You’ve pulled the same shit, Wyrm. If you’re half as intelligent as you appear, then you would have identified right from the get-go which of these three “choices” I’d pick. Not being locked in a mental prison until death, and not being sent back to an unwinnable fight after just escaping. Obviously, I’d never choose either of those.”
Tül’Rah hissed, his brow furled.
“That’s the only way you could’ve presented the third choice,” Jay continued, feeling his resolve buoy. “Once we rule out that those two options were just decoys, the third becomes more palatable. Who in their right mind wouldn’t take a curse if the alternatives were a certain death? Never mind that being your patron sounds awful, with no benefit other than not immediately dying.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Is that not enough?”
“Not to me,” Jay countered. “I guess you can say I’m not in my right mind either. I’d rather die, right here and now, than submit to your trap.” He stared deep, right into this motherfucker’s eyes. “So, here is where I’ll present you with my own choice. Either you kill me right now, ending this whole charade, or you give me something real.”
“I cannot give you what you wish,” the Wyrm said, staring into the pit of his soul. “An Expat core can only be formed at the end of a tutorial, and I do not have the means to give you the class you’ve been deprived of.”
Jay grit his teeth. “Then something else.”
Those eyes twinkled anew. “Such as what?”
Jay clenched his fists. “Power? Information? I don’t care which, so long as it’s worth it. And I’m not just asking for some minor boon or directions to a copper vein. I want you to give me access to something that will overcome my class-less handicap in the most broken, busted way. I demand that you give me the chance I’ve been deprived of until now!”
This creature said nothing for a moment… This God. Too shell-shocked by his proclamation to do much else.
But then it grinned wide, the fire growing again.
“Aren’t you a peculiar specimen?” he asked. “Yes, this can indeed be done. I would grant you access to the [Forbidden Knowledge] you seek, but there would be an added cost. A form of madness which your mind would struggle to overcome.”
“You’re saying that I can though, right?” Jay asked.
“But of course. Mind you, this type of deal is one seldom made for a reason. Most of my brethren gift their patrons tools and powers directly. This option is more ephemeral.
“[Forbidden Knowledge] is a skill that provides access to special recipes not found in the Annwyn dream, usable a single time per week. But, the moment this recipe is accessed, you would have to finish this craft before your mind is consumed by the very knowledge you’ve gained.
“In addition, each recipe can only be fulfilled once. The knowledge becomes extinguished upon creation. I will provide the first recipe as a precondition for your patronage. Future decisions will be yours alone.” Smoke crackled from the fireplace, darkening the room a shade more. “Is this option an acceptable alternative?”
Jay pondered the thought. He would be able to build some overpowered item whenever he needed it, but it would require that he craft it before his sanity fell to zero. Of all the bargains he’d been given, this one felt the least unfair.
Whether this creature was a god, a devil, or something in between, it wouldn’t make the slightest bit of difference so long as he gained the power he needed most.
Jay held out a hand. “Done.”
“Then your patronage is accepted.” The Wyrm’s fingers wriggled around his own. “Wish granted.”
His heart skipped a beat as he heard those final words, but the room dissipated before Jay could fully comprehend what was happening, replaced by something darker and colder.
Suddenly, he was on the ground, with a torch burning beside him and the sound of suckling above. Another second, he discovered the source. A pulsating, writhing form wriggled above his scalp.
Jay bashed the creature away. It landed a few feet away with a hiss.
His eyes locked onto the worm-like monster, and his mind folded over itself. A sinewy, translucent body pulsated with otherworldly grace. Lidless eyes stared into his own, and rows of needle-like teeth spread wide from the tiny cavern that defined its mouth. Another hiss rolled out, a twisted echo that seemed to pervade reality itself.
Jay [Slashed] before it could move. The worm-monster exploded in a cloud of ichor. He coughed, tasting its putrid scent.
It took a moment to reorient himself, but there was no denying where he’d ended up. Back in the cairn, right next to that dark hole he’d wandered near from the start.
So that’s what a Wyrm looks like in the flesh. He shuddered, unable to even look at the dead Wyrm without feeling a strong sense of unease. To think that thing had dragged him into a nightmare.
Except that it wasn’t a dream. As Jay looked down, he realized the truth. His armor was shattered where the monsters in the bottomless pit had attacked him, and his weapons were just as damaged as before. He opened his backpack and saw the monster cores he collected. Although, they seemed to have a faded, spectral hue instead of purple.
As if they weren’t actually there.
He consulted his Inventory page and grimaced. What the hell is a ‘Nightrealm Core’?
But before he could answer his question, his eye caught something else. Right at the top of the Crafting tree, a new recipe had appeared, written in a light blue, phantasmal script that stood out from everything else.
An image filled his head at once. One of beauty and horror. Of glory and hatred. A divine nightmare. This construct needed to be brought to this world. The moment he saw this recipe, he thought of nothing else.
Jay shook his head and flipped to the Updates, removing this sudden thought. He grimaced at the most recent entry, his fears confirmed.
Congratulations! You have gained access to [Forbidden Knowledge]. Your sanity will continue to plummet until this Cursed recipe is completed, so you better work fast, Expatriate!
Wish granted, Tül’Rah had said, with the same tone and tenor as the creatures that had first given Jay the Grand Bargain. His heart sank with the recognition, and he could not help but wonder.
Had this been planned too?
Name: Jay Reis (Copper Age)
Vitality – 10/43 (Wounded+3)
Hunger – 55/72
Thirst – 14/24
Fatigue – 32/48
Sanity – 93/99 (Cursed)
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.
Character Skills:
[Forbidden Knowledge]
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]