As it happened, Nick’s adventure was fated to begin even sooner than he expected. Only a handful of heartbeats after his pod began to drop, the world was plunged into impenetrable darkness. He had just enough time to mutter, “What the fuck?” before his ride came to an end and settled onto the grass below.
Before he could make sense of the unexpected event, the field generated by his transport faded out of existence. Stripped of the protective layer of force magic, Nick could feel the air around him, hear the wind blowing through the grasslands, as the scents of the bog washed over him.
Standing blind upon the surface of an alien world, uncertain as to what was happening, his heart began to race. He strained his ears to the limit, seeking any sign that hostile creatures were in the area. Any hint that a life-or-death battle would momentarily ensue.
He drew his sword from his pack and held it at the ready, prepared to meet any threats head on, sightless or not. Hopefully, no vicious predators were headed his way just yet, but Nick could only hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
As the minutes ticked past, he began to calm down, although he didn’t lower his guard. He focused intently on the four senses that were working properly, trying to learn as much as he could about his environment. Hopefully, my vision will return sooner rather than later. Otherwise, Nick was going to have to navigate this terrain without it, ideally without tumbling into the crater in the process.
Wondering if he had sunk through the soil and fallen into some manner of subterranean chamber, he raised one hand in front of his face. However, he couldn’t see his fingers at all. Couldn’t see the sun or sky when he turned his head to look straight up. I’m not underground after all, unless the entrance closed after I passed through.
Confirming his suspicions, when he shifted his weight, he could feel plants crunching beneath his boots. He ducked down to touch the ground, the textures of stalk and dirt crisp against his fingertips. Somewhere out in the distance, he could hear the music of what sounded like crickets, punctuated by a deep croaking that reminded him of bullfrogs in summer.
Nick took a deep breath in through his nose, sampling the various components riding the breeze. The air was moist and full of life, like the minutes following a brisk spring shower. It smelled of earth and rain. Of green grass and wildflowers in bloom. He drew in a second breath, savoring the scents of an alien world. Floral, with a hint of sweetness and spice. This is exactly what I would expect to find standing so close to the bog.
The day was pleasantly warm, although the humidity made him sweat, even while standing still. That observation made him realize that he couldn’t feel the sunlight warming his skin. This was good news in a sense. It meant that whatever was happening, it wasn’t a problem with his eyes.
Confused and uncertain how he should proceed, he gathered his will and summoned a mana dart, hoping to pierce the midnight veil with its magical light. Although he felt the spell activate and begin to orbit his head, Nick still couldn’t see anything at all, despite the radiance his magic provided.
What in the world is going on? Is this a natural phenomenon, or some kind of event? Am I going to have to try to find a way down into the bog while flying blind? I never imagined a situation like this.
It turned out that Nick would discover the answer to his questions only ten seconds later. Because that was when the wind shifted and a cool breeze began blowing across the grasslands from a different direction, sending a shiver running down his spine.
As the chill air swept over him, bright patches of color flickered across his vision. Streaks of heavenly blue, cotton white, and lush green. The familiar silver of his mana dart. A heartbeat later, the shroud of impenetrable blackness flew past him in a rush, like ink sliding down the surface of a window, revealing the world beyond.
Just as the last streaks of creeping midnight flew past his head, Nick felt something brush against his face. It was long and soft, like a tentacle covered in feathers. It radiated heat, and he was certain in that moment that it belonged to a living creature.
Something massive was flying just above his head, judging from the direction that the tendril was moving. He felt it quiver the moment that it touched his skin, tensing up like it was poised to strike.
Nick leapt back and swung his sword, terrified that he was under attack from something he couldn’t see. He felt the blade encounter the groping appendage, with an impact that set the blade ringing. He sent his dart out along the point of impact, aiming high toward where he thought the main body of the creature was located.
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He felt the air stir as whatever it was reared back to strike again, but before it could lash out, the last patch of blackness retreated beyond his position, carrying whatever had attacked him along with it. Heart hammering in his chest, Nick prepared to battle for his life. But to his immense relief, nothing else happened beyond a single black feather floating to the ground to land beside his feet.
He raised his hand to shield his eyes, as the light of day emerged, leaving his vision awash in a range of radiant hues. Nick turned to watch as a cloud of utter blackness retreated into the distance, creating the world in its wake like a painter adding to the edge of her canvas. He thought that he saw just a hint of wings break the surface, before sinking back into the darkness once more.
As it faded into the distance, he was able to get a sense for the scale of the phenomenon, judging that it was big enough to erase miles of terrain at a time. Although the light-devouring substance didn’t seem to have harmed him, it was clearly dangerous given its hostile residents, just a taste of what was in store during the days ahead.
He began to calm down, adrenaline running dry when nothing else revealed itself nearby. The weird haze of anti-light, or whatever it was, soon disappeared into the woodlands, leaving him standing upon a sunny patch of grasslands, uncertain as to what he should do next.
The good news was that Nick’s eyes had been working the whole time. The bad news was that he had discovered a dangerous new type of weather that was home to something large and unfriendly. A hazard that he would have to contend with during his stay on planet Drezen.
That had to be the blackmist that the bog is named after. Nasty stuff, especially if I get caught in it by surprise. I’ll have to adjust my plans going forward, creating some contingencies for what to do if the mist makes a sudden appearance.
He pulled himself away from pondering the strange experience and returned his focus to the task at hand, saving his analysis of the bizarre, possibly magical weather phenomenon until he found a safe place to think.
First, he needed to survey the area, prioritizing identifying any immediate threats, which were pretty much guaranteed to be out there. While he explored his surroundings, he would hammer out his strategy for the first stage of this challenge, tweaking his plans depending on what he found.
With the mystery of the sudden darkness solved, Nick put the feather into his pack and turned his attention to examining his environment, learning what he could now that he was standing on the ground before heading down into the bog.
As he turned in a slow circle to scan the local terrain, his lingering fear was replaced by a rising tide of excitement.
It was the thrilling call of the unknown. The perennial joy of exploring an uncharted frontier. Something that had always resonated with Nick, but that he had never expected to experience for himself back in his old life.
By his count, this was the fourth planet he had set foot upon since the Earth had been integrated into the System and stolen by Taltos, not counting the various safe rooms he had visited. Nick realized that he might be the first person in the history of his species to explore such a wide range of alien terrain.
Even more astounding, he had made contact with an intelligent species back in the tutorial dungeon, and then again in the arena, answering the age-old question once and for all. Mankind was not alone in the universe, and he had been part of the generation that made first contact, cementing his place in history.
It would have felt even better if the System wasn’t manipulating events behind the scenes, or deranged deities hadn’t placed their fingers on the scales, but it was still an incredible, mind-blowing insight. Nick realized that he was smiling as he finished scanning the grasslands. Despite the danger and the future of his people hanging in the balance, he couldn’t deny that he was having the time of his life.
And this was only the beginning of Nick’s story. In the span of a month, he had gazed upon the face of a god, visited the ruins of a lost civilization, and learned to wield the foreign natural force known as magic. He had never dreamed that he would accomplish things that would be spoken of for millennia to come, assuming that his species survived the latest challenge Taltos had thrown their way.
In short, he had experienced events that would make any fantasy or space geek boil with envy, and he was proud of what he had achieved. He was ready to begin the next chapter of his incredible journey, eager to give it his all to win back his home.
Although he welcomed any excuse to feel hope, awe, and joy, he didn’t ignore his surroundings during this brief celebration of his accomplishments. Still grinning from ear to ear, Nick turned his thoughts toward more practical matters. After all, the clock was ticking.
It was time to find a way down into the crater and start exploring the bog. Hopefully, as he made his way toward Darkstone Tower, he would cross paths with other people and form an effective party, before entering the tower and tackling the next stage of the challenge. But before he got to that, there was something that he needed to do first.
Nick intended to camp at the base of the tower for as long as possible, lending a hand to anyone in need and contributing to their joint preparations. After doing everything that he could to help the volunteers get organized, it would be time to head inside and climb to the top, ultimately facing the guardian waiting on the roof.
If everything went well, the Earth would be returned to humanity and integrated into the labyrinth, and he could start looking for his friends and family. If I’m lucky, I’ll run into some of the people I fought beside in the arena. They were all formidable, and I know a bit about how our powers synergize already. Except for Julie. She wasn’t strong enough to be there and had to deal with the trauma of losing two close friends back-to-back.
Nick said a prayer for Julie, Kevin, and James, as well as everyone who had been lost since the System arrived. Then he slid his sword into his pack and went about his day, his sorrow and joy mingling like paint swirling as it was washed down the drain.