"I never asked you your name.” I was awake for a while now, but I had stared at the magical tree above me, lost in thought of nothing in particular. But I had finally noticed the wisp.
“I don’t have one. This is kind of important for me. Do you wish for me to choose my own name?” Her voice got a little less flimsy as she went on, got more intense somehow.
I scratched my head. “Ah, yes please.” Whatever significance this choice might have eluded me, but I felt it was right. The wisp was immediately back to her chirpy self.
“Then I will be Lily, like the flowers your mother loved so much.” She chirped happily.
“Hey, erm, Lily.” I said. “See, this is all strange to me. I try to be open-minded, but I’m in way over my head here.”
“Alright, Hannibal the Raven, let me start with the basics!” She ignored me wincing as I heard that name. “One, we are in your Demesne. Your divine pocket in the Limbo, the Plane, the endless Sea of Stars, the gated community of the gods. This is your castle, your cave to train, rest, hide and…live if you will. But you are Twice – Born still, so you can only enter in dreams and meditation. But it is still inside your mind and soul. Your body is in the real world. Dirty, hungry, hurt but safe for the time being.”
“Safe?”
“You wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
“Oh.”
“Yes! Number two: I am a wisp. Your Wilful Interpreter of Supernatural Phenomena! Please note the abbreviation, which I just made up.”
“That is a thing?”
“It is now, don’t fight me on that.”
I didn’t quite chuckle. But this, a quiet and calm conversation, did help to lift my spirits and the shadows over my heart ever so little.
“Your body is exhausted, by the way, it will rest a couple of more hours. We have some time. And you should look after yourself more.”
“My mind is exhausted as well, I can tell you that much.”
“I see. Well, you did carve a pocket of metaphysical or spiritual reality out of the ur-soup of creation with the power of your mind alone. So that makes sense. You also had a couple of…hard days. I understand that. So how about I tell you how to get back here and we send you back to your body to sleep it off. It will be healthy for you, to get real rest and not just here in your mind. But you have to promise me to come back as soon as you are safe!” I nodded in agreement, so she continued: “Because it is my duty above all to teach you the Dos and Don’ts of being Twice – Born. And that includes wielding Essence of the gods as shield and sword. Something you desperately need to survive in your situation!”
My mind began to wander in exhaustion. I had just slept here, but there was no sleep in Limbo. Even being here strained me, as long as I didn’t learn to meditate properly it seemed. So I nodded in agreement and she taught me the way to open my mind in meditation. A simple act of willing it and follow through. I closed my eyes and slept like a rock. In reality this time.
----------------------------------------
Given the chance, I would like to have another body. The state of me was simply disgraceful. I was covered from head to toe in grime, soot, blood and it seemed like I got some painful scratches underneath all this mess. Luckily none of my bones seemed to be broken and none of my wounds were more than superficial. I felt pain and burning muscles all over, but my mind felt fresh and rested, so there was that.
I winced a bit as I crawled out of a little hole I had tucked myself into, and lit my lantern with trembling hands as soon as I had the room to move. I waited a long time just listening. But I heard nothing but a diffuse carpet of alien sounds, none of which seemed to be near. It was unsettling, but I forced myself to calm down. I just peeked around a few corners of the cave system I found myself in.
I reckoned I would have to wait a little while longer to let a bit of fresher air into my hiding spot, so I wouldn’t suffocate while sleeping. I did close it up with rocks, so air to breathe was an issue indeed. I was a rather tall and broad fellow, so I could barely wiggle through the opening, and sitting up was all but impossible once inside. But it was safe. As safe as it could be, so long as I still had water in my waterskins. I had to take a risk here. Staying and scouting the area, relying on my safe spot, or moving along in the knowledge that every day spent in the endless darkness could be the day food or water ran out on me. I knew what the Wanderer would say to that.
But I was neither a god nor a legendary warrior of the wilderness. I was the heir of what once was Ravenrock, and only 20 years of age. I was trained, even excellently, in a couple of things: falconry, riding, swordplay in duels, reading, trekking the wild mountains, and navigating the social conventions of noble courts. But I had drawn my sword in earnest only once, and it was the last day of our people, our family line, our history, and my first life. I did level two times that day, to level 3 in [Margrave of Ravenrock] while we had been fighting our last stand. I even had gotten the Skill [Last Stand] and the Wyldlings had paid a bloody price for taking us. The second time I had leveled that day was after my death. I received a Gift that time: [A Flock of Souls] and I had no idea what to do with it. I just knew it had to do with the souls the Wanderer had calmed and sent after me, to be led to their freedom. So, I could not count on any of that in my situation.
I wasn’t especially competent in woodcraft, or cavecraft I suppose, either. I loved climbing in the rough and untouched mountains around Ravenrock, but I never had been alone and never had to do all the chores or even decisions myself. I had the Skill [Favorite Terrain: Mountains], but I felt that would not apply down here. So I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Food, water, shelter, and warmth were the most important things right now. For my way out of the deeps I would need more skills, more Skills even. I counted on the fingers of my dirty hands: Navigation and orientation, movement, defense, threat assessment, and avoidance. I caught me thinking in circles. No amount of thinking or planning would allow me to understand unknown obstacles. I needed to move upwards. I needed to avoid danger and wounds of any kind. I was very aware of bad air and swore that if it came to it, I would follow my nose and not my eyes because the darkness would be deceiving.
I sat in the open cavern for a while before I admitted to myself that I was stalling. In one of the five tunnels leading out of here, maybe even all of them would be mortal danger waiting for me and creatures I most likely already had met while in a frenzy of hurt, fear, rage, and violence. But here, this little cave was the most peaceful time and place I was going to get. I was stupid. I needed to go back to my hole. I needed to return to my safe place -Demesne?- and return to Lily to learn what I had to work with. Everything else was unproductive, even if …wait? Where was the light coming from? The color on the walls of the cave was subtly shifting to a deep red hue.
I heard a sizzling noise behind me and instinct took over. I threw myself forward, landing hard. I saw a glowing liquid splash over the spot I just had sat at. While I scrambled to my feet, something heavy thudded from the ceiling onto the ground. A thick, worm-like creature, but with a skin-like dusty sandstone, raised his upper body and swiveled its three-parted maw in my direction. Inside his maw burned a flickering flame.
It hissed, and something else ignited in there. I jumped again, this time with more control, so I stood ready again, sword drawn when the burning goo hit the floor. The thing seemed to be slow and heavy, but I had no illusion to survive even a glancing hit from that stuff it spat around. Even the hide of the beast looked like solid stone. I fought the panic, willed myself to focus. Move, Hannibal, move! I circled the thing, trying to keep my distance. I studied the worm. The only apparent point of weakness seemed to be its maw, the very spot its deadly attacks came from.
Well, better to make no mistakes then, I thought grimly. I danced around the creature, narrowly avoiding its fiery breath as I closed in, but before I could bring my sword up, it curled back and shot forward with surprising speed and power, slamming to the ground. I nearly didn’t make it out of his way in time.
I could not find an opening. Again, I dodged, again I avoided the slam. And while we fought, the space of the cavern grew smaller and smaller, because ever more patches of burning goo stayed on spots on the floor and the walls, effectively reducing my options of movement. And it was getting hot. My breath began to rattle, precious air burning away in smoke and flame. I timed my jump this time, slashed twice even as I retreated. The steel scraped about the skin around the maw and it felt exactly like hitting stone. Sweat poured down my neck and face, running into my eyes, making my grip slippery on the leather of the sword hilt.
My time was running out. And the cavern was too small to gain real distance. It was too small to hide. It could see me anywhere…see? Could the creature see? It had no eyes! No feelers – nothing. Just a worm with a fiery maw. And my only chance may very well be to use that to my advantage.
It could sense me, even standing still. So, tremor sense? Sound? No. Heat? Maybe. But the surrounding area was so hot now. It must have had a variety of senses, but at least its heat sense would be muddled now, because of the stone in the background radiating heat from the lingering flames. I moved to a wall and it followed me with spitting attacks. Then I took the risk and stood still again. The heavens were with me! It could not really locate me. It needed my movement.
The worm hoisted itself up, its glowing front swinging back and forth. Searching. My plan wasn’t great, but I had nothing else. I screamed and waved jumping up and down. I leaned out of the way of the burning goo coming for me, but I had to stay where I was. It followed up as it always had done. It coiled back and lunged forward all speed and power, but no finesse.
It crashed into the opening, its lateral movement immediately restricted by the walls. The worm was all about forward momentum and it had more than a bit of trouble moving backward. It began thrashing around, but I had a thin breath of time. I was on him in a second, aiming carefully, and planted my sword directly behind his head, between two plates of overlapping skin folds. I pushed with all my body weight, almost jumping on the sword. It crunched. The sword went into the worm inch by inch, slowly but steadily. The worm, still completely silent, thrashed around in wild agony, almost breaking free of his little prison.
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Almost.
My sword hit the ground, anchoring him, pinning him in place. I sat on the sword with every bit of strength I could muster. This was it. If I could trap him, he would kill himself on my steel. If he would break free, I had nothing left to fight with. I held on for my very life, while every move of the worm pulled its flesh over the steel, ravaging his insides.
Finally, it snapped. The worm that is. It had cut itself in twain, with power beyond my understanding and in rage of agony beyond any reason, not once understanding that his struggle had been the source of his pain. I let the sword go, jumping back, while the worm tore itself out of the wall, thick innards, and blood, as well as more of the burning stuff, spilling out of the severed halves. I moved back more, as it thrashed about in its final moments, painting the walls and ceiling in gory fire. It took forever, but I just had to wait and evade. When it was over and the fires went out, a small blue transparent cube seemed to float above the corpse for a while until it shot towards me, vanishing inside my body.
“Huh?!” I wheezed with burning lungs and sat down.
Just a moment to catch my breath, it is so hot in here, and I’m… I jerked and stood up. I was losing air fast! My mind began to wander and my thoughts turned to a sluggish crawl. I needed to move, and quick at that. I took my things out of my hiding place and left, ever upwards. I moved as quickly as the tiny light of my lantern allowed, only stopping when I breathed clean air again – well brackish, used, and all-around shit air, but clean enough to survive. I had not seen any creatures or monsters, save for some of the smaller insects, but neither had I stumbled upon bigger caverns or other spots I could comfortably hide in. I had no choice but to press on.
Days of darkness and terror followed, but I still fought on.
----------------------------------------
“I am here, Lily”, I spoke softly as soon as I opened my metaphysical eyes in my Demesne in the shadow of the wind-oak tree. I instantly calmed and homeliness washed over me as if someone had thrown a warm blanket over my shivering body on a cold night. The lanterns were there, spending comfort, warmth, and a distinct feeling of home. The transition between the endless darkness and horrors of the labyrinth beneath the Abyss and my Demesne was sharp but welcome. Needed.
“I want grass, just around the tree, with wildflowers in every color of the rainbow. And a crescent moon, big and bright.” And my little world listened to my wishes. I sighed full of comfort and laid back, my head on the fresh grass. I was gulping in the fresh air and the smells with deep breaths. I could not get enough of it.
“You are late!”, Lily chided me, sounding almost as if she was tapping her non-existing foot on the ground impatiently.
“Peace, Lily, I had an awful day.”
“Is that so? And what of me, O’ master of mine? I was worried sick! Sick, I tell you! We said you should come back as fast as possible! And then you just didn’t show up.”
“Huh.”, I mumbled. That was new. “Peace, Lily. Peace. I am very sorry, but the circumstances leading to my delay were out of my control.”
Now it was her turn to mumble something incomprehensible.
“Beg your pardon?”
“I said: I know, I could see it. We are linked.” She was still annoyed, but I didn’t know why.
“What is wrong? Be honest.” I said, sitting up.
She fluttered about a few seconds, then spat: “I made the mistake! I am in your service for what? 5 minutes? And I almost ruined everything! I should have insisted, I should have been more convincing. Clearly you needed me and I failed you.”
Well, that was touching. And wrong. And led me to reevaluate the little wisp, which had much more of a personality than I had anticipated. “Lily,” I said softly, “thanks, but …how much do you know about reality? About the place, I am in particular?”
She scuffed a bit. “What I saw through your eyes.”
“This place is as close to the hells as any on this realm. Listen, the Abyss is basically a big crack in a mountain reaching to the bottom of the earth. Opinions on how it got created range from wild to esoteric. But fact is, the people of Ravenrock have executed people for thousands of years by throwing them into the pit. We have thrown attacking armies in, traitors and murderers, and a whole lot of trash and refuse. We know not exactly what roams the deeps, what feeds on the dead, or worse: what the dead turn into. But we know of some of the dangers of the endless labyrinth. I am here, what, three days? A week? I had to literally wade through death, decay, and a horde of bottom feeders. Dangerously big ones, too. To talk to you, I had to find a cave I could close completely. For every moment of rest, every second of looking the wrong way will be my last.” I stopped, catching a breath. “I came to you as fast as I could, but my sword was ruined, my body poisoned and my mind led astray by toxic fumes and tricks of the darkness. Please. I would still be…mad, without these moments here, my few minutes of respite and peace. Don’t talk about failures. Everything is alright still.”
The silence stretched between us, but it didn’t felt hostile or awkward. She just accepted everything I just said. It was she who broke it in the end, changing the subject.
“Your body is poisoned?”
I nodded somewhat matter of factly. “It's nasty out there. I’m dirty and I consumed some stuff I shouldn’t have. And the air is bad. Very, very bad. I feel dizzy at the best of times. And I have a couple of bruises and cuts. Nothing much, but its unclean and likely to fester and inflame.”
I was able to stay calm because I’ve had the time to come to terms with my predicament. I knew about those dangers for days now. If the nightmares and monsters of the Abyss wouldn’t get me, the Abyss itself would do the rest. Time was running out on me. I hoped Lily would be able to help me help myself. Or I would die. It was as simple as that.
“Then we must be quick, Hannibal. Are you safe for a couple of hours?”
“I collapsed a little opening with pretty heavy rocks.” I shrugged. “As safe as it gets, I suppose.”
“Maybe that’s all we need. That depends on you though. But you can do it! For some, weaving Essence is as easy as breathing. Some have to wrestle and fight every step of the way.”
“Weaving?”
“It's what gods, and godlings, do. Taking raw Essence and weaving it into constructs that channel the raw power of creation itself to influence reality. It's easiest to imagine actual weaving and knitting. The first step is to refine the raw stuff into yarn, which then can be woven. An example, if you will: [Divine Resilience] is a tightly woven pattern of Essence, literally woven into the outer layers of your skin. We call Skills like those Core Skills or the Core. Permanent additions and passive, but extremely limited and inflexible. Strength, agility, speed…the basics.”
The little wisp drew with her cool, blue light in the naked sky and the text remained there, floating around. It seemed like a blue box of text and compacted information. Just…fascinating.
“Oh, wait. The Wanderer didn’t tell you anything? That’s just…doesn’t matter. No time. Classes and Skills are for mortals. Powers given to mortals for…experience and important moments. Moments of narrative weight, which gods and greater gods appreciate, granting levels and thus: Skills. You are a Twice-Born. You can tap that Essence, what mortals call experience, directly and form it as you please. The moments of narrative weight and deep insights into the nature of your classes will still make you level up, by the way. But all the floating essence is yours to play with. So, your mortal classes will level much slower. Much, much slower. But it is worth it because you can weave the Essence like you want to.”
“Ok, Lily. I don’t…listen. My body is dying. Do the fast thing and do what is best.”
“I will just follow my lead. The Wanderer left you with a few presents when he made you his Twice-Born. He gave you two Skills, to start with: [Eyes to Pierce the Darkness] and [Walk the Night Unseen]. Both Skills have an affinity to the Dogma of shadows, darkness, and night and draw upon those sources. You should start being aware of such things. But these are not mortal Skills. These are Skills of Twice-Born. You could for example upgrade and change them. Even level them up on your own. While mortal skills and their power depend on the overall level of the person, you level your Twice-Born Skills with your woven Essence.”
“Who in the name of all that is good and holy makes these things up?” I shouted with a good bit of frustration.
“Oh, even the gods and greater gods have an even greater power above them, who controls them, the rules, the system, and set the guidelines of our existence eons ago.”
“Huh?” Again I was stumped. So much information, some of it casually shattering my worldview with just a sentence.
“So, Hannibal. I assume you know what Skills are, as you have 4 of them from your days as a mortal. But I will give you a brief rundown. These are easiest to understand. There are two major differences. There are Gifts and Skills. Your [A Flock of Souls] is a Gift. The rest are Skills. Gifts give you limited control over the ‘element’ of their nature. And this ‘element’ is highly dependent on the Dogma it belongs to. The element of your Gift is ‘souls’. You have the ability to interact with the souls sworn to you. But you will gain greater understanding – and ability – as you rise in levels. Unfortunately, it is a mortal [Gift], so you will have to raise your level to improve it." She made a pause.
"But we godlings don’t fully understand mortal Skills and Gifts, as they are outside of our control. So, back to Skills. Skills are simple constructs of essence you cannot change on the fly, or ever really without the right circumstances. There are entities that specialize in Skill-engineering. You learn the finished constructs, you fuel them, and get the predefined result. Easy."
She wrote down all the things she said in a list hovering in front of me.
"Passive Skills take a steady stream of your power, let’s call it Mana for now. The way Twice-Born gain Skills are manifold: You can learn them from a teacher, a medium of learning like a book or a memory stone, completing quests, gaining titles and you can even gain an understanding of them by defeating foes. And last, but not least: active Essence, also called Mana or Energy, is a reservoir you build to be constantly used to fuel your Skills and Gifts."
She began painting a little diagram, connecting the things she told me with lines. "You don’t really create a reservoir of power in yourself, but a stable pathway to the limbo. A kind of construct that can filter the raw Essence of creation floating through the limbo and passively making it available to you. So you don’t fuel Skills with your own Essence, but really with free-flowing, regenerating Essence of the Limbo. Hence, Mana.”
She took a moment to collect her thoughts. “Man, I hate to dump this all on you. There is so much more to say, but how else would we do it? I shut up, you start weaving. We want a small layer of Essence around your intestines. Like so.”
A complicated-looking pattern appeared in the air in front of me. But broken down to the single steps of weaving, it wasn’t too bad. It just looked intimidating when all the small bits were put together, like chainmail made of simple rings. My head was ringing, while my hands followed the words of Lily. I did not even question once where the silvery yarn came from, that was running smoothly through my fingers. I just willed it to be. Results now – questions later. All of this was strange, but also new and exciting. Having something simple to do helped with handling my confusion. I was out of my depth here, but I was so much out of it that I did not need to think twice. I just accepted Lily’s competence and did what she told me to.
It was easy and hard at the same time. The work steps were easy, the shapes were easy to make. To form my Core Skills, all I had to do was to layer impossibly fine chainmail-like weavings above one another. But it was hard to do for long periods of time. I had to make the Essence move not only with my hands but the power of my mind, by sheer willpower. And it was exhausting to never lose focus, to never let the mind wander. But the first layer I could handle, even with the mental stress. It would get ridiculous with further layers, of that I was sure enough. So I spend a couple of hours. Lily had more for me to do, but time was a resource I could not easily expand.
So, I knitted the first layer of Essence for my innards, resulting in gaining the Core Skill [Improved Constitution] Lvl. 1. I also carved the pathway to improving my active essence – Mana – to 10. I had 320 Essence to start with - plus a Shard, whatever that was. And I spent 100 of it for the Core Skill and 100 on the Mana. Then, time ran out on me.
“I will show you more over the next weeks, Hannibal, but you should get going. [Improved Constitution] will help you with mitigating the foul air, the toxins, and the poisons. The Mana will enable you to use your Skills a few times a day. You will recharge one Mana per hour. Now hurry!”
I rolled my eyes because it had been me who had pressed her to hurry all along. I had to leave either way, so I let it rest. Back to the biggest dump and graveyard of the known world. The Abyss would not be kind to me.