Eight Era, cycle 1721 – cycle of the squatting dog, season of Unkh, day 302
Amaka was lost; she’d quickly become enveloped in mist, which hadn’t been visible from The Floating Bear. She jumped as a large-eyed bird appeared in front of her, sitting on a burned tree stump. It watched Amaka with vivid-yellow eyes; it let out a strange, melodic noise, like the last whisper of a dying man. A shrill call broke through the night, followed by the flapping of heavy wings. Amaka spun around and caught a glimpse of a shadow moving in the mist, but like a dream, it slipped away when she tried to concentrate on it. Out of the corner of Amaka’s eye, the shape returned; it undulated and bulged until it suddenly split into two shapes, which raced away as Amaka concentrated. Amaka took a few quick steps back, trying to get both in view at once. She feinted to one side, before trying to move rapidly the other way. It worked – both were now in view; they seemed to be extending their arms and were somehow nearly on top of her without making a sound. Something immediately grabbed at her and gripped her with sharp-nailed hands. Amaka ripped herself free and tried to duck under the arms, but many hands became entwined in her hair. Amaka turned, pulling out her sword, and she paused as she found a simple bush with strands of her hair stuck to its thorns. It had deep-blue berries, some of which Amaka took and swallowed.
You have been afflicted: mana degradation of 5 points per second
You have discovered a new use for an ingredient: ingredient – rosewart thorn; effect – slow mana poison
Skill increased: foraging 14
Amaka turned; the shapes in the mist were still surrounding her. Hesitantly, she approached one – the long arms turned into branches, and the slender bodies became straggly, thin tree trunks.
A branch snapped, and Amaka spun around just as something came out of the mist, aiming directly at her face. She back-pedalled and tripped, landing hard. Something animal screamed, and she whipped her head around to see a shape in the mist growing larger, accompanied by the sound of hoof beats. Amaka rolled to her feet, picking up a stone as she rose. She threw the stone; the mist rolled around the stone like a marshmallow dunked into a frothy drink, and the alien shape seemed to dissolve from the turbulence of the stone’s path, becoming one with the gloom once more. The hooved creature screamed again, and Amaka spun in a circle, unable to locate the direction of the noise. Pulling her sword free, she took a step forwards and swept her blade around in a territorial gesture, the arc of the blade forming her “zone” – her territory; step into it at your peril.
Amaka stalked forwards, swinging her blade as she did so. She stopped, held the blade up and then thrust as she stepped forwards, before sweeping around in a quick 360° circle. A voice spoke the word “trespass” into her ear. She flinched, startled, and brought her blade around, but it struck nothing. Amaka turned in a slow circle, raised her sword, paused and stepped forwards, just as something heavy zoomed at her head. She scurried back, and a flock of flying rats descended on her, tearing at her face. She flailed with her sword and cut the wing off a rat, which dropped to her chest and squirreled under her top, biting and scratching at her chest, whilst the other rats bit at her ears and clawed at her eyes, their rabid spit coating her face. She rolled and tore at her chest, pulling the rat out with a chunk of her flesh grasped between its oversized teeth.
You have been afflicted: haemorrhagic fever
Due to being bitten by disease-ridden rodents, you’ve contracted haemorrhagic fever. You’ll bleed from each and every orifice, sweat profusely until blood seeps from your pores and you’ll weep tears of blood, as your insides slowly liquify until you vomit out your own intestines and discover just how long they truly are.
Amaka flung the rat away and felt more of them tear at her flesh; their hot breaths covered her skin. They bit at her lips, cheeks, nose, ears and eyes. Amaka dropped her sword and pulled a dagger from her belt, trying to free herself as they scurried over her face.
Race: putrid rat
These rats are carriers of various plagues and viruses. The rats aren’t just carriers but often display symptoms of the disease infesting them – although there’s some evidence to suggest that there may be some element of symbiosis to the process.
Genus: Rodent
Class: E
Affiliation: Kassogtha
Harvestable items: unknown
State: hungry
Level: varied
Boon: resistance to diseases, increased chance of causing an affliction, increased potency of inflicted affliction
Curses: unknown
Bestiary increased
Amaka got to her feet and ran; the frigid air stung her skin, and her vision was marred as blood ran into her eyes. She felt the rats swarming over her like flies as she stumbled through a thorn bush, tripped, staggered a pace and landed heavily in a bog stinking of shit and death. Something pulsed against Amaka’s ear; she reached up and plucked a fat maggot out of her hair. She looked around at the bog and found a nest of maggots swarming within it.
Race: botlarva
The botlarva eats away at the flesh, and inside the marrow of your bones, it spins a cocoon made from your organs. It’s believed to be one of the most exquisite pains one can experience.
Genus: Vermis
Class: F
Affiliation: Kassogtha
Harvestable items: unknown
State: hungry
Level: 7
Health 350/350, stamina 350/350, magicka 350/350
Boon: complete resistance to magicka-based attacks
Curses: eternal hunger
Bestiary increased
The air changed from a damp, cold mist to a hot, humid steam, and Amaka’s numerous gashes stung from the heat, even as the maggots continued to eat her skin. Amaka scraped her finger over her face, and chunks of skin became imbedded under her nails. The earth around Amaka blistered and cracked, the mud turned red and molten and then it broke into roiling lava. From the depths of hell itself, burned and rotted hands thrust upwards, grasping and groping for Amaka.
Race: servants of Tlazolteotl
These are the remnants of those sacrificed to Tlazolteotl, their minds lost to lust and depravities as they serviced Tlazolteotl in all her lewd and humiliating acts. Most gods who discover a follower of Tlazolteotl will instantly curse them with a taboo rating. A taboo is a sign for all the followers of the god who issued the rating that they’re to alienate the tabooed. A rating of 3 is given to those found actively worshiping Tlazolteotl, and a rating so high means they’re to be killed on sight.
Genus: Banished
Class: C
Affiliation: Tlazolteotl
Harvestable items: unknown
State: aroused
Level: varied
Boon: eternal sexualised suffering
Curses: instant taboo
Bestiary increased
Congratulations, you have discovered a mythical race: the servants of Tlazolteotl
You again? The Tlazolteotl, seriously? I’m going to need to keep an eye on you; try not to get dragged down alive!
Reward: 10,000 experience points
Level up! Level 19 (38,603 experience points to the next level)
I might need to offer you some sort of frequent-service reward!
The grasping hands crawled from the pit, and Amaka fled; as she did so, the hands erupted from the ground in sprays of magma. Amaka ran faster until hands started to reach out from the mist itself, tugging and pulling at her. The calls of the damned pleaded with her, begging her for rest and relief from the torment. Hands grabbed her body in intimate places with a ferociousness and aggression foreign to love. Her clothes were ripped and torn, and as the hands touched her, the calls from those lost were louder and more incessant in their begging and demands. Slowly, the number of hands diminished, and the calls for help became muted and then changed into sibilance. The hands withdrew into the mist, only to lengthen and elongate into tendrils or tentacles that entwined around her as she was dogged by the sound of something heavy shifting behind her.
She ran. The unseen monster moved with a wet, slithering sound, which somehow portrayed a great weight behind it. The very air seemed to drain her stamina; a heady aura started to overcome her as her limbs started to slow. The tendrils multiplied, appearing all around and even in front of her – vague shapes could be seen in the mist, hinting at the profile of the obscured monster. Its ability to stay hidden in the mist only served to increase her fear of the unknown dread creature. Suddenly, Amaka noticed that she had become trapped. The tendrils of the creature were completely surrounding her, moving as if they were affected by a current.
Amaka stepped forwards; something lashed out and struck her across the cheek. Instead of experiencing pain, her face grew numb. She brought a hand up and touched the spot, then prodded and pinched it without feeling anything. On bringing her hand away, she noticed a viscous, green resin. Something struck out again and caught her across the thigh; she staggered as her thigh numbed, and she shifted her weight to the other side. Amaka balled her hands tightly and teleported. To be safe, she needed to see her destination – otherwise she might kill herself by appearing inside something else – but even with the mist surrounding her, she took her chances in a wild attempt to escape. Three steps after teleporting, the tendrils were around her once more, hindering her so that the presence in the fog could loom over her.
‘Don’t run from me; I’m everywhere. I’m loss, doubt and indifference. Everywhere you go, I’m already present,’ it declared.
Amaka turned and tried to back away, but its tentacles were everywhere, always staying the same distance away – never touching but always imminent.
‘What… Who are you?’ Amaka tried to shout, but her voice came out breathless.
Name: Kassogtha
The formless beast of suffering and woe; it lives outside our realm and consumes all manner of souls with its reaching tentacles and eternal hunger.
Race: eternal
Such creatures can’t be killed, only displaced.
Genus: Chaos
Formed from the fabric of ineffability.
Class: S
Affiliation: Entropy
Harvestable items: unknown
State: unknown
Level: unknown
Health unknown, stamina unknown, magicka unknown
Boon: unknown
Curses: unknown
Bestiary increased
Congratulations, you have discovered a demonic entity: Kassogtha
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
Oh crap. First an akuma moth, then the servants of the profane and now this? The eternal entities are on a different reward basis to the relative near banality of the races found on the Sphere. Not that it matters, as your life is forfeit in the face of Kassogtha.
Good luck. I hear the death from it is comparatively painless!
Reward: 100,000 experience points
Level up! Level 21 (24,603 experience points to the next level; it’s a shame, as you were doing so well!)
Amaka felt something damp slide over her neck and down her front. The servants of Tlazolteotl returned, their hands creeping up her calves and thighs, pulling them apart. Then, the putrid rats reappeared, biting and scratching at her face, and botlarvae crawled from her open wounds.
A bright light burst out around her, a voice in the mist screamed and withdrew, and the things covering her dissolved in the light. Amaka staggered forwards, half turning. Behind her was nothing but light; she turned to find the light was evenly blinding in all directions. Then, all at once, it was gone. As she blinked and her vision returned, she found that the light had been replaced by a large tree with countless branches yet not a single leaf. Amaka looked around, confused and almost defeated. She walked forwards and around the tree until she spotted a figure with its legs and arms fused into the tree trunk. The body was distorted and elongated in the wrong places, like a sculpture from Szukalski. It looked up as Amaka approached, and it moved with a disjointed twitch, like a time-lapse image.
‘What are you?’ Amaka’s voice was once again a half-whisper; she cleared her throat angrily and tried again. ‘Release me from these visions.’
‘Visions you say, as if they were as simple as the effects of subsuming ergot. With some creatures, even to picture their presence is enough to manifest their intelligence.’
Name: Phobetor
Phobetor lies trapped; a god who is naturally more comfortable in noncorporeal form is now forced to remain substantive.
Race: god
Genus: Grecian
Bestiary increased
Congratulations, you have discovered a god: Phobetor
Oh, him! Ironically, this is one of your lesser achievements – and we’re only talking about the last three seconds! Ha ha. But seriously, he’s the least of your concerns right now. Poor bastard.
Good luck!
Reward: 500,000 experience points
I mean, when all’s said and done, he’s still a god.
Level up! Level 27 (12,403 experience points to the next level)
‘Don’t concern yourself with Phobetor; he’s the dreamer who’s now kept from his dreams,’ a voice stated.
The thing about the voice was that it relaxed Amaka; in spite of her being on edge after her ordeal in the fog, this voice was calming.
It continued: ‘Melinoë betrayed him at the last; I can’t say I blame her. That’s a spider willow; do you know of the willows?’
Amaka turned; what stood before her was a woman, seemingly created by someone who had only a passing knowledge of humans. She had wavy, deep-red hair, which shielded her face. However, the impression Amaka had from the glimpses between the strands of loose hair was that the woman didn’t really have a face but only a shadowed outline – like a lazy animator’s drawing – except for a pair of blue eyes. Similarly, the elegant, soft, white gown could have been displayed on a manikin; the gown was curved and shaped in a manner accurate to a female body, yet occasionally, when the woman moved, the gown folded inwards when it should have been stopped by the woman’s stomach. There wasn’t an inch of skin on show: the neckline had a soft scarf covering it, the arms had long sleeves and there was no sign of legs or feet underneath the hem of the gown.
‘W-willows? Sure, tall trees that hang their branches like a fringe.’ Amaka’s voice was hoarse, and she swallowed desperately to get some moisture into her mouth.
The way the woman stood, held herself and spoke gave the impression of confidence and assurance of being in complete control. She laughed in reply to Amaka’s words, and Amaka felt a lump in her throat. The charismatic way this woman acted with complete self-assurance was enticing. The woman sashayed up to the willow; she didn’t sway her hips, but the gown swayed in a hypnotic wave. She ran a hand over the tree but not seductively; she touched it as if it were a monument to the fallen.
‘No, I mean the myths and folklore – some of which is true. It’s said that if you knock on willow bark, it will hold your secrets, and that a man must touch a water willow if he passes one or else lose his sweetheart. It’s said that each willow tree houses a dryad, and you can hear its whispers as you pass. Most attribute to the willow a pathway between this realm and the next. Indeed, if you take ninety-nine leaves from ninety-nine willow trees, render them down and then eat the remnants, it will grant you the power of prophecy. And of course, all dreamcatchers are made from willow. I wonder how much of the willows’ power is attributed to this tree and the power it drains from Phobetor?’ pondered the woman.
‘Is he really a god? And who are you anyway? Where’d you come from?’ Amaka questioned.
‘Forgive me; I assumed that because you came to my trials, you knew my name. My Anasy call me Sara e Kali, but you may call me Sara or Kali. This is Phobetor, brother of Morpheus, and he’s bound to this tree for upsetting the gods. Loki has made many gods believe that that they could play other gods off each other. This is just one of the tales that proves this false. I liked Phobetor.’
‘He’s still bound to the tree,’ Amaka pointed out. ‘Have you tried to free him?’
‘I didn’t like him that much.’
‘So, you were saying… well, you weren’t, but you implied that he’s the reason willow has special properties. Because of his…’ Amaka waved a hand up and down taking in Phobetor’s state. ‘His confinement?’
‘That’s correct. It seems as though he’s synergising with the tree; I suppose we should have guessed this could happen with a god who’s capable of reaching out into the subconscious. Or unconscious – I always confuse the two. Not many gods take their responsibilities as seriously as he does.’
‘What does that mean?’ Amaka replied, before she could stop herself.
Sara e Kali sighed. ‘Oh, well, you start off as the embodiment of one thing, yet the minds of mortals do wander, so as your expectations of us change, some gods take it as a chance to gain more power. There are few gods whose followers believe they have control over everything. Many of us must make do with realms of responsibility – such as poor Phobetor, me or your own goddess. Not all gods even develop personalities, but they remain as a natural force. Some go beyond this and become powers amongst even the gods – these few are respected by the others.’ Sara e Kali raised an eyebrow at Amaka. ‘True power comes from worship, which allows us to win influence over each other and progress in the Great Game. That’s what gods strive for, but what is it that you hope to achieve?’
‘A way out without dying,’ Amaka muttered.
Sara e Kali shook her head. ‘The danger here is only what you bring with you.’
‘I didn’t bring motherfucking flying rats and hentai tentacles with me!’
‘You have a negative aura; it affected the mist rather dramatically. You’ve acted mostly for the good, yet you’ve committed dark deeds. Ironically, it’s usually those who aid the dark who work in the light – and vice versa.’
‘Not always. I’ve known a few arseholes who were quite openly jerks and acted only for themselves,’ Amaka replied, trying to keep up with the metaphors.
‘Yes, let’s not torture our analogies; I was merely trying to express a point. Some of the best, who work on the side of the angels, are anything but,’ Sara e Kali said mournfully.
‘If that’s so, then it must be easy to lose yourself… I’m sorry, but are you saying you’re a devil or that you work for them?’
Sara e Kali pressed her hand against Amaka’s chest. ‘I feel the confusion in your heart; killing what we call monsters does not come easy to you. I understand that, but we have a need for people like you: people who can make the hard decisions and still walk in the light.’
‘I have a god,’ Amaka stated, still confused.
‘I know, but it does not preclude you from working with another. I can offer you perspective, help you come to terms with your actions, and allow you to see if you’re still on the side of the angels or if you’ve slipped into devilry. A sort of mindfulness for the soul…’ Sara e Kali gestured behind
Amaka. ‘A therapy fairy to help you cogitate on your decisions, but not to give absolution for them.’
Amaka held her head. ‘My head aches; I smoked weed through most of my teens. What is it you actually want?’
‘From time to time, to send you on quests to complete – and I’ll run them past your deity first, so you’ll know they agree. My Anasy are mostly pacifists in the Great Game. It lets me avoid having ties to more powerful gods, in spite of the fact that I have little power.’
‘And in return, I’ll be able to think?’ Amaka didn’t see it as a good trade-off.
‘With greater clarity and insight than you normally would. Believe me, you’ll understand when you use it. It’s like sitting down with the world’s best therapist. You’ll like it; trust me, I’m a god. One of the nice ones too.’ Sara e Kali gave her best smile. ‘Oh, and you’ll get your normal rewards; this is just the signing-on bonus.’
Amaka decided to see what her interface said about Sara e Kali.
Name: Sara e Kali
The goddess of alms and pilgrimage; later, she became the goddess of trade after falling in with the Anasy. She’s believed to be responsible in some way for judging the nature of one’s actions. For instance, she may be partially responsible for your negative aura.
All other information is blocked; she knows you’re doing this. She is a god after all!
Bestiary increased
Congratulations, you have discovered a god: Sara e Kali
Ooooh, that explains the last few minutes.
Reward: 600,000 experience points
Level up! Level 33 (64,303 experience points to the next level)
‘Fine, I’ll help you. Do I pass the test now? May I travel with the Anasy?’ Amaka asked.
Sara e Kali nodded. ‘Of course; they shall be friends to you.’
Blessing received: friend of the Anasy
With this blessing, you’re allowed free passage with any Anasy, and you’ll start with the disposition of “friendly” with all Anasy.
‘Well, I’d like to say it’s been an honour, but I can’t honestly say I understand most of what you’ve said. I look forward to getting your quests.’
Ability upgraded: meditation
Simply put, your meditation comes with a therapist and a time-modification effect to allow you hours of meditation for mere minutes of real time.
‘But seriously, how do I return?’ Amaka asked, gesturing over her shoulder with her right thumb.
Sara e Kali leaned in close to Amaka and said into her ear, ‘The way down is always much faster.’
Suddenly, Amaka was falling; the nauseating feeling of freefalling overcame her, and she landed with a grunt.
‘Someone scan her; check for a taboo!’ came a call.
Amaka looked up to find she’d returned to the waterfront.
‘She’s clean,’ came Granny’s voice from the boat.
Amaka walked over to the boat and declared, ‘I’ve gotta admit I’m kinda pissed off that Syeda isn’t running off to greet me.’
‘You underestimate her; she ran in after you,’ Granny shouted back.
‘What? She’s still in there? I gotta go and get her.’ Amaka ran back, but she was tackled before she could make it.
‘To go in once is a test; to go in again is imprudent,’ Granny warned.
‘She’d do it for me,’ confirmed Amaka, struggling, and every word was strained.
‘It wouldn’t matter anyway; each participant gets their own instance. You’d never find her, even if it were a meadow on a sunny day.’
‘So what? We wait?’ Amaka demanded.
‘I’m here,’ Syeda said, getting up from a stray tree trunk.
Everyone did a double take, even Granny, as the log hadn’t been there a moment ago.
Amaka led Syeda to the ship. ‘Why did you follow me? What were you thinking? You could have been killed!’
Syeda shook her head. ‘I was just having tea.’
‘Having tea? What did you see in there?’
Syeda looked confused. ‘It was just a large table with people sitting around drinking tea and eating cake. Why? What did you see?’
Amaka hugged Syeda again. ‘Of course! The only danger is what you bring with you. And you, Syeda, are an angel.’
Syeda frowned. ‘Huh?’
Amaka took Syeda’s hand, and they boarded the boat. Granny ordered up a round of tea and gave them a formal welcome to The Floating Bear.
*
After Amaka and Syeda had become acquainted with their rooms, and Amaka had taken a bath in an old copper bathtub, they returned to Granny for an evening meal.
Amaka withdrew the soul crystal and placed it on the table. ‘So, if you’re happy that we’re not minions of evil, how about you explain what this is and why you reacted so badly?’
Granny refilled her pipe whilst chewing on their evening meal. She skewered another chunk of pork, and Amaka was slightly impressed with Granny’s ability to multitask. Her pipe switched hands, was refilled, relit and puffed on, all whilst she cut off chunks of pork and ate – and the pipe never once touched the table.
After Granny had lit the pipe and taken a few drags, she pointed at the soul crystal with the stem of her pipe. ‘Do you know anything about what you have there?’
‘Sure. Syeda said it’s like a mana storage,’ Amaka replied.
Granny poked the soul crystal with her pipe for a moment, before saying, ‘In its meanest existence, that statement is true enough. However, these items have been around for many ages, and their origin is unknown but presumed demonic. Whilst we now take the mana of the dead, the stone originally trapped a creature’s soul to charge it.
‘It was Telefon the Wizard who first brought these items to market. They quickly became a common commodity, and whilst the ones with larger storage became exorbitantly expensive, the smaller ones were affordable. I believe that in today’s market, every one mana point of storage a crystal has is worth one silver piece. So a 20-mana-point soul crystal is twenty silver. However, Telefon never explained where they came from, so many believe he invented them. Then Adrien the Mystic revealed their true origin.’ Granny pulled a baby-blue soul crystal from a pocket and placed it next to Amaka’s purple one. Granny tapped the crystal. ‘This is a common enough soul crystal, of about average size and holding 250 mana points. That’s more than most people need, but it’s on the small size for a mage. A starter mage would buy around a 50-mana-point crystal, but after their third year, they’re onto this size.’
‘So how much does mine hold?’ Amaka asked.
‘Maybe 500 points; however, this doesn’t have mana in it.’ Granny picked up Amaka’s crystal.
‘Something has died to fill this. What did you trap?’
‘I didn’t; I told you that I found it in a carok den, and there was a carok mage who trapped my friend’s soul in here. How do I free her?’ Amaka demanded.
‘A carok? I still can’t believe this,’ Granny mused. ‘The soul you see is more powerful than mana. Instead of being a 500, this is several thousand, maybe more. There are ways to free your friend, but you need a mage who specialises in summoning.’
Quest update: SOS 3
You’ve learned the secret of the soul crystal, so now all you need to do is free your friend. Alternatively, you can still use her as a battery for a spell or ritual.
‘Where can I find one?’ Amaka asked ardently.
‘I’m not sure. Your best chance of finding one is to visit the large cities; they tend to have members of the mages’ guild, and someone should know a summoner. They aren’t uncommon. But I’d be careful who you show this to; my reaction will be repeated by most who see this evil thing,’ Granny offered.
‘Well, that’ll have to wait because we’re heading south first,’ Amaka concluded with a yawn.
‘True; now, rest well, for tomorrow we enter the bogs,’ Granny said, and then tapped her pipe out.
‘Speaking of which, the Anasy are famed traders, amongst other things. May we please explore your wares? Pretty please?’ Syeda pleaded.
Granny laughed. ‘Of course; tomorrow, I shall get Raphael to show you his wares.’