Struggling with my weakening mind, I constantly heard a laugh in my head that wanted to break free. I held onto my only hope - a thing I called Ethereal Emancipation. I repeated strange words, “Atash-Na N'gha Ya N'ghft,” calming the confusion in my mind. The disorder started to fade, replaced by a creepy calmness. It felt as if the inner storm had calmed down, leaving a false peace behind.
The words helped my troubled thoughts and I started to look around, making my anxious mind focus on what was really happening. Leaving the boss room, I was more confident where I was, the tower from the game - a series of 99 levels, each full of hidden terrors and the certainty of death.
I thought of the two main characters from the game - one always died halfway down the tower, while the other had to go on alone, dealing with horrible creatures and dangerous traps, until he or she arrived where I am currently at.
Using my gaming knowledge, I gathered my remaining energy and moved deeper into the surrounding darkness. Each small sound, every faint echo, made my heart pound against my ribs. I was playing a dangerous game of hide and seek, sometimes the hunter, sometimes the prey. My only goal was to find the way to the level above, the 98th floor.
Each step took me deeper into the unknown. The only things I had were my weak sanity and the voices that accompanied me. I was afraid of what was hiding in the dark, but I knew I had to keep going.
With a bit of luck and I found traces of the entrance to the 98th floor. I took the stairs but halfway through the stairs, the exit was blocked by caves with a dried blood and the smelled of mold and decay.
With no where go forward, I returned back to the dark and quiet floor with occasional sound of something moving from a distance.
I wrestled with the chaos within me, straining to stay focused. My gaze drifted to the numbers floating at the edge of my sight, cold hard truths that held my fate.
[https://i.imgur.com/5BJIzhr.png]
Name:
Nathan Kerrigan
Class:
Creeping Harbringer
Level:
1
Experience:
0 / 100
Sanity:
15 / 99
My strength and speed, both capped at a meager 5, didn't offer much to brag about. On the other hand, my wisdom and bravery, rated a bit higher at 6, granted me some edge. Nevertheless, my charisma, languishing at 4, was a notable weak point. However, my mind and vision, peaking at 7 and 8, were my true assets. As my voice echoed around me, reassuring in the silence, I encouraged myself, "Nathan, you must utilize every ounce of your ability.”
But my sanity was another story. It was slipping away like sand through my fingers. Still, I knew how to keep going.
[Madness Insight (Passive): Ability to see the unseen, perceiving the cosmic horror that remains invisible to others. As Sanity decreases, Perception increases.]
My Madness Insight was always there, whether I wanted it or not. My eyes lit up, showing me the way in the dark. The dungeon's dark and dull scenery became illuminated, showing the real threats it was hiding.
A knot of fear settled in my chest as I navigated this treacherous environment. Yet, my keen vision detected the latent dangers. My speed ensured swift motion, while my strength fueled my progress. Simultaneously, my bravery acted as a shield against the freezing dread.
I spoke the eldritch words of the Old Ones with shaking lips, breaking the chains that were pulling at my sanity. For a short time, my mind became clear once again, giving me a break. But it didn't stop the madness that was clouding my thoughts.
With my sanity almost gone, I started to see and hear things that weren't there. But I ignored them, just like I always did, in this world and the my previous one.
However, this madness made it hard to remember things about the Dreamer's legacy events. It was hard to remember specific things or events in these always-changing dungeons.
However, a glimmer of recollection flickered; there was an NPC on the 99th floor. This NPC, while always present, varied in location.
Given the vast expanses of the Dreamer's Legacy for exploration, finding the NPC resembled the daunting task of finding a needle in a haystack. And because the world of the Dreamer's Legacy became real and grew with size, the task was even harder.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
But I kept going. The NPC was my only hope. My Madness Insight skill would help me. My sharp eyes could find the hidden room where the NPC was hiding.
However, the Madness Insight was a precarious advantage. My dwindling sanity blurred the line between reality and illusion. The hallucinations, increasingly vivid, threatened to eclipse my perception of the real world. But I had to keep going, trying to find my only hope in this growing nightmare.
As I ventured deeper into the dungeon, the murmurs amplified. Phantom images of ghastly monsters flickered in and out at the periphery of my vision. Each footfall seemed to resonate with echoes of forgotten pain. The murmurs morphed into muffled promises, further straining my sanity.
With Madness Insight ablaze in my eyes, I carved a path through the spectral disorder. However, discerning the difference between reality and hallucinations became a difficult task. Amidst the spectral echoes of torment, occasional flashes of reality provided brief respite. Yet, as fatigue set in, my judgment began to falter, making the mental effort increasingly strenuous.
Through the labyrinthine darkness, beneath a cluster of luminescent rocks studded in the cavern ceiling, a grotesque sight met my gaze. A monstrosity with a female human face stared back at me.
"Is that...was that face always a part of the game?" The question tumbled around in my mind, "Or is that...someone I know?" The strain of distinguishing reality from my hallucinations was now a dangerous game.
[Warning… Sanity… Has decreased]
The cold reality of the situation sunk in, reflected in the holographic stats projected before my eyes.
[https://i.imgur.com/5BJIzhr.png]
Name:
Nathan Kerrigan
Class:
Creeping Harbringer
Level:
1
Experience:
0 / 100
Sanity:
14 / 99
A chill of dread slithered down my spine as the heart in my chest pounded like a war drum. I muttered the chant hastily.
"Atash-Na...N'gha...Ya...N'ghft," the alien words rolled off my tongue, a lifeline in the midst of cascading chaos.
My gaze was drawn back to the horror that awaited me. The cavern's meager light cast long, twisted shadows over the creature's features, but it was the grin that held my attention. It was not just wide; it was impossible, stretching too far across the humanoid face, too many teeth gleaming with a wet shine in the gloomy atmosphere. Each elongated tooth seemed to promise a different kind of agony.
My stomach churned as my mind painted vivid images of those teeth sinking into my flesh. This grotesque smile was an assault against my senses, a stark reminder of the abomination's alienness. My heart pounded like a frantic war drum against my ribs, the echoes of dread reverberating through my entire being.
The grin seemed to widen, the laughable concept of human anatomy discarded by the mere existence of this creature.
[ Warning: Frail Psyche is now active due to the effect of the unknown monster ]
The reality of its existence bore down on me, a weight more oppressive than the darkness around me. As if the shadow had seeped into my soul, reminding me of the abhorrent truth: it was real.
Reality snapped back like a bitter chill, obliterating any trace of denial. My existence became a rhythm of fear, defined by my racing heartbeat and the creature's cruel laughter echoing through the cave. Each echo, cold as an icy blade, carved deeper into my imminent fate—I was now prey in this grim game of survival.
A sudden adrenaline rush spurred my muscles into motion, much like a lightning bolt ignites a tree. My heart thundered in my chest, my legs pounding in a frantic sprint, my shoes scraping against the jagged, uneven cavern floor. Loose pebbles tumbled away under my heels, their gritty sound overwhelmed by the creature's chilling laughter. Each horrific guffaw served as the ghastly soundtrack to my futile escape, a harsh reminder of the inescapable horror surrounding me.
The elongated monster sprung forward, sending a wave of raw terror through me. Its giant claws, like grotesque swords, sliced the stagnant air, producing a chilling 'whoosh'. The sound, haunting yet beautiful, was a grim lullaby hinting at a gruesome end. The old me would've fled, but running was just a band-aid, not a cure. Embracing a grim smile of madness-fueled clarity, I dared to conjure a new plan.
The creature's attack had a rhythm, a pulse hidden beneath its wild brutality. It was a dance of death, perfected over countless ages of hunting. It wasn't mindless, but primal, instinctual. There existed a weak spot in its otherwise armored skin, a flaw ready to be exploited.
The chilling shadow of death towered over me, invoked by the monster’s approaching claws. Every fiber in me screamed in fear, begging for a swift escape from the fatal strike. But I stood my ground. My movements were slight, barely enough to let the claw whiz by, cutting through the space I had occupied just a second ago.
My risky move paid off. The creature, having missed its target, stumbled briefly, its hulking frame wrestling with an unforeseen imbalance. Taking advantage of this rare moment, I slipped beneath its gigantic shape, aiming for the creature's belly where the skin were softer. It was a small chance, but it was the only one I had.
Almost on autopilot, my hand shot out, my fingers brushing the beast's underbelly. My nails couldn't pierce its skin, but the unexpected touch was enough to distract the creature, a tickle no less. It roared in anger, its body thrashing about in an attempt to dislodge the unseen nuisance.
A burst of adrenaline pumped through me, driving me towards a slim crevice. With every pounding step, the distant sound of the horror’s claws scraping against stone marked my daring escape. I hadn't defeated the beast, but outsmarted it — a small victory for a newcomer like me.
I gasped for breath, the pounding of my heart matching the creature's angry roars echoing around the cave. My wild run led me deeper into its den, driven by need rather than desire. As I delved deeper, my instincts hinted at a possible escape — or was it just my mind playing tricks?
Almost hidden against the cave's coarse wall, a plain stone slab caught my eye. Could it be a camouflaged button? It called to me, offering a sliver of hope. It was a risk I was ready to take.
Behind me, the creature continued its relentless chase, its hungry roars urging me to move faster. In the midst of the chaos, a nagging voice in my head reminded me of my dangerous situation.
[Warning: Sanity has been reduced by 1 ]
Ignoring the unyielding warnings, I gambled on instinct over logic, discarding the need to recite my sanity-preserving chant.
Taunting voices besieged my mind, sowing doubt, urging surrender. But in the face of impending doom, I found a strange, ironic mirth bubbling up within me. I burst into raucous laughter, propelling myself forward with a newfound sense of reckless abandon.
Oddly, I found this mad dash liberating, an unexpected twist on the mundane routine of my former life. My laughter echoed through the cavern, merging with the haunting echo of the beast's snarls and the unrelenting warnings of my sanity drain.
[Warning… Sanity has been reduced by 1 … permanent insanity is imminent]
And why not, I thought wildly, my laughter echoing through the cavern, what's so terrible about a touch of insanity?
As I neared the wall, I slammed my hand against the suspected button, bracing myself for disappointment. Yet, the 'click' that reverberated around the cavern gave me a moment of pure, triumphant elation.
[You have been transported to an unidentified safe zone…]
[Sanity Stabilizing…]
[Sanity slowly increasing…]
The echoes of my mirth had barely faded when a voice, so real and grounded, filled the space, "So lonely…"