Novels2Search
One Fine Day
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“Swift!”

Aaron yelled into the electric swirling void, but only echoes answered his cry. He felt like he was falling at a tremendous speed through a bottomless tunnel of wind and electric currents, yet his body was immobile. The dwarf’s legs were locked straight, and his arms were locked, extended to either side; he was in a rigid T-pose. He struggled against the invisible force holding him in position.

Aaron (Strength) vs. [IncOmpuTaBlEeRrOr] – 4 vs. #@ Impossible action. Aaron fails.

He stared at the system message, struggling to comprehend what he was reading even as the message faded from his view. The dwarf had never seen a message like this before, but worse, he saw it was impossible to overcome the power that kept him locked in this T position. Desperate for a means to break free and have a chance at preventing an untimely death by falling, Aaron activated his highest-level skill.

Aaron (Investigation) vs. [INTErruptED— — — vs. — Initializing…

“Damn you—!”

Aaron’s intended tirade of curses toward the system was suddenly cut off as he landed hard within a showering column of light and electricity. His legs and right arm were suddenly unlocked, and he rose from his landing. The dwarf bent his knees and flexed his right arm, grateful to have those motions back. Looking at his left arm, he—

“AAAAHH!”

The dwarf yelled in terror as he saw Swift, also standing in terror at the sight between them. Aaron’s left forearm had become perfectly fused with Swift’s right arm. The blend between the dwarf’s skin and the orc’s green skin was so smooth that it was impossible to tell where one started and the other began. Neither had a hand anymore; the fusion occurred before the wrist. However, Aaron’s Hacklet was fused perfectly in the middle of their forearms. The external screen was blank, but the device still appeared to be on.

“What in the damnable depths is going on here!” Aaron growled. He was taken aback to see the words he spoke scroll at the top of his vision.

Swift rattled his response with some difficulty as he could only use one hand. Yet, words also scrolled overhead, interpreting what the orc was saying.

WTF! I do not know what’s going on here. This has never happened before. What the hell did you do?

Aaron mumbled as he read the words that scrolled across his vision, then blurted out, “What—what did I do? What did you do! I’m not the so-called ‘scry’ here. And how the gangue did you manage to get text to float over your head?”

The orc looked slightly up, giving Aaron the impression that Swift could see and read the words, too. As the orc signed his response, words again scrolled overhead.

Okay, I’m not an expert at scrying. I did it a few times and won big. But I’ve never encountered anything like this. Maybe it’s because we used the digital medium on your arm.

“Speaking of,” Aaron glanced down at the Hacklet embedded in the middle of their fused forearms. The dwarf’s lip curled slightly as he fought the desire to cut his arm off. The thought of being unwillingly tethered to someone threatened to bring back memories the dwarf would have rather kept forgotten. “What sort of slag is this? What happened to our arms?”

I… don’t… know. And I don’t like it. Whatever is going on, we need to find a way out.

The dwarf grunted in agreement as he looked at their surroundings. They stood in a great void with dark electric clouds covering the low-hanging atmosphere. The ground was visibly indistinguishable from their surroundings, but it was definitely hard underfoot. Extending his non-attached arm, Aaron felt the air in front and to his side—but there was nothing to feel.

Swift crouched down, causing Aaron to stumble slightly from the pull of their connected arms. The orc sniffed and stared at the void, then closed his eyes and held his head in contemplation.

Waiting for the orc to finish, Aaron examined his Hacklet. The way the device was embedded between their arms made it seem like the Hacklet was responsible for binding them together. The outer screen resembled the void, causing that spot on their arms to look empty and hollow. The dwarf tried to flip open the Hacklet, but it was embedded too deeply for him to unlatch the device. Tapping on the outer screen made no difference either. The device was on but unresponsive.

Another glance at the orc elicited a pang of frustration and annoyance—it looked like the orc had fallen asleep. Impatient with the lack of movement, Aaron walked forward, yanking Swift out of his deep meditations.

Lurching forward unexpectedly caused the orc to nearly fall on his face, but Aaron raised the arms, allowing Swift to regain his footing and move forward. The orc angrily signed with his free hand.

Dwarven Asshole! What are you fucking doing?

Aaron raised an eyebrow toward Swift, “Dwarven Asshole?”

The translation is inaccurate but close enough, I guess. Try talking to me before you move.

Grunting his response, the dwarf continued to walk forward with the orc in tow. “This is like a puzzle of sorts. We just need to find the key pieces to help us escape.”

There’s nothing to find. This place is empty.

Swift swept his free arm in a wide arc to accentuate his statement.

Aaron stopped walking forward and sighed. Looking back was the same as looking forward. As much as he hated to admit it, the orc had a point. But something was familiar about this place. He couldn’t place what it was, but the dwarf did not feel lost. If anything, it was more like a neighborhood from when he was a child. He just needed something to reference, something to brush the dust off his memories.

Aaron – Investigation skill 9 vs. Normal DT – SUCCESS

There, ahead in the void! Aaron saw it move, a shape in the electric clouds, a silhouette of something or someone walking. It was difficult to track as the electric currents would only hint at the thing’s presence in their passing. Regardless, the dwarf was confident in what he found. Giving Swift a tug on the shared arm, Aaron motioned for the orc to follow.

The ghost-like shadow moved steadily across the void. Aaron picked up his pace to intercept the creature’s path. With nothing to gauge distance, it was difficult to tell how far the shadowy creature was. The dwarf hoped it was nearby; otherwise, this thing would be much more massive than Aaron had initially surmised.

Faster now, running, Aaron pulled Swift by their arm, hoping to catch up to the only thing that offered a clue to their whereabouts. It was moving onward and was farther away than Aaron had supposed. The dwarf was no longer intercepting the creature’s path; he was trying to catch up with it. Their feet padded softly as they ran across the invisible floor, but the creature made no sound. Still, Aaron pressed on, pulling for Swift to keep up. However, it was like chasing a rainbow; the further the dwarf ran, the further the creature remained.

Tired, Aaron stopped running and took a moment to catch his breath. He kept his eye on the shadowy thing while glancing at the message that popped up over Swift.

Why are we running? Did you find something, or are we being chased?

Aaron pointed with his free hand. “There’s something moving in the darkness. I don’t know what it is, but it has to be a clue for us to get out.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The orc peered intently into the darkness, looking for the creature Aaron pointed to.

I don’t see it.

“Oh, it’s out there,” Aaron said, absentmindedly tugging at his unkempt beard. “It just doesn’t want to be found.”

Beasts have a reason why they wish to be left alone. We should respect this.

Aaron forced his hand away from his and growled. “Give me a better idea if you got one. Otherwise, keep up.”

The dwarf did not wait for a response from the orc. He picked up his pace and ran after the creature in the shadows again. Except this time, he did not stay silent. The dwarf whooped and hollered, waving his free arm and shouting at the creature. “Hey! Over here! Hey!”

Swift quickly became reluctant in their plan and tried to stop running. Aaron remained determined and pulled to continue moving forward. The duo found themselves in a tug-of-war between their conjoined arm. Swift waved furiously for Aaron to stop making noise, and Aaron continued to yell for the creature’s attention.

You do not know the danger you call!

“You don’t know if there is danger.”

All creatures of shadow are dangerous.

“Swift, I’m appalled. I never thought you would stereotype something based on its origins.”

This is not the same. You know that.

“—Is that so?”

Aaron and Swift froze in place. The voice that spoke did not come from the dwarf or the orc. Their eyes locked into each other’s and did not falter, fearful of what they might see beyond their gaze.

“Come now,” The voice continued. “You called for my attention. Can we not talk with each other?”

The dwarf let his breath out slowly. He nodded to Swift, then turned to face the creature of shadow. “Yes, we can talk—”

His voice was suddenly locked in his throat, and Aaron choked on the words he could not say. What stood before him was not a creature of shadow but a dwarf. A young female dwarf with curled locks of brown and auburn hair. Her eyes sparkled like the clearest of diamonds and shined with her beautiful, broad smile. She was perfect in every way that Aaron remembered. And yet, she was dead. Aaron coughed, forcing the only thing that could come out of his throat, “Molly?”

“It’s been a long time, Aaron,” Molly said.

But it wasn’t Molly, not really. Deep inside, Aaron felt this, and a successful investigation check confirmed it. Her voice was still a voice of shadow, not her own, and she stood with an air of aloofness that Molly never carried, ever. Her imitated presence was a disgrace to her memory. Anger and rage broiled deep within the dwarf’s veins. That firey anger cleansed him of the initial shock, and Aaron snarled, “Take that off.”

“Excuse me?” Responded the fake Molly.

“Take that off!” Aaron stepped forward, dragging Swift with him. “Take off her face, take off that body. I don’t know what sort of fucked up slag show you you intend to play here, but it’s not happening while you are wearing her body.”

“My, my,” Molly’s imitation fanned herself with feigned surprise. “I must say you are quite forward, even for a dwarf. Come now, darling, you wouldn’t strip a woman of her adornments without pouring her a drink first, would you?”

The imitation turned, and to Aaron’s surprise, a small round table with a crystal decanter and three old-fashioned drinking glasses was nearby. The dwarf’s eyes darted between the fake Molly and the brown liquid in the decanter. The decanter and glasses, and what was indeed alcohol inside, sent his mind racing, trying to keep up, stay ahead, or maybe rewind what was happening. His mouth was suddenly dry, and Aaron stumbled in his speech, unable to form words into proper sentences.

Molly giggled. “You’re so cute when you’re like this. Come on. This is a special blend of whiskey straight from the Core itself. I know you haven’t been home in such a long time, and thought this might be just the thing to cheer you up.”

“The Core?” Aaron mumbled. “How do you know about that—about this? What are you?”

“Dear, sweet Aaron Frimslayer,” Fake Molly removed the crystal cork from the decanter and gracefully poured a finger of whiskey into each glass. “For all your investigative perceptiveness, you still have trouble asking the proper questions.”

“Wait,” Aaron took a step back. “I—this… this is too familiar.”

One of the glasses was gently pressed into Aaron’s hand. The dwarf looked up into Molly’s eyes, smiling sad and sweet. “Please, dear, drink. It will all make sense soon enough.”

Aaron looked deep into those hollow eyes of shadow. The pain of loss began to swirl around the edges of his heart, and Aaron wished desperately for those empty eyes to be Molly’s eyes. With her encouragement, Aaron raised the glass to his lips.

The dwarf was suddenly slapped hard across his face, causing the glass to fly from his hand and shatter like a thousand stars across the unseen ground. Aaron’s face burned from the slap, and he turned to confront Swift, but the orc was not looking at him. Swift was talking to the impostor before them.

You are Iktomi. We will not be tricked by you!

“Does this look like a spider’s realm, orc?” Molly’s face contorted as her body and limbs twisted and bent into something else. “Do you think me a trickster?”

Swift’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped at the sight of the creature changing in front of him. He quickly spoke with waving hand.

Stay back, nagi! Away with you!

“Swift Racing Ostrich, dear child, what has become of you?”

While the voice was unchanged, what stood before them now was an aged and sickly orc. She had many tattoos and wore garments of animal hides adorned with many feathers, bones, and wood-carved trinkets. Despite her sickly stature, she held a regal appearance and stood with confidence.

Swift stood, trembling, holding his hand out to keep the other orc away.

“Dear child,” The imposter spoke sadly. “Again, you reject me?”

Swift stumbled backward, but Aaron kept the orc upright with their shared arm. The anger had returned, and with Molly’s face gone from the shadow creature, the dwarf renewed his focus.

“What are you doing here?” Aaron demanded.

“Wrong question again, dwarf!” The sickly orc turned toward Aaron with surprising fierceness. “This is where I reside. You entered my domain. The question you should be asking is: What are you doing here?”

“We are here, seeking a gnome,” Aaron replied quickly. “We are trying to find this gnome and get him to safety.”

“There are no gnomes here.” The orc-looking creature moved quickly to Aaron’s side. “Only memories, caught within the stitches of space and time.”

“Okay, let me rephrase.” Aaron furrowed his brow and twisted his mouth in thought. “We are trying to find a gnome in our realm and accidentally used your realm to find him.”

“You accidentally entered my realm?”

“Er… yeah?”

I attempted to scry the gnome’s location, and we ended up here. This has never happened to me before.

Swift interjected.

The fake orc glided over to Swift’s side. “You’re a scryer? You don’t smell like one who scries. What level are you?”

Swift shuffled his feet and looked about before answering.

I’m level 2.

Hollow eyes widened with excitement as a broad, crazed grin split across the shadow orc’s face. “You’re level 2?”

I’m higher than level 2, but I multi-classed. So, my scry skill is only level 2. I haven’t worked on it in a while.

“Hold on,” Aaron stepped in. “You’re telling me we relied on a level 2 skill to find this gnome? A gnome that no one has found?”

Swift shrugged.

I was going to use my Hero Die to amplify the skill and find him. However, I already used it back at that house where we got arrested.

The shadow creature began to lose its orc form as it rapidly bounced from one foot to the next, laughing with uncontained excitement.

“Fuck, Swift!” Aaron yelled. “You said you could do this. You depth-damned, coprolite for brains, orc! Seriously, level 2? Slag and feldspar!”

The shadow creature’s form began to blend back into the surrounding atmosphere as its empty laugh echoed through the void. “You must have failed miserably in your attempt and died! That is incredible! So tragic—so glorious!”

“We didn’t die,” Aaron said flatly.

The shadow creature’s form stopped and then began to gain form again. “What did you say?”

“I said we didn’t die,” Aaron responded tersely. “I’ve died once already, and it wasn’t like this.”

“But this is a realm for the dead, or rather, where Death will come looking for the dead.” The shadow’s head shifted in form and shape, but a maniacal grin remained.

“And you’re not Death?” Aaron asked hesitantly.

“Oh no, no. I am a simple program, if you will, wandering between the ethers of the system’s realities.”

“What is your purpose then? You’re not like the voice I heard when I died.”

The shadow twisted and wrapped around Aaron’s shoulders. “A voice, you say? Did my sibling speak to you when you died?”

Aaron leaned away from the pressing shadow. “Yes, a voice. It didn’t show itself like you, but it was certainly more tolerable.”

The shadow laughed as it quickly unwrapped itself from Aaron’s shoulders and hopped into a new form. “Then yu’s been chosen to be a Vision!”

“Oh, for the love of chalcedony,” Aaron muttered with his face in his hand. “Why? Why did you have to choose that body?”

Shadow Corey danced in a little circle for Aaron and Swift, then took a quick bow. Though it did not speak with Corey’s voice, it kept the street elf’s manner of speech. “Yu’s the one who’s chose me’s, Frimslaya.”

“Oh, fuck my life. Maybe I have died and am now stuck in the darkest of depths.”

“Oi! That’s no way to speaks of me ‘ome.”

“Your speech is worse than his,” Aaron spat.

“No need to get offensive, brotha.” The shadowy Corey danced up to Aaron and leaned in close. The crazed grin remained unwavering. “Yu’s been chosen by my favorite sibling. So, how’s about I do yu’s a favor?”

Aaron groaned. “Will this favor get us out of here?”

“Oh, yes, it will, Frimslaya! This favor will get yu’s back to the land o’ the livin’ and ‘elp yu’s find that gnome.”

“What’s the catch?”

“Catch?” The shadow jumped back as if offended. “Catch? There is no catch, Vision brotha.”

“There’s always a catch to these things. I do you a favor, and then you expect something in return. I just want to get this over with. What is it?”

“A favor’s a favor, A’aron. That’s it. Yu’s are the only entertainment I’ve ‘ad in ages. So, whether yu’s live or die doesn’t concern me. I just ask, if yu’s are gonna die, don’t die too quickly.”

It felt like a ball of lead dropped deep into the pit of Aaron’s stomach. His face was sour, but his voice was resolute. “Fine, we’ll try not to die too quickly. Now, what do we need to do?”